The number (of legislative assemblies) ought at most to be kept within a certain limit, in order to avoid the confusion and intemperance of a multitude. in all very numerous assemblies, of whatever character composed, passion never fails to wrest the sceptre from reason. had every athenian citizen been a socrates, every athenian assembly would still have been a mob. 3 what does the excerpt suggest about federalists? a. they preferred the idea of direct democracy over that of representative democracy. b. they thought a bill of rights would give ordinary citizens too much power c. they believed that representatives were better able to vote on national issues than ordinary citizens were. d. they wanted to see a stricter test for those wishing to become americans.