Federalist Number 51
In this essay, the writer, begins by making it clear that the only way to maintain that division of power between branches laid down in the Constitution would be to design a structure of government that would allow not the people, but each branch to be able to keep each other in their "proper places." In this essay, he tries to portray an ideal form of checks and balances that would keep each branch completely separate in their exercising their powers. This idea, to him, would become "essential to the preservation of liberty." This becomes his cetral theme as he tries to make the readers understand how this form of government would make liberty possible. In order to maintain this system of checks and balances, the writer argues that each department, or branch, should have independence from each other. One branch should have as little say so in electing members of the other branches. He proposes that the people be the ones to vote for the president, the members of the legislative branch, and the judges. These types of elections would protect the country from such things as factions, as explained in Federalist 10. Furthermore, the members from each branch should depend as little as possible on the other two branches in the determination of their "emoluments" or salaries.