224 Government, Laws, [Part !!(>, 



Government maj be truly said to be in the hands oi* 

 the people. The people are, in reality as well as in i 

 name, represented. 



411. The consequences of this are, 1st, that, if those 

 ■who are chosen do not behave well, they are not cho- 

 sen a second time; 2nd, that there are no sinecure 

 placemen and place ivomcn, grnntecs, pensioners tcitii- 

 out services, and big placemen M'ho swallow the earn- 

 ings of two or three thousand men each ; 3rd, that there 

 is no military stafl' to devour more than the whole of a, 

 government ought to corst ; 4th, that there are no proud 

 and insolent grasping Boroughmongers, who make the 

 people toil and sweat to keep them and their iamilies 

 in luxury; 5th, that seats in the Congress are not like 

 stalls in Smithfield, bought and sold, or hired out; 

 6th, that the Members of Congress do not sell their 

 votes at so much a vote ; 7th, that there is no waste 

 of the public money, and no expenses occasioned by 

 the bribing of electors, or by the hiring of Spies and 

 informers ; 8th, that there are no shootings of the peo- 

 ple, and no legal murders committed, in order to de- 

 fend the government against the just vengeance of an 

 oppressed and insulted nation. But, all is harmony, 

 peace and prosperity. Every man is zealous in de- 

 fence of the laAvs, because every man knows that he is 

 governed by laws, to which he has really and truly 

 given his assent. 



412. As to the nature of the laws, the Common Law 

 of England is the Common Law of America. These 

 States were formerly Colonics of England. Our Bo- 

 roughmongers wished to tax them uitlwut their own 

 coment. But, the Colonies, standing upon the ancient 

 LaM's of England, which say that novtan shall he taxed 

 rcithout his own consent, resisted the Boroughmongers 

 of that day ; overcame them in war ; cast off all de- 

 pendence, and became free and independent States. 

 But, the great man, who conducted that Revolution, 

 as well as the people in general, were too wise to cast 

 off the excellent laws of their forefathers. They, there- 

 fore, declared, that the Common Law of England 

 should remain, being subject to such modifications as 

 might be necessary in the new circumstances in M-hich 



