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of their constituents than of their party, whilst in aristocracies
they think more of their party than of their constituents.
But what ought to be said to gratify constituents is not always what
ought to be said in order to serve the party to which Representatives
profess to belong. The general interest of a party frequently demands
that members belonging to it should not speak on great questions
which they understand imperfectly; that they should speak but little
on those minor questions which impede the great ones; lastly, and for
the most part, that they should not speak at all. To keep silence is the
most useful service that an indifferent spokesman can render to the
commonwealth. Constituents, however, do not think so. The
population of a district sends a representative to take a part in the
government of a country, because they entertain a very lofty notion
of his merits. As men appear greater in proportion to the littleness of
the objects by which they are surrounded, it may be assumed that the
opinion entertained of the delegate will be so much the higher as
talents are more rare among his constituents. It will therefore
frequently happen that the less constituents have to expect from their
representative, the more they will anticipate from him; and, however
incompetent he may be, they will not fail to call upon him for signal
exertions, corresponding to the rank they have conferred upon him.
Independently of his position as a legislator of the State, electors also
regard their Representative as the natural patron of the constituency
in the Legislature; they almost consider him as the proxy of each of
his supporters, and they flatter themselves that he will not be less
zealous in defense of their private interests than of those of the
country. Thus electors are well assured beforehand that the
Representative of their choice will be an orator; that he will speak
often if he can, and that in case he is forced to refrain, he will strive
at any rate to compress into his less frequent orations an inquiry into
all the great questions of state, combined with a statement of all the
petty grievances
These conditions drive worthy men of humble abilities to despair,
who, knowing their own powers, would never voluntarily have come
forward. But thus urged on, the Representative begins to speak, to
the great alarm of his friends; and rushing imprudently into the midst
of the most celebrated orators, he perplexes the debate and wearies
the House
There is hardly a member of Congress who can make up his mind to
go home without having dispatched at least one speech to his
constituents;"
