208 THE CRATER; so cleverly done as actually to put the balance of power in the hands of the minority. There is nothing new in this, however, as any cool-headed man may see in this enlight ened republic of our own, daily examples in which the majority-principle works purely for the aggrandizement of a minority clique. It makes very little difference how men are ruled; they will be cheated; for, failing of rogues at head-quarters to perform that office for them, they are quite certain to set to work to devise some means of cheat ing themselves. At the crater this last trouble was spared them, the opposition performing that office in the following ingenious manner. Tjie wjhole colony was divided into parishes, which ex ercised in themselves a few of the minor functions of go vernment. They had a limited legislative power, like the American town meetings. In these parishes, laws were passed, to require the people to vote yes or no,"* in order to ascertain whether there should, or should not foe", a con vention to amend the constitution. About one-fourth of the electors attended these primary meetings, and of the ten meetings which were held, in six " yes" prevailed by average majorities of about two votes in each parish. This was held to be demonstration of the wishes of the majority of the people to have a convention, though most of those who staid away did so because they believed the whole procedure not only illegal, but dangerous. Your hungry demagogue, however, is not to be defeated by any scruples so delicate. To work these elites of the colony went, to organise an election for members of the convention. At this election, about a third of the electors appeared, the candidates succeeding by handsome majorities, the rest staying away because they believed the whole proceedings illegal. Thus fortified by the sacred principle of the sway of majorities, these representatives of a minority, met in convention, and formed an entirely new fundamental law; one, indeed, that completely subverted the old one, not only in fact, but in theory. In order to get rid of the go vernor to a perfect certainty, for it was known that he could still command more votes for the office than any other man in the colony, one article provided that no per son should hold the office of governor, either prospectively,
