1729. CONSTITUTIONS (American), English Constitution and.—
The first principle
of a good government is, certainly, a distribution
of its powers into executive, judiciary
and legislative, and a subdivision of
the latter into two or three branches. It is
a good step gained, when it is proved that the
English Constitution, acknowledged to be
better than all which have preceded it, is only
better in proportion as it has approached
nearer to this distribution of powers. From
this, the last step is easy, to show by a comparison
of our constitutions with that of
England, how much more perfect they are.—
To John Adams. Washington ed. ii, 282.
Ford ed., iv, 454.
(P.
1787)
