James Madison's Large Republic

Madisonâ??s theory of the large republicâ??that better government decision-making would occur over a larger geographic area, both because a greater multiplicity of interests would exist and because representatives would have greater opportunities to â??refine and enlargeâ? their constituentsâ?? views through a system of indirect elections, large constituencies, and lengthy terms in officeâ??was in fact mainly inspired by his wish to design a system that would suppress paper money emissions and debtor relief laws. Madison essentially admitted as much during one very candid moment at the convention, when he noted that the fundamental challenge facing a republican form of government was figuring out how to prevent power â??slid[ing] into the handsâ? of those who â??sigh for a more equal distribution of [property].â?