ical prizes has been awarded through
partizan competition. In 1804 the method of selecting the Vice-President
was changed by the twelfth constitutional amendment. The electors since
that time ballot for President and Vice-President. Whatever may be
the legal privileges of the members of the Electoral College, they are
considered, by the voters, as agents of the party upon whose tickets
their names appear, and to abuse this relationship would universally be
deemed an act of perfidy.

The Constitution permits the legislatures of the States to determine how
the electors shall be chosen. In the earlier period, the legislatures
elected them; later they were elected by the people; sometimes they were
elected at large, but usually they were chosen by districts. And this
is now the general custom. Since the development of direct nominations,
there has been a strong movement towards the abolition of the Electoral
College and the election of the President by direct vote.

The President is the most powerful official in our government and
in many respects he is the most powerful ruler in the world. He is
Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy. His is virtually the sole
responsibility in conducting international relations. He is at the
head of the civil administration and all the important administrative
departments are answerable to him. He possesses a vast power of
appointment through which he dispenses political favors. His wish is
potent in shaping legislation and his veto is rarely overridden. With
Congress he must be in daily contact; for the Senate has the power of
ratifying or discarding his appointments and of sanctioning or rejecting
his treaties with foreign countries; and the House of Representatives
originates all money bills and thus possesses a formidable check upon
executive usurpation.

The Constitution originally reposed the choice of United States Senators
with the state legislatures. A great deal of virtue was to flow from
such an indirect election. The members of the legislature were presumed
to act with calm judgment and to choose only the wise and experienced
for the dignity of the toga. And until the period following the Civil
War the great majority of the States delighted to send their ablest
statesmen to the Senate. Upon its roll we find the names of many of our
illustrious orators and jurists. After the Civil War, when the spirit of
commercialism invaded every activity, men who were merely rich began to