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The Federalist Papers · Federalist No. 71 · paragraph 4

But however inclined we might be to insist upon an unbounded complaisance in the Executive to the inclinations of the people, we can with no propriety contend for a like complaisance to the humors of the legislature. The latter may sometimes stand in opposition to the former, and at other times the people may be entirely neutral. In either supposition, it is certainly desirable that the Executive should be in a situation to dare to act his own opinion with vigor and decision.
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Publius · Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, James Madison · 1787–1788
Project Gutenberg #18, updated 11 October 2025; its author-attribution labels and source notes are retained. The supplied file does not identify one uniform underlying print edition.
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