The same principle prevails also in the choice of
their senate; the manner of electing which is favourable
also to an oligarchy; for all are obliged to vote
for those who are senators of the first class, afterwards
they vote for the same number out of the second, and
then out of the third; but this compulsion to vote
at the election of senators does not extend to the
third and fourth classes and the first and second
class only are obliged to vote for the fourth.
By this means he says he shall necessarily have an
equal number of each rank, but he is mistaken—for
the majority will always consist of those of the first
rank, and the most considerable people; and for this
reason, that many of the commonalty not being obliged
to it, will not attend the elections. From hence
it is evident, that such a state will not consist
of a democracy and a monarchy, and this will be further
proved by what we shall say when we come particularly
to consider this form of government.
There will also great danger arise from the manner
of electing the senate, when those who are elected
themselves are afterwards to elect others; for by
this means, if a certain number choose to combine
together, though not very considerable, the election
will always fall according to their pleasure.
Such are the things which Plato proposes concerning
government in his book of Laws.
CHAPTER VII
There are also some other forms of government, which
have been proposed either by private persons, or philosophers,
or politicians, all of which come much nearer to those
which have been really established, or now exist,
than these two of Plato’s; for neither have
they introduced the innovation of a community of wives
and children, and public tables for the women, but
have been contented to set out with establishing such
rules as are absolutely necessary.
There are some persons who think, that the first object
of government should be to regulate well everything
relating to private property; for they say, that a
neglect herein is the source of all seditions whatsoever.
For this reason, Phaleas the Chalcedonian first proposed,
that the fortunes of the citizens should be equal,
which he thought was not difficult to accomplish when
a community was first settled, but that it was a work
of greater difficulty in one that had been long established;
but yet that it might be effected, and an equality
of circumstances introduced by these means, that the
rich should give marriage portions, but never receive
any, while the poor should always receive, but never
give.
Copyrights
Politics: A Treatise on Government from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.
