n there
was arising the divergence between the large and small States. In order
to hasten matters to a conclusion, this and all other vexing details
upon which the Convention could not agree were turned over to a
committee made up of a member from each State. It was this committee
which pointed the way to a compromise by which the choice of the
executive was to be entrusted to electors chosen in each State as its
legislature might direct. The electors were to be equal in number to
the State's representation in Congress, including both senators and
representatives, and in each State they were to meet and to vote for
two persons, one of whom should not be an inhabitant of that State. The
votes were to be listed and sent to Congress, and the person who had
received the greatest number of votes was to be President, provided such
a number was a majority of all the electors. In case of a tie the Senate
was to choose between the candidates and, if no one had a majority, the
Senate was to elect "from the five highest on the list."

This method of voting would have given the large States a decided
advantage, of course, in that they would appoint the greater number
of electors, but it was not believed that this system would ordinarily
result in a majority of votes being cast for one man. Apparently no one
anticipated the formation of political parties which would concentrate
the votes upon one or another candidate. It was rather expected that
in the great majority of cases--"nineteen times in twenty," one of the
delegates said--there would be several candidates and that the selection
from those candidates would fall to the Senate, in which all the States
were equally represented and the small States were in the majority. But
since the Senate shared so many powers with the executive, it seemed
better to transfer the right of "eventual election" to the House of
Representatives, where each State was still to have but one vote. Had
this scheme worked as the designers expected, the interests of large
States and small States would have been reconciled, since in effect the
large States would name the candidates and, "nineteen times in twenty,"
the small States would choose from among them.

Apparently the question of a third term was never considered by the
delegates in the Convention. The chief problem before them was
the method of election. If the President was to be chosen by the
legislature, he should not be eligible to reelection.