LAD #5: Federalist #10

1. 

Why are factions so difficult to eliminate?

A: Factions are difficult to be eliminated because they are a natural and unavoidable part of civilization. Unless each man is given equal rights, treatement, and circumstances, the different needs and desires of the people will form their perceptions and ideals with which others will connect in empathy.  This creates multiple parties (i.e. Factions) in society. These factions can be formed by any means among the people: be it between rich and poor, landed and landless, mercantilists, manufacturing interests, or any other interest. The only ways to destroy these factions are to either rescind their liberties (which would contradict everything for which the American Revolution was fought for -- making the federal government hypocritical) or give each citizen the same options (this would never happen because each individual is shaped by their own experiences).

2.  If factions cannot be removed then how can they be controlled?
A: Since the people themselves are never abled judges of actions connected to their personal lives (they are often biased), a pure democracy in which the people make up the government is blatantly ineffective in controlling teh inflamed factions.  On the other hand, a representative democracy would ensure that the candidate for the representation is sufficiently separate from the zeal of the faction and is able to operate in a rational way that is best for the state.  Given that resting the political power in the hands of a meager few is a recipe for disaster, the extensive republic will consist of an established number of officials (large enough to cobat corruption, small enough to prevent confusion) that will be elected by a number of people that will ensure the official is neither too little nor too involved with the ideals of the people.  Furthermore, the prevention of one dominant faction is prevented by the fact that the United States as a whole consists of numerous different factions that will not have the strength to completely overpower the others.  Thus, each faction is equally represented without fear that one will impede on the liberties of the others.