Political, even more than other kinds of distinction, should not be the fruit of a limited area of selection.

It must be open to everybody, and it must be acceptable to the community as a whole.

In fact, the concession of substantially equal political rights is an absolute condition of any fundamental political bond.

Grave as are the dangers which a democratic political system incurs, still graver ones are incurred by a rigidly limited electoral organization.

A community, so organized, betrays a fundamental lack of confidence in the mutual loyalty and good faith of its members, and such a community can remain well united only at the cost of a mixture of patronage and servility.
The limitation of the suffrage to those who are individually capable of making the best use of it has the appearance of being reasonable; and it has made a strong appeal to those statesmen and thinkers who believed in the political leadership of intelligent and educated men.