Progetto Italia Federalea cura di Francesco Paolo Forti |
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l'autore scrivendo a questo indirizzo di posta elettronica |
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To the People of the State of New York [...] If men were angels, no government would be necessary.
If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on
government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered
by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable
the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it
to control itself. A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary
control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity
of auxiliary precautions. [...] In the compound republic of
America, the power surrendered by the people is first divided between
two distinct governments, and then the portion allotted to each subdivided
among distinct and separate departments. Hence a double security arises
to the rights of the people. The different governments will control each
other, at the same time that each will be controlled by itself. Second.
It is of great importance in a republic not only to guard the society against
the oppression of its rulers, but to guard one part of the society against
the injustice of the other part. Different interests necessarily exist
in different classes of citizens. If a majority be united by a common interest,
the rights of the minority will be insecure. There are but two methods
of providing against this evil: the one by creating a will in the community
independent of the majority that is, of the society itself; the other,
by comprehending in the society so many separate descriptions of citizens
as will render an unjust combination of a majority of the whole very improbable,
if not impracticable. The first method prevails in all governments possessing
an hereditary or self-appointed authority. This, at best, is but a precarious
security; because a power independent of the society may as well espouse
the unjust views of the major, as the rightful interests of the minor party,
and may possibly be turned against both parties. The second method will
be exemplified in the federal republic of the United States.
Da: FEDERALIST No. 51 To the People of the State of New York: The Structure of the Government Must Furnish the Proper Checks and Balances Between the Different Departments From the New York Packet. Friday, February 8, 1788. HAMILTON OR MADISON Testo completo del "The Federalist" su:
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