republicanism

is, (as a representative form of government) able to thread the needle between direct democracy's inability to gather all individuals for all decisions and despotism's ability to govern an extensive country.

It has been advanced as a principle, that no government but a despotism can exist in a very extensive country. This is a melancholy consideration indeed. If it were founded on truth, we ought to dismiss the idea of a republican government, even for the state of New York. This idea . . . has been misapprehended... and its application is entirely false and unwarrantable... it relates only to democracies, where the whole body of the people meet to transact business, and where representation is unknown. ALEXANDER HAMILTON New York Ratification Convention, June 27, 1788

is the only form of government fully comfortable to the principle of right. Without representative government, the government is arbitrary and despotic, whatever the constitution may be.

To be fully comfortable to the principle of right, the form of government must be representative. This is the only one that permits republicanism, without which the government is arbitrary and despotic, whatever the constitution may be.

republicanism, n.Definitions

republicanism