Such
very peculiar circumstances, however, are required to make this
arrangement work tolerably in practice, that recourse must generally
be had to the plan of representative sub-Parliaments for local
affairs. These exist in England, but very incompletely, and with great
irregularity and want of system: in some other countries much less
popularly governed their constitution is far more rational. In England
there has always been more liberty, but worse organisation, while in
other countries there is better organisation, but less liberty. It
is necessary, then, that in addition to the national representation
there should be municipal and provincial representations: and the
two questions which remain to be resolved are, how the local
representative bodies should be constituted, and what should be the
extent of their functions.
* On Liberty, concluding chapter; and, at greater length, in the
final chapter of Principles of Political Economy.
In considering these questions two points require an equal degree of
our attention: how the local business itself can be best done; and how
its transaction can be made most instrumental to the nourishment of
public spirit and the development of intelligence. In an earlier
part of this inquiry I have dwelt in strong language- hardly any
language is strong enough to express the strength of my
conviction- on the importance of that portion of the operation of
free institutions which may be called the public education of the
citizens.
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