Page:John Adams - A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America Vol. I. (1787).djvu/79

bers of the little ſenate and ſecret council is another check. The names of the candidates in nomination are placed in a box, containing as many partitions as there are perſons: the ballots are thrown into this box by the electors, without knowing how the names are placed; and the candidate whoſe name occupies the diviſion, which receives by accident the moſt ballots, has the lot. This is to guard againſt the influence of families; for, among thoſe few families from which alone any candidate can be taken, ſome have more influence than others. The canton contains ſixty-ſix thouſand ſouls. Its land produces good paſture, ſome corn, and little wine; it has no commerce, and not much literature. It has more troops in foreign ſervice than any other canton in proportion. As the rivers and lakes have a direct communication with the ſea, they might have a valuable commerce; but as none of the perſons concerned in government can be merchants, no commerce can ever be in faſhion, except that of their noble blood to foreign ſovereigns. It is no doubt much to the honour of their fidelity and valour to be choſen ſo generally to be the life-guards of princes; but whether they can vindicate ſuch a traffic, upon principles of juſtice, humanity, or policy, or from the imputation of a more mercenary ſpirit than that of ordinary commerce, is for them to conſider. The conſervation of the oligarchy is entirely owing however to this cuſtom: for a youthful fiery nobility, at home in idleneſs, would neceſſarily become ambitious of popularity, and either procure, by intrigues and inſurrections, a greater ſhare of importance to the people, or ſet up one of the greateſt genius and enterprize among them for a deſpot. In foreign ſervice they exhauſt their reſtleſs years, and re-

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