The very first of the Federalist Papers

第一份《联邦党人文集》
by Alexander Hamilton

由亚历山大·汉密尔顿执笔
even begins by posing this question in the starkest terms.

甚至在开头就赤裸裸地提到这一问题
"It has been frequently remarked," Hamilton writes,

"大家频繁讨论到" 汉密尔顿写道
"that it seems to have been reserved to the people of this country,

"似乎已为本国人民预备好
by their conduct and example, to decide the important question,

通过他们的行为与惯例来决定重要问题
whether societies of men

无论人民社会
are really capable or not of establishing

是否有能力借由表达和选择
good government from reflection and choice,

建立令人满意的政府
or whether they are forever destined to depend

或他们是否永远依靠
for their political constitutions on accident and force."

政治宪法对付意外和武力
There we see Hamilton asking the basic question

在此我们看到汉密尔顿提出的