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The Federalist No. 10
James Madison
November 22, 1787
To the People of the State of New York.
Among the numerous advantages promised by a well constructed
Union, none deserves to be more accurately developed than its tendency
to break and control the violence of faction. The friend of popular governments never finds himself so much alarmed for their character and
fate as when he contemplates their propensity to this dangerous vice. He
will not fail, therefore, to set a due value on any plan which, without violating the principles to which he is attached, provides a proper cure for
it. The instability, injustice and confusion introduced into the public
councils have, in truth, been the mortal diseases under which popular
governments have every where perished, as they continue to be the favorite and fruitful topics from which the adversaries to liberty derive
their most specious declamations. The valuable improvements made by
the American Constitution on the popular models, both ancient and
modern, cannot certainly be too much admired; but it would be an unwarrantable partiality to contend that they have as effectually obviated
the danger on this side as was wished and expected. Complaints are
every where heard from our most considerate and virtuous citizens,
equally the friends of public and private faith, and of public and personal
liberty, that our governments are too unstable, that the public good is disregarded in the conflicts of rival parties, and that measures are too often
decided, not according to the rules of justice, and the rights of the minor
party, but by the superior force of an interested and over-bearing majority. However anxiously we may wish that these complaints had no foundation, the evidence of known facts will not permit us to deny that they
are in some degree true. It will be found indeed, on a candid review of
our situation, that some of the distresses under which we labor have been
erroneously
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