eople. Throwing
the Commons of Ireland out of the question, for we cannot speculate upon
a political order so unsettled that it has been thrice remodelled during
the present century, some 300,000 individuals sent up, at the last
general election, their representatives to Westminster.

Well, are these 300,000 persons the people of England? Grant that they
are; grant that these members are divided into two equal portions. Well,
then, the people of England consist of 150,000 persons. I know that
there are well-disposed persons that tremble at this reasoning, because,
although they admit its justice, they allege it leads to universal
suffrage. We must not show, they assert, that the House of the people is
not elected by the people. I admit it; we must not show that the House
of the people is not elected by the people, but we must show that the
House of Commons is not the House of the people, that it never was
intended to be the House of the people, and that, if it be admitted to
be so by courtesy, or become so in fact, it is all over with the English
constitution.

It is quite impossible that a whole people can be a branch of a
legislature. If a whole people have the power of making laws, it
is folly to suppose that they will allow an assembly of 300 or 400
individuals, or a solitary being on a throne, to thwart their sovereign
will and pleasure. But I deny that a people can govern itself.
Self-government is a contradiction in terms. Whatever form a government
may assume, power must be exercised by a minority of numbers. I shall,
perhaps, be reminded of the ancient republics. I answer, that the
ancient republics were as aristocratic communities as any that
flourished in the middle ages. The Demos of Athens was an oligarchy
living upon slaves. There is a great slave population even in the United
States, if a society of yesterday is to illustrate an argument on our
ancient civilisation.

But it is useless to argue the question abstractedly.

The phrase 'the people' is sheer nonsense. It is not a political term.
It is a phrase of natural history. A people is a species; a civilised
community is a nation. Now, a nation is a work of art and a work of
time. A nation is gradually created by a variety of influences--the
influence of original organisation, of climate, soil, religion, laws,
customs, manners, extraordinary accidents and incidents in their
history, and the individual character of their illustrious citizens.
These i