er into the hands of the masses,
and thus destroying that balance of the different interests of the
community which are--thank God--still represented, and which, if once
lost, would reduce our beloved Sovereign to the position of a gaudy
puppet, and the House of Lords to a mere cypher, and be as certainly
followed by all the horrors of a revolution, and all the evils of a
corrupt democracy. How easy is it to find politicians ever ready to
sniff the incense of popularity at the plausible shrine of a descending
franchise!--how difficult to find those who, while granting what is just
and prudent, have the wisdom to plan, and the courage to dare, measures
to arrest a mobular avalanche!

With regard to the frequency of elections, I will only insert the
following sentence from Mr. Justice Story, as, I believe, public opinion
in this country is all but universal in its condemnation: "Men, to act
with vigour and effect, ... must not be hurried on to their conclusions
by the passions of elections has a tendency to create agitation and
dissensions in the public mind, to nourish factions and encourage
restlessness, to favour rash innovations in domestic legislation and
public policy, and to produce violent and sudden changes in the
administration of public affairs, founded upon temporary excitements and
prejudices: ... it operates also as a great discouragement upon suitable
candidates offering themselves for the public service ... the period of
service ought, therefore, to bear some proportion to the variety of
knowledge and practical skill which the duties of the station
demand."--If any annual-parliament maniac still exist, let him profit by
these words of wisdom from the pen of a republican, dipped in the ink of
Prudence and Patriotism; and in the marked difference between the House
of Representatives and the Senate Chamber--the former of whom are
elected for two, the latter for six years--let him behold the most
incontrovertible living proof's of their truth. John Jay, one of the
most able men of America, writing to Washington, expresses his wish that
the Upper House, or Senate, should be elected for life.

I will now turn to a topic which probably interests the British public
more than any other--except the franchise--I mean the Ballot. So much
has been said about the coercion of voters by those on whom they are
dependent, and so much disgraceful jobbery at elections in this country
has been laid bare, that if the Ballot we