ABSTRACT
Nothing is more repugnant to the principles of a free state, than that any class should exist in it, subject to the arbitrary power of the Government. It is on this account that the existence and amount of the standing army has been limited. The common regal character is the reverse of what it ought to be. It is purely personal, occupied with its own petty feelings, prejudices, and pursuits; whereas it ought to be the purely philosophical, exempt from all personal considerations, and contemplating itself only in its abstract and paramount relation to the State. This chapter discusses Universal suffrage and annual parliaments. In a representative Government, the good of the community requires, that the representative body should be chosen by those who are likely to make the best choice, or to select persons of the greatest worth and the fittest abilities.
