RECORDS OF THE FEDERAL CONVENTION Tuesday MADISON August z4 and abilities. He moved <to postpone the section in order to take up the following proposition viz--"the members of each House shall be incapable of holding any office under the U.S. for which they or any of others for their benefit receive any salary, fees, or emoluments of any kind --and the accep- tance of such office shall vacate their seats respectively") ? Genl. Mifflin 2ded. the motion Col. Mason ironically proposed to strike out the whole section, as a more effectual expedient for encouraging that exotic corruption which might not otherwise thrive so well in the American Soil--for compleating that Aristocracy which was probably in the contemplation of some among us. and for inviting into the Legislative service, those generous & benevo- lent characters who will do justice to each other's merit? b 7 carving out offices & rewards for it. In the present state of American morals & manners, few friends it may be thought will be lost to the plan, by (the opportunity) of giving pre- miums to a mercenary & depraved ambition. Mr Mercer. It is a first principle in political science, that whenever the rights of property are secured, an aristocracy will grow out of it. Elective Governments also necessarily become aristocratic, because the rulers being few can & will draw emoluments for themselves from the many. The Gov- ernments of America will become aristocracies. They are so already. The public measures are calculated for the benefit of the Governors, not of the people. The people are dissatis- fied & complain. They change their rulers, and the public measures are changed, but it is only a change of one scheme of emolument to the rulers, for another. The people gain nothing by it, but an addition of instability & uncertainty to their other evils.- Governmts. can only be maintained by force or influence. The Executive has not force, deprive him of influence by rendering the members of the (Legislature) ineligible to Executive offices, and he becomes a mere phantom of authority. The Aristocratic part will not even let him in for a share of the plunder. The Legislature must & will Revised from ,fournul,
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