QUESTIONS ON THE TEXT.

What is to be said with regard to the following topics ?

I. The House of Representatives :—

a. Its relation to the people.

b. The term of service.

c. Qualifications of those who may vote for representatives.

d. Qualifications for membership.

e. The three fifths compromise.

2. The Connecticut Compromise.

a. The powers of the different states in the House.

b. Opposition to the scheme of a new government.

c. What the advocates of a strong government wanted the Senate to represent.

d. A peculiar Connecticut system.

e. The suggestion of the Connecticut delegates.

f. The effect of the compromise.

3. The Senate :

a. The number of senators.

b. The method of electing senators.

c. The voting of senators.

d. The term of service.

e. The maintenance of a continuous existence.

f. A comparison with the House in respect to nearness to the people.

g. Qualifications for membership.

4. Elections for senators and representatives:

a. Times, places, and manner of holding elections.

b. The power of Congress over state regulations.

c. Electoral districts.

d. The temptation to unfairness in laying out electoral dis

tricts.

e. Illustrations of unfair divisions.

f. "Gerrymandering.”

g. Representatives at large.

h. The advantage of the district system.

i. The British system and its advantage.

5. The assembling of Congress :

a. The time of assembling.

b. The interval between a member's election and the begin

ning of his service.

c. The disadvantage of this long interval.

6. What is the duty of each house in respect (1) to its membership, (2) its rules, (3) its records, and (4) its adjourn

ment.

7. Give an account (1) of the pay of a congressman, (2) of his freedom from arrest, (3) of his responsibility for words spoken in debate, and (4) of his right to hold other office.

8. Tell (1) who preside in Congress, (2) how the name speaker originated, (3) what the speaker's duties are, and (4) what his power in the government is.

9. Impeachment of public officers :—

a. Old English usage.

b. The conduct of an impeachment trial in England.

c. The conduct of an impeachment trial in the United States. d. The penalty in case of conviction.

IO. The provisions of the Constitution for legislation:

a. Bills for raising revenue.

b. How a bill becomes a law.

c. The president's veto power.

d. Passage of a bill over the president's veto.

e. The “pocket veto.”

f. The veto power in England.

g.

The value of the veto power.

§ 3. The Federal Executive.

like the His title

In signing or vetoing bills passed by Congress the president shares in legislation, and is virtually a third house. In his other capacities he is the chief executive officer of the Federal Union; and inasmuch as he appoints the other great executive officers, he is really the head of the executive department, not governor of a state a mere member of it. of "President" is probably an inheritance from the presidents of the Continental Congress. In Franklin's plan of union, in 1754, the head of the executive department was called Governor General," but that title had an unpleasant.

The title of "President."

sound to American ears. Our great-grandfathers liked "president" better, somewhat as the Romans, in the eighth century of their city, preferred "imperator to "rex." Then, as it served to distinguish widely between the head of the Union and the heads of the states, it soon fell into disuse in the state governments, and thus "president " has come to be a much grander title than "governor," just as "emperor" has come to be a grander title than "king." 1

There was no question which perplexed the Federal Convention more than the question as to the best method of electing the president. There was a general distrust of popular election for an office so exalted. At one time the Convention decided to have the president elected by Congress, but there was a grave objection to this; it would be likely to destroy his independence, and make him the tool of Congress. Finally the device of an electoral college was The electoral adopted. Each state is entitled to a number college. of electors equal to the number of its representatives in Congress, plus two, the number of its senators. Thus to-day Delaware, with 1 representative, has 3 electors; Missouri, with 14 representatives, has 16 electors; New York, with 34 representatives, has 36 electors. No federal senator or representative, or any person holding civil office under the United States, can serve as an elector. Each state may appoint or choose its electors in such manner as it sees fit; at first they were more often than otherwise chosen by the legislatures, now they are always elected by the people. The day of election must be the same in all the states.

By an act of Congress passed in 1792 it is required to be within 34 days preceding the first Wednesday in 1 See above p. 163.

December. A subsequent act in 1840 appointed tâm Tuesday following the first Monday in November as event day.

By the set of 1792 the eientors chosen in each state are required to assemble on the first Wednesday in December at some pime in the state which is desigmaterd by the legislature. Before this date the goxernor of the state must cause a certified list of the mames of the elentors to be made out in triplicate and delivered to the elentors. Having met together they vote for president ward xhe-president, make out a senied certitrate of their vote in tripiente, and attamin copy a copy of the certified list of their names. Que my must be delivered by a messenger to the president of the betate at the federal capital before the first Wednesday in January; the second is sent to the same offer thungh the mail; the third is to be deposited with the federal judge of the district in wild the eventors aueeft. If by the first Wednesday in January the certificate is an be reverd aut the ferieval expútal, the entretary of state is to send a messenger to the district judge aard obtain the augy deposited with him. The interval of a mouth was zloved to get the returns in. for those were Art The days of mullrond and telegraţi. The messengers were allowed twenty five cents a mile, and were subjent to a fue of a thousand dollars for angient of day. Ou tire seroud W ́erduesday in February, Congress is re quired to be in sessinal ward the votes received are counted and the result caninured.

At first the sientand votes did not state whether the curdidames amed in them were candidates for the presidency or for the xinx-presidenwy. Eani sianbor simply wrote down two annues, only one of winch could be the name of a extizen of his own state. ln

4 See more or p. 278

The twelfth

(1804).

the official count the candidate who had the largest number of votes, provided they were a majority of the whole number, was declared president, and the candidate who had the next to the largest number was declared vice-president. The natural result of this was seen in the first contested election in 1796, which made Adams president, and his antagonist vicepresident. In the next election in 1800 it gave to Jefferson and his, colleague Burr exactly the same number of votes. In such a case the House of Representatives must elect, and such intrigues followed for the purpose of defeating Jefferson that the country was brought to the verge of civil war. It thus became necessary to change the method. By the twelfth amendment to the cònstitution, declared in force in 1804, the present method was adopted. amendment The electors make separate ballots for president and for vice-president. In the official count the votes for president are first inspected. If no candidate has a majority, then the House of Representatives must immediately choose the president from the three names highest on the list. In this choice the house. votes by states, each state having one vote; a quorum for this purpose must consist of at least one member from two thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states is necessary for a choice. Then if no candidate for the vice-presidency has a majority, the Senate makes its choice from the two names highest on the list; a quorum for the purpose consists of two thirds of the whole number of senators, and a majority of the whole number is necessary to a choice. Since this amendment was made there has been one instance of an election of the president by the House of Rep resentatives, that of John Quincy Adams in 1825; and there has been one instance of an election of the