B
Bret Cahill
Guest
"The [noise] of one magistrate under a democracy is, moreover, an
isolated fact that has an influence only during the short period of
his tenure of office. Corruption and incapacity are not [in sync]
linking men in any permanent fashion.
"A low [SNR] magistrate will not combine his efforts with another
magistrate's simply because the latter is corrupt or incapable too,
and these two men will never work in [sync]so that corruption or
incapacity may flourish among their posterity. Quite the contrary,
the ambition and intrigues of the one will help to [nullify] the
other. Generally speaking, in a democracy the vices of a magistrate
are altogether personal.
~~~~~~~~~~~
The original:
"The bad administration of one magistrate under a democracy is,
moreover, an isolated fact that has an influence only during the short
period of his tenure of office. Corruption and incapacity are not
common interests capable of linking men in any permanent fashion.
"A corrupt or incapable magistrate will not combine his efforts with
another magistrate's simply because the latter is corrupt or incapable
too, and these two men will never work in concert so that corruption
or incapacity may flourish among their posterity. Quite the contrary,
the ambition and intrigues of the one will help to unmask the other.
Generally speaking, in a democracy the vices of a magistrate are
altogether personal.
.. . .
There is therefore at the bottom of democratic institutions some
hidden tendency which often makes men promote the general prosperity,
in spite of their vices and their mistakes, ehereas in aristocratic
institutions there is sometimes a secret bias which, in spite of
talents and virtues, leads men to contribute to the afflictions of
their fellows. In this way it may come about that under aristocratic
governments public men do evil without intending it, and in
democracies they bring about good results of which they never
thought."
-- Tocqueville "The Advantages of Democratic Government" (1833)
isolated fact that has an influence only during the short period of
his tenure of office. Corruption and incapacity are not [in sync]
linking men in any permanent fashion.
"A low [SNR] magistrate will not combine his efforts with another
magistrate's simply because the latter is corrupt or incapable too,
and these two men will never work in [sync]so that corruption or
incapacity may flourish among their posterity. Quite the contrary,
the ambition and intrigues of the one will help to [nullify] the
other. Generally speaking, in a democracy the vices of a magistrate
are altogether personal.
~~~~~~~~~~~
The original:
"The bad administration of one magistrate under a democracy is,
moreover, an isolated fact that has an influence only during the short
period of his tenure of office. Corruption and incapacity are not
common interests capable of linking men in any permanent fashion.
"A corrupt or incapable magistrate will not combine his efforts with
another magistrate's simply because the latter is corrupt or incapable
too, and these two men will never work in concert so that corruption
or incapacity may flourish among their posterity. Quite the contrary,
the ambition and intrigues of the one will help to unmask the other.
Generally speaking, in a democracy the vices of a magistrate are
altogether personal.
.. . .
There is therefore at the bottom of democratic institutions some
hidden tendency which often makes men promote the general prosperity,
in spite of their vices and their mistakes, ehereas in aristocratic
institutions there is sometimes a secret bias which, in spite of
talents and virtues, leads men to contribute to the afflictions of
their fellows. In this way it may come about that under aristocratic
governments public men do evil without intending it, and in
democracies they bring about good results of which they never
thought."
-- Tocqueville "The Advantages of Democratic Government" (1833)