Federalist Paper #46 revisited   The first 56 of the 85
Federalist Papers are concerned with the need for a strong
central government. In Paper 56, John Madison points out the
dangers when the several states are allowed to dominate the
national government: "... (A) great proportion of the errors
committed by the state legislatures proceeds from the
disposition of the members to sacrifice the comprehensive and
permanent interest of the state to the particular and separate
views of the counties or districts in which they reside."
Similarly, "Measures will too often be decided, ... not on the
national prosperity and happiness, but on the prejudices,
interests, and pursuits of the governments and people of the
individual states."  Madison faults the members of the
Continental Congress for acting more like "partisans of their
respective states than as impartial guardians of a common
interest ...."  Madison locates the citizens' right to keep and
bear arms within the structure of state militias, presaging the
opin