The Leaplowers are a people of great acuteness, and of singular knowledge of details.
Every considerable man in Bivouac soon had his social station assigned him, the whole community being divided into classes of "hundred-thousand-dollar monikins"-- "fifty-thousand-dollar monikins"-- "twenty-thousand-dollar monikins." Great conciseness in language was a consequence of this state of feeling.

The old questions of "is he honest ?" "is he capable ?" "is he enlightened ?" "is he wise ?" "is he good ?" being all comprehended in the single interrogatory of "is he rich ?" There was one effect of this very unusual state of things, that I had not anticipated.

All the money-getting classes, without exception, showed a singular predilection in favor of what is commonly called a strong government; being not only a republic, but virtually a democracy, I found that much the larger portion of this highly respectable class of citizens, were not at all backward in expressing their wish for a change.
"How is this ?" I demanded of the brigadier, whom I rarely quitted; for his advice and opinions were of great moment to me, just at this particular crisis--"how is this, my good friend?
I have always been led to think trade is especially favorable to liberty; and here are all your commercial interests the loudest in their declamations against the institutions." The brigadier smiled; it was but a melancholy smile, after all; for his spirits appeared to have quite deserted him.
"There are three great divisions among politicians," he said--"they who do not like liberty at all--they who like it, as low down as their own particular class--and they who like it for the sake of their fellow-creatures.

The first are not numerous, but powerful by means of combinations; the second is a very irregular corps, including, as a matter of course, nearly everybody, but is wanting, of necessity, in concert and discipline, since no one descends below his own level; the third are but few, alas, how few! and are composed of those who look beyond their own selfishness.

Now, your merchants, dwelling in towns, and possessing concert, means, and identity of interests, have been able to make themselves remarkable for contending with despotic power, a fact which has obtained for them a cheap reputation for liberality of opinion; but, so far as monikin experience goes--men may have proved to be better disposed--no government that is essentially influenced by commerce has ever been otherwise than exclusive, or aristocratic." I bethought me of Venice, Genoa, Pisa, the Hanse Towns, and all the other remarkable places of this character in Europe, and I felt the justice of my friend's distinction, at the same time I could not but observe how much more the minds of men are under the influence of names and abstractions than under the influence of positive things.