370 POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS. 



tinaciously resist are those who, remaining unsubdued, and 

 transmitting their mental traits to posterity, determine the 

 character of the race. 



Having thus glanced at the effects of the factors, external 

 and internal, as displayed in simple tribes, we shall under 

 stand how they cooperate when, by migration or otherwise, 

 such tribes fall into circumstances favouring the growth of 

 large societies. 



484. The case of an uncivilized people of the nature de 

 scribed, who have in recent times shown what occurs when 

 union of small groups into great ones is prompted, will best 

 initiate the interpretation. 



The Iroquois nations, each made up of many tribes pre 

 viously hostile, had to defend themselves against European 

 invaders. Combination for this purpose among these five 

 (and finally six) nations, necessitated a recognition of equality 

 among them ; since agreement to join would not have been 

 arrived at had it been required that some divisions should be 

 subject to others. The groups had to cooperate on the under 

 standing that their &quot;rights, privileges and obligations&quot; should 

 be the same. Though the numbers of permanent and here 

 ditary sachems appointed by the respective nations to form 

 the Great Council, differed, yet the voices of the several 

 nations were equal. Omitting details of the organization, we 

 have to note, first, that for many generations, notwithstanding 

 the wars which this league carried on, its constitution re 

 mained stable no supreme individual arose; and, second, 

 that this equality among the powers of the groups co-existed 

 with inequality within each group : the people had no share 

 in its government. 



A clue is thus furnished to the genesis of those compound 

 heads with which ancient history familiarizes us. We are 

 enabled to see how there came to co-exist in the same socie 

 ties, some institutions of a despotic kind, with other institu 

 tions of a kind appearing to be based on the principle of 



