It has been said that democracy is the worst
form of government except all those other forms
that have been tried from time to time.

WINTON CHURCHILL, in the House of
Commons, November 11, 1947

IN 1788, when Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay were
struggling to persuade the New York convention to ratify the Constitution
of the United States, young De Witt Clinton composed a prayer for the
Opposition: "From the insolence of great men--from the tyranny of the
rich--from the unfeeling rapacity of the excise--men and tax-gatherers--
from the misery of despotism--from the expense of supporting standing
armies, navies, placemen, sinecures, federal cities, senators, presidents, and
a long train of etceteras, Good Lord deliver us." There speaks the deep
American distaste for government, the belief that it is evil and that it must
be kept weak.

The proposed constitution seemed weak enough to its friends--too weak
for safety in the opinion of Hamilton. The thirteen states were left with all
the powers which would normally concern "the lives, liberties and proper--
ties of the people," while the delegated powers of the Union were divided
among the Executive, the Legislature, and the judiciary in the belief that
they would check each other and prevent rash or oppressive deeds. Yet
behind this modest proposal Clinton saw threats of insolence, rapacity,
misery, needless expense, and all the corruptions of history. There is little
doubt that he spoke for the majority in New York; and many citizens
would still agree with him. A constant factor in American history is the
fear of Leviathan, of the encroaching state.

We an trace this fear from prerevolutionary days, and we can trace the
forces which have nevertheless caused Leviathan to grow steadily more
ponderous. War and industrial revolution promote strong government.
Foreign dangers, business depressions, sectional or class strife--whenever
these are acute the people look to central power for help. Yet they have
not abandoned hope that life might sometime be peaceful and that gov-
ernment might become frugal and unassuming, as Jefferson promised.
And they have not abandoned the constitution which seemed to many of
those who wrote it to err on the side of weakness, to put the liberties of the

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