"All the powers of government, legislative, executive, and
judiciary, result to the legislative body. The concentrating these in
the same hands, is precisely the definition of despotic government. It
will be no alleviation, that these powers will be exercised by a
plurality of hands, and not by a single one. One hundred and
seventy-three despots would surely be as oppressive as one. Let those
who doubt it, turn their eyes on the republic of Venice. As little will
it avail us, that they are chosen by ourselves. An ELECTIVE DESPOTISM
was not the government we fought for; but one which should not only be
founded on free principles, but in which the powers of government should
be so divided and balanced among several bodies of magistracy, as that
no one could transcend their legal limits, without being effectually
checked and restrained by the others. For this reason, that convention
which passed the ordinance of government, laid its foundation on this
basis, that the legislative, executive, and judiciary departments should
be separate and distinct, so that no person should exercise the powers
of more than one of them at the same time.
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