The Constitution and the Federalist (Part 2) (post #5)

James Madison's Federalist Essays - The Federalist No. 10 (1787 - 1788)
    The passage that I chose from this essay is as follows: "The instability, injustice, and confusion introduced into the public councils, have, in truth, been the mortal diseases under which popular governments have everywhere perished; as they continue to be the favorite and fruitful topics from which the adversaries to liberty derive their most specious declamations."
    In this passage, Madison is stating that previous, and certainly current, governments will fail inevitably due to the structure within the government.  The instability, injustice and confusion that have been injected into our government systems have been the major downfall of most.  These imperfections are used by those who wish to see the government fail as fuel.  They use the weaknesses that they know exist to turn a government against itself.  These, Madison states, are the diseases that spread amongst those who are against "liberty for all".
   In my opinion, Madison has a valid and proven point.  Think about how a disease, an infectious disease, affects a population as a whole.  It works from the inside, spreading its ugly side effects to those surrounding and eventually can, and has, demolished populations.  Madison is saying that without stability and justice, a government will undoubtedly fail as our adversaries would wish.  It is up to the government as a whole to try to fight against what will cause it to perish.  Unfortunately, when the public sees a weakness, it is often used as a negative force to get results that could not have been achieved previously.


Alexander Hamilton's Federalist Essays ' The Federalist No. 15
   The passage that I chose is as follows:  If, therefore, the measures of the Confederacy cannot be executed without the intervention of the particular administrations, there will be a little prospect of their being executed at all.  The rulers of the respective members, whether  they have a constitutional right to do it or not, will undertake to judge of the propriety of the measures themselves.  They will consider the conformity of the thing proposed or required to their immediate interests or aims; the momentary conveniences or inconveniences that would attend its adoption."  
   In this passage, Hamilton is discussing the way that laws are viewed and executed.  He is pointing out the clear separation of the Confederate states at this point.  Hamilton states that although each state knows the law and how it should be punishable, should it be disobeyed or broken, they will take it upon themselves to make whatever decision they deem necessary at the moment.  They will not conform to having to follow a chain of command or protocol because it may or may not be convenient for them at the given time.
   I feel like Hamilton is trying to say that each state, as an individual as well as a confederate state, as part of the constitution, should work harmoniously as one nation to execute the laws and follow that same protocol for punishment.  No one state should be deciding to do something other than what the other states agreed to as a nation.