The reason why, in any tolerable constituted society, justice and
the general interest mostly in the end carry their point, is that
the separate and selfish interests of mankind are almost always
divided; some are interested in what is wrong, but some, also, have
their private interest on the side of what is right: and those who are
governed by higher considerations, though too few and weak to
prevail against the whole of the others, usually after sufficient
discussion and agitation become strong enough to turn the balance in
favour of the body of private interests which is on the same side with
them. The representative system ought to be so constituted as to
maintain this state of things: it ought not to allow any of the
various sectional interests to be so powerful as to be capable of
prevailing against truth and justice and the other sectional interests
combined. There ought always to be such a balance preserved among
personal interests as may render any one of them dependent for its
successes on carrying with it at least a large proportion of those who
act on higher motives and more comprehensive and distant views.
Chapter 7
Of True and False Democracy; Representation of All, and
Representation of the Majority only.
IT HAS been seen that the dangers incident to a representative
democracy are of two kinds: danger of a low grade of intelligence in
the representative body, and in the popular opinion which controls it;
and danger of class legislation on the part of the numerical majority,
these being all composed of the same class.
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