Uncle Dick and Lisa's Old Time Animal Tales

Horses are represented by naturalists, as having, in a state of nature, a real republican government. It is only when tamed and civilized, that they become slaves.
In their wild state, in South America and the Ukraine, they are said to have regular elections-for the choice of Present, or chief magistrate. In what manner they vote, naturalists do not pretend exactly to describe. It is pretty evident to us it cannot be by ballot.
In the Ukraine, says Dr. Good, the chief horses in command seems, from all observations of naturalists, to hold office about four or five years, when a new election takes place, the old general submissively falling into the ranks when the polls are opened. Sometimes he is re-elected, but not always. In case there is no choice by the people, the opposing candidates fight it out, and the conqueror, then quietly assumes the reins of government: thus emphatically proving himself, in sight of his constitutes, to be the better man-we beg his pardon! -the better horse.
Taking this account of the naturalists to be true, Swifts story of the Houghubunis is not so very improbably as is generally been supposed by the reader. The difference between them and the other republics of horses, seems merely to have been, that the former were better educated.
As horses, in their best state, are staunch republicans, a question arises, whether their mode of government was at first adopted from such republics as appeared among mankind; or whether the notion of free government among men, has not rather been copied from that among the horses! But we must leave this question to the ingenuity of the naturalists; from whom the above very curious facts have been taken.-N. Y. Transcript.