There are again two methods of removing the causes of faction: the one, by destroying the liberty which is essential to its existence; the other, by giving to every citizen the same opinions, the same passions, and the same interests.
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The second expedient is as impracticable as the first would be unwise. As long as the reason of man continues fallible, and he is at liberty to exercise it, different opinions will be formed. As long as the connection subsists between his reason and his self-love, his opinions and his passions will have a reciprocal influence on each other; and the former will be objects to which the latter will attach themselves. The diversity in the faculties of men, from which the rights of property originate, is not less an insuperable obstacle to a uniformity of interests. The protection of these faculties is the first object of government. From the protection of different and unequal faculties of acquiring property, the possession of different degrees and kinds of property immediately results; and from the influence of these on the sentiments and views of the respective proprietors, ensues a division of the society into different interests and parties.
This passage discusses how the government should handle factions, or small groups that have private interests conflicting with the interests of the general public. Here, Madison is explaining that we would be able to bring such factions to an end if we could force everyone to have the same interests. Realistically, this is not possible, and instead everyone is granted liberty. However, Madison acknowledges that all men have varying abilities, and because of this, all men have the right to property. Rights for men from all facets of society is a policy that guarantees a high standard of progress, for if all men participate, then government is always subject to critique, and thus it is constantly being improved by the people. Therefore, the American system of government works because it is constantly improving itself.
The latent causes of faction are thus sown in the nature of man; and we see them everywhere brought into different degrees of activity, according to the different circumstances of civil society. A zeal for different opinions concerning religion, concerning government, and many other points, as well of speculation as of practice; an attachment to different leaders ambitiously contending for pre-eminence and power; or to persons of other descriptions whose fortunes have been interesting to the human passions, have, in turn, divided mankind into parties, inflamed them with mutual animosity, and rendered them much more disposed to vex and oppress each other than to co-operate for their common good. So strong is this propensity of mankind to fall into mutual animosities, that where no substantial occasion presents itself, the most frivolous and fanciful distinctions have been sufficient to kindle their unfriendly passions and excite their most violent conflicts. But the most common and durable source of factions has been the various and unequal distribution of property. Those who hold and those who are without property have ever formed distinct interests in society. Those who are creditors, and those who are debtors, fall under a like discrimination. A landed interest, a manufacturing interest, a mercantile interest, a moneyed interest, with many lesser interests, grow up of necessity in civilized nations, and divide them into different classes, actuated by different sentiments and views. The regulation of these various and interfering interests forms the principal task of modern legislation, and involves the spirit of party and faction in the necessary and ordinary operations of the government.
Here, Madison explains in detail that humans have a natural tendency towards differing opinions in religion, government, and in nearly all other areas of society. He explains that this is a fact that cannot be changed, but the modern legislation is very much involved in regulating these factions. This shows that the American government accepts that it is unable to change certain facts about humanity. However, the government can monitor such things to make sure they don't spiral out of control. This ensures that the American government favors productivity more than anything, for if everyone was divided against one another, then we would never accomplish anything. By regulating these opposing viewpoints, the American government allows for a healthy amount of debate while at the same time, it progresses forward.
But the great security against a gradual concentration of the several powers in the same department, consists in giving to those who administer each department the necessary constitutional means and personal motives to resist encroachments of the others. The provision for defense must in this, as in all other cases, be made commensurate to the danger of attack. Ambition must be made to counteract ambition. The interest of the man must be connected with the constitutional rights of the place. It may be a reflection on human nature, that such devices should be necessary to control the abuses of government. But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions.
Government controls us to maintain order throughout the whole population. But how can we maintain the same order within the government itself? The answer is simple: those at the head of the different branches must work together to ensure that the branches are all balanced with respect to different political parties. This means that the government should not be solely focused on controlling the people, for it must also control itself. A well-balanced government will, in turn, lead to more thorough representation of the people, and thus a more democratic government. This keeps the population satisfied, because it ensures that no single party becomes dominant in government. Madison states that "if angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary." This showss that the checks and balances exist as a result of human fault, for a single party in power would bias their leadership toward their own interests. However, the system of checks and balances can prevent such a thing from ever happening, thus making it as if men were governed by angels.
But it is not possible to give to each department an equal power of self-defense. In republican government, the legislative authority necessarily predominates. The remedy for this inconveniency is to divide the legislature into different branches; and to render them, by different modes of election and different principles of action, as little connected with each other as the nature of their common functions and their common dependence on the society will admit. It may even be necessary to guard against dangerous encroachments by still further precautions. As the weight of the legislative authority requires that it should be thus divided, the weakness of the executive may require, on the other hand, that it should be fortified.
Madison depicts that, although we must make sure that all aspects of government are balanced, we should not keep our attention towards them balanced. This is because the legislature tends to dominate, so the government must give it more attention to it than the other branches of government to ensure that it does not become too powerful. Therefore, the legislative branch is divided within itself in order to maintain balance. In a similar manner, the executive branch, which tends to be rather weak, must be buffered to maintain balance. This shows the system of checks and balances in action, and it displays that, by constantly checking itself, the US government can undoubtedly avoid any form of single-party domination.
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