Page:John Adams - A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America Vol. I. (1787).djvu/179

Rh each others hands more wealth and popularity, until they become able to govern elections as they pleae, and rule the people at dicretion. An independent member will be their averion; all their artifices will be employed to detroy his popularity among his contituents, and bring in a diciple of their own in his place.

But if they divide, each party will, in a coure of time, have the whole houe, and conequently the whole tate, divided into two factions, which will truggle in words, in writing, and at lat in arms, until Cæar or Pompey mut be emperor, and entail an endles line of tyrants on the nation. But long before this catatrophe, and indeed through every cene of the drama, the laws, intead of being permanent, and affording contant protection to the lives, liberties, and properties of the citizens, will be alternately the port of contending factions, and the mere vibrations of a pendulum. From the beginning to the end it will be a government of men, now of one et, and then of another; but never a government of laws.

My dear Sir,

HE whole chapter is very much to the purpoe, but the following paragraphs more particularly o.—According to ome authors, there are but three orts of governments, viz. monarchy or