ion,
not so much with a view to the triumph of their principles under
the auspices of the President-elect as to show by the majority which
returned him, the strength of the supporters of those principles.

For a long while before the appointed time is at hand the election
becomes the most important and the all-engrossing topic of discussion.
The ardor of faction is redoubled; and all the artificial passions which
the imagination can create in the bosom of a happy and peaceful land
are agitated and brought to light. The President, on the other hand,
is absorbed by the cares of self-defence. He no longer governs for the
interest of the State, but for that of his re-election; he does homage
to the majority, and instead of checking its passions, as his duty
commands him to do, he frequently courts its worst caprices. As the
election draws near, the activity of intrigue and the agitation of the
populace increase; the citizens are divided into hostile camps, each of
which assumes the name of its favorite candidate; the whole nation glows
with feverish excitement; the election is the daily theme of the public
papers, the subject of private conversation, the end of every thought
and every action, the sole interest of the present. As soon as the
choice is determined, this ardor is dispelled; and as a calmer season
returns, the current of the State, which had nearly broken its banks,
sinks to its usual level: *a but who can refrain from astonishment at
the causes of the storm.

[Footnote a: [Not always. The election of President Lincoln was the
signal of civil war.--Translator's Note.]]

Chapter VIII: The Federal Constitution--Part III

Re-election Of The President

When the head of the executive power is re-eligible, it is the State
which is the source of intrigue and corruption--The desire of
being re-elected the chief aim of a President of the United
States--Disadvantage of the system peculiar to America--The natural
evil of democracy is that it subordinates all authority to the slightest
desires of the majority--The re-election of the President encourages
this evil.

It may be asked whether the legislators of the United States did right
or wrong in allowing the re-election of the President. It seems at first
sight contrary to all reason to prevent the head of the executive power
from being elected a second time. The influence which the talents and
the character of a single individual may exercise upon the fate of