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session of the government and country, where all public officers are held bound to obey mandates coming from the powers that be for the moment, and will be punished as rebels if they do not. No! in America, its citizens are its public officers-   its magistrates, without salaries   -judges, independent of all con-troul   and executive officers, subject to the direction of the judges.

The judges are of the people   mix and associate with them daily. The sheriffs are, likewise, and so execute the laws with a regard to humanity, as well as to justice, that while a dereliction of duty would soon cause the loss of their offices, it is so much to their interests to be courteous and mild, that a few years action in the office most commonly sends them to represent the people in the legislature   neither judges, magistrates, nor sheriffs, would dare to lend their aid to carry into effect the mandates of any usurper. His authority would be nothing beyond the confines of the boundary occupied by his troops. And, as every man in America is a soldier, unless more than half were enlisted to overset the government, it could in no case be done   and, if more than half could be enlisted, force would be needless, as the desired result could be obtained, through the medium of the ballot-box. For this reason there can be no secret conspiracy   there is no need for a public police, nor for a standing army, except to keep fortifications in order, and check the Indians. Because, for every necessary purpose, a posse of the people can at any time be raised to execute the laws. Resistance to our laws is never heard of, because every man in the community is a conservator of the peace, and bound to lend his aid when required. Our laws are as invisible as the atmosphere, and as prevalent.

Neither do we want standing armies for war. Our late contest with Mexico is evidence of this.

It might be argued that, where a majority govern, there would be danger of agrarianism. Not so where three-fourths of the population, as with us, are land-holders. Their interest is in favour of the rights of property, and the proportion of land-holders will be continually increasing, as there is among us no rule of primogeniture. Every man's property is divided among his children, and almost always equally. So cheap too, is land, that three months labour will buy forty acres in the new States, so that the proportion of land-holders, compared