Question: What does Madison say is "the supreme object of government"? Answer: "the public good, the real welfare of the great body of the people." As well, "no form of government whatever has any other value than as it may be fitted for the attainment of this object."

Question: What does Madison hold to be the end/purpose/telos of government and civil society? Answer: "Justice is the end of government. It is the end of civil society. It ever has been and ever will be pursued until it be obtained, or until liberty be lost in the pursuit."

What does Madison think about virtue? "As there is a degree of depravity in mankind which requires a certain degree of circumspection and distrust, so there are other qualities in human nature which justify a certain portion of esteem and confidence....

...Republican government presupposes the existence of these qualities in a higher degree than any other form."

Some authors have argued that Madison values the preservation of individual liberty or private property above all else. This is a selective and false reading of what he says. For Madison, "first object of government" does not equal "supreme object" or "end [purpose] of government