1821. April 10.

Financial

(3.)

Remains, that source or mode of wasteful expenditure in the wholesale way

which, howsoever congenial, is not essential, to the form of Government.

These are — 1. Unnecessary wars. 2. Distant, and thence

preponderantly expensive dependencies.

In a Representative Democracy, unnecessary wars against foreign

adversaries can scarcely have existence. For the sake of profit to

the supremely ruling body — the people, in whom is the power of

appointment and removal with relation to the operatively ruling body

— their representatives — it is not possible: but

what none of them can avoid seeing, is — that,

with reference to the utmost possible profit capable of being reaped at the

expence of the people of any other state, the expenditure

that must be made is not only merely immediate and certain, but

antecedent: as well as, in the ultimate result, greater. Upon their

Representatives it is indeed that, in an immediate way, the engaging or not

engaging in any such war would depend. But that which, as above, would be

manifest to the least reflecting of the two portions of the community,

viz., constituents, would be still more manifested in the eyes of the

most reflecting of those same two bodies their Representatives: in

their eyes accordingly, of the engaging in any such unnecessary war,

non re-election, — that is, removal, and with disgrace, would be

the certain consequence.

Another conceivable cause of unnecessary war against foreign

adversaries, irritation. But, if not for the commencement, for the

continuance, of a war considered as being thus produced, what is necessary,

is that, in the breasts of the majority of the people, hatred of others

should be more strong and efficient than love of self. For a small

portion of time, and on the part of a small proportion of the people,

such predominance is at any rate conceivable. But, for any considerable

portion of time, on the part of the majority of such a people, the nature

of man considered, it does not seem possible.