Diary in America, Series One | Page 7

change as everything else, and it has
now settled down into anything but a pure democracy. Nor could it be
otherwise; a republic may be formed and may continue in healthy
existence when regulated by a small body of men, but as men increase
and multiply so do they deteriorate; the closer they are packed the more
vicious they become, and, consequently, the more vicious become their
institutions. Washington and his coadjutors had no power to control the
nature of man.
It may be inquired by some, what difference there is between a republic
and a democracy, as the terms have been, and are often, used
indifferently. I know not whether my distinction is right, but I consider
that when those possessed of most talent and wisdom are selected to act
for the benefit of a people, with full reliance upon their acting for the
best, and without any shackle or pledge being enforced, we may
consider that form of government as a republic ruled by the most

enlightened and capable; but that if, on the contrary, those selected by
the people to represent them are not only bound by the pledges
previous to their election, but ordered by the mass how to vote after
their election, then the country, is not ruled by the collected wisdom of
the people, but by the majority, who are as often wrong as right, and
then the governing principle sinks into a democracy, as it now is in
America. [Note 3.]
It is singular to remark, notwithstanding her monarchical form of
government, how much more republican England is in her institutions
than America. Ask an American what he considers the necessary
qualifications of a president, and, after intellectual qualification, he will
tell you firmness, decision, and undaunted courage; and it is really an
enigma to him, although he will not acknowledge it, how the sceptre of
a country like England, subject to the monarchical sway which he
detests, can be held in the hand of a young female of eighteen years of
age.
But upon one point I have made up my mind, which is that, with all its
imperfections, democracy is the form of government best suited to the
present condition of America, in so far as it is the one under which the
country has made, and will continue to make, the most rapid advances.
That it must eventually be changed is true, but the times of its change
must be determined by so many events, hidden in futurity, which may
accelerate or retard the convulsion, that it would be presumptuous for
any one to attempt to name a period when the present form of
government shall be broken up, and the multitude shall separate and
re-embody themselves under new institutions.
In the arrangement of this work, I have considered it advisable to
present, first, to the reader those portions of my diary which may be
interesting, and in which are recorded traits and incidents which will
bear strongly upon the commentaries I shall subsequently make upon
the institutions of the United States, and the results of those institutions
as developed in the American character. Having been preceded by so
many writers on America, I must occasionally tread in well-beaten
tracts; but, although I shall avoid repetition as much as possible, this

will not prevent me from describing what I saw or felt. Different ideas,
and different associations of ideas, will strike different travellers, as the
same landscape may wear a new appearance, according as it is viewed
in the morning, by noon, or at night; the outlines remain the same, but
the lights, and shadows, and tints, are reflected from the varying
idiosyncrasy of various minds.
My readers will also find many quotations, either embodied in the work
or supplied by notes. This I have considered necessary, that my
opinions may be corroborated; but these quotations will not be
extracted so much from the works of English as from American writers.
The opinions relative to the United States have been so conflicting in
the many works which have been written, that I consider it most
important that I should be able to quote American authorities against
themselves, and strengthen my opinions and arguments by their own
admissions.
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Note 1. Paragraph from a New York paper. That old, deaf English
maiden lady, Miss Martineau, who travelled through some of the states,
a few years since, gives a full account of Mr Poindexter's death;
unfortunately for her veracity, the gentleman still lives; but this is about
as near the truth as the majority of her statements. The loafing English
men and women who visit America, as penny-a-liners, are perfectly
understood here, and Jonathan amuses himself whenever he meets them,
by imposing upon their credulity the most absurd stories which he can
invent, which