Page:John Adams - A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America Vol. I. (1787).djvu/59

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the republic of the Three Leagues of the Grions, the overeign is all the people of a great part of the ancient Rhetia. This is called a democratical republic of three leagues, 1. The League of the Grions. 2. The League Caddee. 3. The League of Ten Juridictions. Thee three are united by the perpetual confederation of 1472, which has been everal times renewed. The government reides overeignty in the commons, where every thing is decided by the plurality of voices. The commons elect and intruct their deputies for the general diet, which is held once a year. Each league elects alo its chief or preident, who reides at the dietes, each one in his league. The general diet aembles one year at Ilanz, in the league of the Grions; one year at Coire, in the league Caddee; and one year at Davons, in the league of Ten Juridictions. There is another ordinary aembly, compoed of chiefs and of three deputies from each league, which is held at Coire, in the month of January. Beides thee regular aemblies, they hold congrees whenever the neceities of the tate require them; ometimes of the chiefs alone, ometimes of certain deputies from each league, according to the importance of the cae: thee aemblies are held at Coire. The three leagues form but one body in general affairs; and, although one league has more deputies than another, they count the voices without ditinction of leagues. They conduct eparately their particular affairs. Their country is thirty-five leagues in length, and thirty in breadth. Even