This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1847 edition. Excerpt: ... his idea of a republic. If so, we can only reply, that the Constitution of the United States has the misfortune to differ from Mr. Lysander Spooner in this particular. The reader will hence perceive that any definition of a republic, which is got up in order to make Slavery inconsistent with it, will be found equally inconsistent with what the Constitution confessedly permits, namely, that the States should regulate for themselves who, and how many, shall be permitted to participate in the Government. This being the case, all such definitions are proved absurd, (logically we mean, ) and must be thrown aside. It is very easy for Messrs. Spooner and Goodell to frame their own definitions of words, and then proclaim certain other things utterly inconsistent with those definitions. But if we recur to the dictionaries, either of that period or of our time, we shall find that Madison was perfectly right in saying that no strict definition could be given of the word "republican." We give a few definitions that the reader may see how extremely indefinite these standard authorities have always held the word to be. "Republic: A State in which the exercise of the sovereign power ia lodged in representatives elected by the people."-- Webster, 1845. "Republic: That form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people, or in representatives elected by the people. A republic may be either a democracy or an aristocracy; in the former the supreme power is vested in the whole body of the people or in representatives elected by the people j in the latter it is vested in a nobility, or a privileged class of comparatively a small number of persons."-- Worcester, 1846. "Republican (subs.): One who thinks a commonwealth without monarchy the...