The Federalist No. 48, The Separation of Powers, and "the Impetuous Vortex"

The Hon. Paul D. Clement in the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy.

"If you look at The Federalist No. 48, you will see that Madison was most concerned with the power that had been given to the new national Congress. In fact, he famously described Congress in The Federalist No. 48 as the 'impetuous vortex' into which all power would be sucked but for the separation of powers. He was particularly concerned about Congress because of the power of the purse." [footnotes omitted]

p>See The Federalist, by Publius (Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay), in Great Books of the Western World (first edition, 52 Vol., 1952) volume 43, and (second edition, 60 Vol., 1990) volume 40.