200 ARISTOTLE'S POLITICS.
- IO. ;K T~S nasphs ~~~OK~CPOS;RS.
The same phrase is used in ii. 12. 5 z where Solon is said to
have established 4 7TdTplOS 6qpGKpUTiL2, the ancient or traditiolia]
democracy, ' the good old democracy,' as opposed to the later and
extreme form.
- ZKOS 6; 70; 4 pfi ylvedat 4 roc yivetr8ur +TOV ri, rhs (P~xA~
TO; pi yivru&r~, sc. K~~IOY T~U 8Spou r;v vlpov = a remedy again.[
the people becoming master.' That is to say, when the magistrate.;
were elected by the tribal divisions the poner of the people \vas
not so great as xhen they voted all together.
When the larger units of government or representation are brokcil
up into very small ones, local interests are likely to be preferred to
the general good, and local candidates for office take the place of
better men-a nation ceases to be inspired by great political idens,
and cannot effectually act against other nations On the other hand,
if England, or France, or the United States were represented in the
national council only as a Ivhole, what would be the result? .-Irk-
totlc might haw replied that a state is not a state in nhiih
30,000,000 of people are united under a single government, or are
represented in a single assembly, having no other connecting links ;
nor yet when they are subdivided into parishes : cp. vii. 4. 4 I I.
These are extremes by which a principle may be illustrated, but
no one would think of accepting either alternative. The qceslion
which Aristotle here touches has a modern and recent interest 10
us, and may be put in another form : ' What should be the area of
a constituency ?' Some considerations which have to be kept in
view are the following: I) The facilities of locomotion and com-
munication; 2) The habit or tradition of acting together among
the natives of a country or district ; 3) The question of minorities-
should the aim of a constitution be to strengthen the government,
or to give a perfectly fair representation of ail parties, opinions
places? 4) The greater opportunity of a political career afforded
by more numerous elections and smaller bodies of electors ; and,
on the other hand, 5) The greater independence of the represents-
tives of large constituencies ; and 6) The advantages or disadvan-70;s l?PXOVTRS, dXXh ?dlTll TAU 8jpf V.