Today's society should heed the words of this Discourse delivered at Hebron on July 4, 1799 by Cyprian Strong, Pastor of the First Church in Chatham, Massachusetts:
By the constitution of the United States, every branch of our national legislature is elective. The men who compose them can be in office, but for a short time, without be re-elected.
Each branch of the legislature is under the influence of the strongest checks, and holden by the most forcible ties to faithfulness. Their reign is so temporary, as that the opportunity to form and execute schemes of corruption is very limited.
The natural propensity of the human mind, to distinction and eminence, will form a powerful check against such measures as are injurious to the people; and will impel to such as are calculated to secure and promote their real interests.
As long as the people of the United States are well informed and virtuous, so long they will be free, and their government uncorrupted. It is their power, to remedy the evils, arising from having wicked and designing men at the head of government - they can lift up and pull down at pleasure.
If government be not wisely administered, the fault must be in the people; for frequent election of every branch of the national legislature, if widely executed, is a sufficient remedy to all the mischiefs arising from a corrupt administration.
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