t present has more than ninety members. The other
section was called the House of Representatives, and its members were
voted for directly by the people. The members of the Senate were voted
for by the legislatures of the states, who had been elected by the
people.

All the laws were to be made by Congress, but not one of them could
become a law until it was approved by the President. If he did not
approve of a law, he vetoed it, that is, he returned it without being
signed with his name, and then it could not be enforced as a law until
voted for by two-thirds of the members of Congress.

It was the duty of the President to execute or carry out the laws. He
took the place of the king in other countries. But he was not born to
his position like a king, but had to be voted for by the people, and
could stay in office for four years only. Then he, or some one else, had
to be voted for again.

Next to the President was the Vice-President, who was to take his place
if he should die or resign. While the President was in office the
Vice-President had nothing to do except to act as presiding officer of
the Senate. What we call the Cabinet are persons chosen by the President
to help him in his work. You must understand that it takes a number of
leading men and a great many men under these to do all the work needed
to carry on our government.

The third body of our government was called the Supreme Court. This was
made up of some of the ablest lawyers and judges of the country. They
were not to be voted for, but to be chosen by the President and then
approved by the Senate. The duty of the Supreme Court is to consider any
law brought to its notice and decide if it agrees with the Constitution.
If the Court decides that a law is not constitutional, it ceases to be
of any effect.

This is not so very hard to understand, is it? The President and
Congress elected by the people; the Supreme Court and Cabinet selected
by the President; the Constitution the foundation of our government; and
the laws passed by Congress the building erected on the foundation.

Its great feature is that it is a republic--a government "of the people,
by the people, and for the people." Ours is not the first republic.
There have been others. But it is the greatest. It is the only one that
covers half a continent, and is made up of states many of which are
larger than some of the kingdoms of Europe. For more than a hundred
years the Constitution made in