custom. The attempt to break it was successfully resisted by the sword, and the American Republic is, and is to continue, so far as reasonable foresight can anticipate, one and henceforth indissoluble."

These are the words of disinterested critics and therefore cannot be attributed to patriotic enthusiasm.

The constitution was finally ratified by the requisite number of States in June, 1788, and since that time it has been the supreme law of the land.

CHAPTER VI.

OUTLINE OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

The preamble of the constitution states, within its few lines, that it is the act of the people of the United States in whom the sovereign power is vested, and also shows, in remarkably small compass, the legitimate objects for which governments exist.*

The best government is that which secures such objects as are mentioned in the preamble with the least sacrifice of personal rights on behalf of the citizens, and the least interference with local affairs on the part of the general gov

ernment.

In commencing our study of the Constitution, we notice the division of the government into three branches-legislative, executive and judicial—and observe that the scope of each of these departments is strictly defined, so that there may be no dispute between the different branches as to the duties with which each is charged by the constitution.

The legislative powers of the government are vested in a Congress of the United States, consisting of a Senate and House of Representatives, the Senate being designated sometimes as the upper house and the House of Representatives as the lower house of Congress. Congress must assemble at least once in each year, and the *For text of preamble, see Appendix A.

session commences on the first Monday in December at the City of Washington.

House of Representatives.-The House of Representatives is composed of members chosen every second year by the people of the different States. To be eligible for the office of representative in Congress a person must be at least twenty-five years of age and have been for seven years a citizen of the United States, and must be an inhabitant of the State from which he is chosen. The number of representatives to which any particular State is entitled depends upon the population of the State, the only persons excluded in determining the number of representatives at this time being Indians.

At the time of the adoption of the Constitution each State was allowed one representative for every 30,000 of population, but every State having a population of less than 30,ooo was entitled to one representative. At the present time the ratio of representation is determined by the census of 1890, and each State is allowed one representative for approximately every 175,000 of inhabitants. The Constitution makes no provision for the appointment of any officers of the House of Representatives except the presiding officer, who is called the Speaker, and who must be a member of the House. Other officers, such as the Clerk, Sergeant at Arms and Chaplain, are not members of the House.

Senate. The Senate of the United States is composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the State Legislature for a term of six years. The members of the first Senate were divided into three classes, holding their offices respectively for terms of two, four and six years, so that the term of office of one-third of the Senators expires every second year, and it consequently never happens that the Senate is composed entirely of new members. In case the

office of Senator from any State becomes vacant while the legislature of the State is not in session, the governor has power to make a temporary appointment until the legislature meets. It has generally been held that the governor does not have power to make a temporary appointment in case of vacancies occasioned by a failure of the legislature to elect, although in recent years several such appointments have been attempted to be made.

The qualifications of a Senator are that he must be at least thirty years of age and must have been a citizen of the United States for nine years, and must be an inhabitant of the State from which he is chosen. The Vice-President of the United States is the presiding officer of the Senate, but he has no vote unless the Senate is equally divided. All other officers of the Senate are chosen by the Senators, and among them is a president pro tempore, who presides in the absence of the Vice-President and performs all of the duties of the Vice-President in case the Vice-President is required to exercise the duties of the President, as was the case when Chester A. Arthur became President of the United States by reason of the death of President Garfield.

Executive Department.-The executive power of the government is vested in the President, who holds his office for four years. No person can be President of the United States except a natural-born citizen who has attained the age of thirty-five years and who has been for fourteen years a resident within the United States. In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death, resignation or inability to act, all of the duties of the office devolve upon the Vice-President, and Congress has power to provide by law who shall act in case of the death, resignation or disability of both President and Vice-President. In such case an Act of Congress, passed in the year 1886, has determined

that the presidential office shall devolve upon the officers composing the President's cabinet, in the following order: Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of War, Attorney-General, Postmaster-General, Secretary of the Navy, Secretary of the Interior.

Method of Electing the President.-The method of electing a President and Vice-President is a peculiar one, which was devised by the framers of the Constitution to avoid submitting to a popular vote the election of these important officers, they deeming it unsafe to leave to the excitement of a political campaign the question of determining who shall occupy these positions. Accordingly they devised a scheme known as the Electoral College, under which each State chooses a number of electors equal to the number of Senators and Representatives to which the State is entitled in Congress.

These electors are chosen by popular vote, and shortly after their election they are required to meet in their respective States and vote by ballot for President and VicePresident, one of whom at least shall not be an inhabitant of the same State with themselves, naming in their ballots the person voted for as President and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice-President. After they have voted, three lists are made of all persons voted for as President and Vice-President, with the number of votes for each. These lists are signed and certified by the electors and sent to the Capitol of the United States at Washington, directed to the President of the Senate.

The method of transmitting these certified lists to the President of the Senate is interesting. One copy is delivered to him at Washington by a special messenger before the first Wednesday in January succeeding the election; another is sent to him by mail; and the third is committed