"...And of what kind are the Men that will strive for this profitable Pre-eminence, thro’ all the Bustle of Cabal, the Heat of Contention, the infinite mutual Abuse of Parties, tearing to Pieces the best of Characters? It will not be the wise and moderate, the Lovers of Peace and good Order, the men fittest for the Trust. It will be the Bold and the Violent, the Men of strong Passions and indefatigable Activity in their selfish Pursuits. These will thrust themselves to your Government and be your Rulers. And these too will be mistaken in the expected Happiness of their Situation: For their vanquished Competitors of the same Spirit and from the same Motives will perpetually be endeavoring to distress their Administration, thwart their Measures, and render them odious to the People. Besides these Evils, Sir, tho’ we may set out in the Beginning with moderate Salaries, we shall find that such will not be of long Continuance. Reasons will never be wanting for propos’d Augmentations. And there will always be a Party for giving more to the Rulers, that the Rulers may be able in Return to give more to them. Hence as all History informs us, there has been in every State and Kingdom a constant kind of Warfare between the Governing and the Governed: the one striving to obtain more for its Support, and the other to pay less. And this has alone occasion’d great Convulsions, actual civil Wars, ending either in dethroning of the Princes or enslaving of the People.
Generally indeed the Ruling Power carries its Point, and we see the Revenues of Princes constantly increasing, and we see that they are never satisfied, but always in want of more. The more the People are discontented with the Oppression of Taxes; the greater Need the Prince has of Money to distribute among his Partisans and pay the Troops that are to suppress all Resistance, and enable him to plunder at Pleasure. There is scarce a King in a hundred who would not, if he could, follow the Example of Pharoah, get first all the Peoples Money, then all their Lands, and then make them and their Children Servants forever."
From Benjamin Franklin: Convention Speech on Salaries, (unpublished), June 2, 1787