The next characteristic of democracy is payment
for services; assembly, law courts, magistrates, everybody receives
pay, when it is to be had; or when it is not to be had for all, then
it is given to the law-courts and to the stated assemblies, to the
council and to the magistrates, or at least to any of them who are
compelled to have their meals together. And whereas oligarchy is
characterized by birth, wealth, and education, the notes of
democracy appear to be the opposite of these- low birth, poverty, mean
employment. Another note is that no magistracy is perpetual, but if
any such have survived some ancient change in the constitution it
should be stripped of its power, and the holders should be elected
by lot and no longer by vote. These are the points common to all
democracies; but democracy and demos in their truest form are based
upon the recognized principle of democratic justice, that all should
count equally; for equality implies that the poor should have no
more share in the government than the rich, and should not be the only
rulers, but that all should rule equally according to their numbers.
And in this way men think that they will secure equality and freedom
in their state.
III
Next comes the question, how is this equality to be obtained? Are we
to assign to a thousand poor men the property qualifications of five
hundred rich men? and shall we give the thousand a power equal to that
of the five hundred? or, if this is not to be the mode, ought we,
still retaining the same ratio, to take equal numbers from each and
give them the control of the elections and of the courts?- Which,
according to the democratical notion, is the juster form of the
constitution- this or one based on numbers only? Democrats say that
justice is that to which the majority agree, oligarchs that to which
the wealthier class; in their opinion the decision should be given
according to the amount of property.
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