Sphere of Power Part IV
Extending the Sphere
So far this week we have discussed what the Sphere of Power is, the powers that are inside and influence it, and how power has been manipulated. Today we will discuss how we start to balance the power.
James Madison, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States used the phrase "extending the sphere" to refer to the idea of creating a large and diverse republic. In his famous essay "Federalist No. 10," Madison argued that a large republic would provide a wider range of opinions and interests, making it more difficult for any group to dominate the political process.
Extending the Sphere of Power engages more of the populace, from the financier to the merchant, the manufacturer, and the mechanic. Engaging citizens in the system allows them a voice and power to make the law and the rules of commerce each Citizen lives by. It gives them ownership of their government. Madison believed that the size of the apportionment of the House of Representatives should be based on a combination of factors, including population, geography, and the need for effective representation. When apportioning the districts, the founders discussed the distance a citizen would have to travel to speak to their Representative. This shows the focus on communication when determining apportionment. The external Sphere must be large enough to harness the power of factions, but the internal spheres of republicanism must be small enough that every voice is heard.
In Federalist No. 55, Madison wrote, "As there is a degree of depravity in mankind which requires a certain degree of circumspection and distrust, so there are other qualities in human nature which justify a certain portion of esteem and confidence. Republican government presupposes the existence of these qualities in a higher degree than any other form. Were the pictures which have been drawn by the political jealousy of some among us faithful likenesses of the human character, the inference would be that there is not sufficient virtue among men for self-government; and that nothing less than the chains of despotism can restrain them from destroying and devouring one another."
Our power became concentrated when the House was capped. The voices of the mechanic and merchant have been left out of the sphere. We can right this mistake by uncapping the House and expanding representation to a great number of citizens. This will make the power inside the sphere more challenging to corrupt because of the multiplicity of voices. Making the house larger makes the size of the districts smaller. This enables better communication between the rep and the citizens of the district.
Extend the sphere, and you take in a greater variety of parties and interests; you make it less probable that a majority of the whole will have a common motive to invade the rights of other citizens; or if such a common motive exists, it will be more difficult for all who feel it to discover their own strength, and to act in unison with each other.
James Madison Federlist No.10
Virtue among men appears scarce when the opportunity for them to be heard is limited. That is when despotism and revolutions take hold. Extending the Sphere and having an adequately apportioned House engages enough of the citizenry to keep off the chains of despotism and restrains us from devouring ourselves.
Uncapping the house will help balance the sphere, but we need campaign finance reform to rid our union of corruption. Our next article will discuss how we repair an electioneering process emphasizing profit over people.
If you need to catch up, see below.
