Sublime

Alexis de Tocqueville est un grand voyageur, portant dès ses premières découvertes de la Suisse ou de l’Italie un regard d’historien, d’économiste et de sociologue sur les pays qu’il visite.

Why a democratic people is less capable of sustained effort than another.

becomes dangerous in proportion to the impossibility which excludes great parties from acquiring the majority.

in the second place, to stimulate competition, and to discover those arguments which are most fitted to act upon the majority; for they always entertain hopes of drawing over their opponents to their own side, and of afterwards disposing of the supreme power in their name.

Despotism therefore appears to me particularly to be dreaded in democratic ages.

But this ceases to be the case as we descend to States in which knowledge is less generally diffused, and where the township consequently offers fewer guarantees of a wise and active administration.

The condition of society is always tolerable, never excellent. I am convinced that, when China is opened to European observation, it will be found to contain the most perfect model of a central administration which exists in the universe.]

From what cause, then, does so startling a difference arise? The only reason which appears to me adequately to account for it is, that the House of Representatives is elected by the populace directly, and that the Senate is elected by elected bodies.