Quotation about setting up U.S. government

[Elendil's Heir]

I'm trying to find a quotation from early, or relatively early, in American history, about how once the Constitution was adopted, if everyone did their part and the checks and balances were allowed to play out, the U.S. government would run indefinitely. I thought Madison or Hamilton might've said it, but Bartlett's and Google have failed me. Also came up empty for Washington, Marshall or (later) Clay or Lincoln.

Anyone remember this quotation?

[Northern Piper]

I believe the US Patent Office has a long-standing rule against accepting claims for constitutional perpetual motion.

[Mr Downtown]

Are you thinking of poet James Russell Lowell's 1888 warning that too many had come to see the Constitution as a “machine that would go of itself?”

[Elendil's Heir]

Originally Posted by Northern Piper

I believe the US Patent Office has a long-standing rule against accepting claims for constitutional perpetual motion.

Leave it to a Canadian....

[Elendil's Heir]

Originally Posted by Mr Downtown

Are you thinking of poet James Russell Lowell's 1888 warning that too many had come to see the Constitution as a “machine that would go of itself?”

That's sort of it, but not quite. The quotation I had in mind was praising it for its ingenious self-executing nature, IIRC.

[TriPolar]

Probably not what you're looking for:

"The way to have good and safe government, is not to trust it all to one, but to divide it among the many, distributing to every one exactly the functions he is competent to. Let the national government be entrusted with the defense of the nation, and its foreign and federal relations; the State governments with the civil rights, law, police, and administration of what concerns the State generally; the counties with the local concerns of the counties, and each ward direct the interests within itself. It is by dividing and subdividing these republics from the great national one down through all its subordinations, until it ends in the administration of every man’s farm by himself; by placing under every one what his own eye may superintend, that all will be done for the best. What has destroyed liberty and the rights of man in every government which has ever existed under the sun? The generalizing and concentrating all cares and powers into one body." (Thomas Jefferson, letter to Joseph C. Cabell, February 2, 1816)

[Elendil's Heir]

No, but thanks.

[Elendil's Heir]

Anyone else?

[TriPolar]

You had me searching for a while because I have a vague recollection of some such thing, but I never found anything that matched it. I did run across this fascinating article about the evolution of the concept of self-sustaining government based on principles of checks and balance. You might find some clues to the quote you are looking for in there. I would have thought this was something from Madison who was the major defender and expositor of the principle, but the way you phrased it seems overly optimistic and in contrast to his "If men were angels..." philosophy. In reading more about this subject I see a general doubt about the ability of checks and balances to maintain in perpituity that surprises me. I guess I should have studied this in more detail before. Anyway, good luck with your search, and if you find this quotation, don't forget to share it with us.