Daugherty: Founding Father envisioned a Republic, not Democracy

Comment by Duffy Daugherty on August 2, 2010 at 9:35am

“I pledge allegiance to the flag, and to the REPUBLIC for which it stand...” Do we not know what these specific words mean any longer?
The fact that we are discussing eliminating the Electoral College is a prime example of the effect of eliminating American History, Government, and Civics from our school curricula. Of all places, the citizens of New Hampshire ought to know and appreciate why this mechanism for electing our presidents was instituted by our founding fathers – to protect the minority (small states) from being overshadowed and overrun by the bigger, more populous, and more economically influential states. How important that we should relearn this lesson now.
A Republic is representative government ruled by law (our Constitution). A democracy is direct government ruled by the majority (“mob rule”). A Republic recognizes the inalienable rights of individuals while democracies are only concerned with group wants or thinks it needs at the time (the so-called “public good”). The question to add to this latter statement is “By whom?”
If we had presidential elections simply by popular vote, New Hampshire’s political voice would be all but drowned out. From a population standpoint, we rank 41st of the 50 states. The top 10 states in order of population rank (California, Texas, New York, Florida, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Jersey, and Georgia account for half or the total population of the country (based on US Census Data 2000). As a bloc, these states could conceivably dictate any political outcome for the rest of the country without challenge if we went to a ‘democratic’ majority presidential election scheme.
Even though nearly every politician, teacher, journalist, and citizen believes (incorrectly) that our founders created a democracy, it is absolutely not true. The founders knew full well the differences between a Republic and a Democracy. They repeatedly and emphatically said that they had founded a Republic. Article IV Section 4, of the Constitution "guarantees to every state in this union a Republican form of government". Conversely, the Constitution does not mention the word Democracy, not even once.
James Madison, in the Federalist No. 10, (1787) said, "We may define a republic to be ... a government which derives all its powers directly or indirectly from the great body of the people, and is administered by persons holding their offices during pleasure for a limited period, or during good behavior. It is essential to such a government that it be derived from the great body of the society, not from an inconsiderable proportion or a favored class of it; otherwise a handful of tyrannical nobles, exercising their oppressions by a delegation of their powers, might aspire to the rank of republicans and claim for their government the honorable title of republic”. This was true at the beginning of our country and it is equally true today, modern changes in communication technology and social mores not withstanding.
Our military training manuals used to contain the correct definitions of Democracy and Republic. The following comes from Training Manual No. 2000-25 published by the War Department, November 30, 1928.
DEMOCRACY:
• A government of the masses.
• Authority derived through mass meeting or any other form of "direct" expression.
• Results in mobocracy.
• Attitude toward property is communistic--negating property rights.
• Attitude toward law is that the will of the majority shall regulate, whether is be based upon deliberation or governed by passion, prejudice, and impulse, without restraint or regard to consequences.
• Results in “demagoguery”, license, agitation, discontent, and anarchy.
REPUBLIC: