democracy in america-1-第41章

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tates；　and　the　interest　of　union　for　the　whole　people；　were　the　only　two　conflicting　interests　which　existed　amongst　the　Anglo…Americans；　and　a　compromise　was　necessarily　made　between　them。

It　is；　however；　just　to　acknowledge　that　this　part　of　the　Constitution　has　not　hitherto　produced　those　evils　which　might　have　been　feared。　　All　the　States　are　young　and　contiguous；　their　customs；　their　ideas；　and　their　exigencies　are　not　dissimilar；　and　the　differences　which　result　from　their　size　or　inferiority　do　not　suffice　to　set　their　interests　at　variance。　　The　small　States　have　consequently　never　been　induced　to　league　themselves　together　in　the　Senate　to　oppose　the　designs　of　the　larger　ones；　and　indeed　there　is　so　irresistible　an　authority　in　the　legitimate　expression　of　the　will　of　a　people　that　the　Senate　could　offer　but　a　feeble　opposition　to　the　vote　of　the　majority　of　the　House　of　Representatives。

It　must　not　be　forgotten；　on　the　other　hand；　that　it　was　not　in　the　power　of　the　American　legislators　to　reduce　to　a　single　nation　the　people　for　whom　they　were　making　laws。　　The　object　of　the　Federal　Constitution　was　not　to　destroy　the　independence　of　the　States；　but　to　restrain　it。　　By　acknowledging　the　real　authority　of　these　secondary　communities　（and　it　was　impossible　to　deprive　them　of　it）；　they　disavowed　beforehand　the　habitual　use　of　constraint　in　enforcing　g　the　decisions　of　the　majority。　Upon　this　principle　the　introduction　of　the　influence　of　the　States　into　the　mechanism　of　the　Federal　Government　was　by　no　means　to　be　wondered　at；　since　it　only　attested　the　existence　of　an　acknowledged　power；　which　was　to　be　humored　and　not　forcibly　checked。

A　Further　Difference　Between　The　Senate　And　The　House　Of　Representatives

The　Senate　named　by　the　provincial　legislators；　the　Representatives　by　the　people　…　Double　election　of　the　former；　single　election　of　the　latter　…　Term　of　the　different　offices　…　Peculiar　functions　of　each　House。

The　Senate　not　only　differs　from　the　other　House　in　the　principle　which　it　represents；　but　also　in　the　mode　of　its　election；　in　the　term　for　which　it　is　chosen；　and　in　the　nature　of　its　functions。　　The　House　of　Representatives　is　named　by　the　people；　the　Senate　by　the　legislators　of　each　State；　the　former　is　directly　elected；　the　latter　is　elected　by　an　elected　body；　the　term　for　which　the　representatives　are　chosen　is　only　two　years；　that　of　the　senators　is　six。　　The　functions　of　the　House　of　Representatives　are　purely　legislative；　and　the　only　share　it　takes　in　the　judicial　power　is　in　the　impeachment　of　public　officers。　　The　Senate　co…operates　in　the　work　of　legislation；　and　tries　those　political　offences　which　the　House　of　Representatives　submits　to　its　decision。　　It　also　acts　as　the　great　executive　council　of　the　nation；　the　treaties　which　are　concluded　by　the　President　must　be　ratified　by　the　Senate；　and　the　appointments　he　may　make　must　be　definitely　approved　by　the　same　body。　*o

＇Footnote　o：　See　〃The　Federalist；〃　Nos。　52…56；　inclusive；　Story；　pp。　199…314；　Constitution　of　the　United　States；　sects。　2　and　3。＇　　The　Executive　Power　*p

＇Footnote　p：　See　〃The　Federalist；〃　Nos。　67…77；　Constitution　of　the　United　States；　art。　2；　Story；　p。　315；　pp。　615…780；　Kent's　〃Commentaries；〃　p。　255。＇

Dependence　of　the　President　…　He　is　elective　and　responsible　…　He　is　free　to　act　in　his　own　sphere　under　the　inspection；　but　not　under　the　direction；　of　the　Senate　…　His　salary　fixed　at　his　entry　into　office　…　Suspensive　veto。

The　American　legislators　undertook　a　difficult　task　in　attempting　to　create　an　executive　power　dependent　on　the　majority　of　the　people；　and　nevertheless　sufficiently　strong　to　act　without　restraint　in　its　own　sphere。　It　was　indispensable　to　the　maintenance　of　the　republican　form　of　government　that　the　representative　of　the　executive　power　should　be　subject　to　the　will　of　the　nation。

The　President　is　an　elective　magistrate。　　His　honor；　his　property；　his　liberty；　and　his　life　are　the　securities　which　the　people　has　for　the　temperate　use　of　his　power。　　But　in　the　exercise　of　his　authority　he　cannot　be　said　to　be　perfectly　independent；　the　Senate　takes　cognizance　of　his　relations　with　foreign　powers；　and　of　the　distribution　of　public　appointments；　so　that　he　can　neither　be　bribed　nor　can　he　employ　the　means　of　corruption。　　The　legislators　of　the　Union　acknowledged　that　the　executive　power　would　be　incompetent　to　fulfil　its　task　with　dignity　and　utility；　unless　it　enjoyed　a　greater　degree　of　stability　and　of　strength　than　had　been　granted　to　it　in　the　separate　States。

The　President　is　chosen　for　four　years；　and　he　may　be　reelected；　so　that　the　chances　of　a　prolonged　administration　may　inspire　him　with　hopeful　undertakings　for　the　public　good；　and　with　the　means　of　carrying　them　into　execution。　　The　President　was　made　the　sole　representative　of　the　executive　power　of　the　Union；　and　care　was　taken　not　to　render　his　decisions　subordinate　to　the　vote　of　a　council　…　a　dangerous　measure；　which　tends　at　the　same　time　to　clog　the　action　of　the　Government　and　to　diminish　its　responsibility。　　The　Senate　has　the　right　of　annulling　g　certain　acts　of　the　President；　but　it　cannot　compel　him　to　take　any　steps；　nor　does　it　participate　in　the　exercise　of　the　executive　power。　

The　action　of　the　legislature　on　the　executive　power　may　be　direct；　and　we　have　just　shown　that　the　Americans　carefully　obviated　this　influence；　but　it　may；　on　the　other　hand；　be　indirect。　　Public　assemblies　which　have　the　power　of　depriving　an　officer　of　state　of　his　salary　encroach　upon　his　independence；　and　as　they　are　free　to　make　the　laws；　it　is　to　be　feared　lest　they　should　gradually　appropriate　to　themselves　a　portion　of　that　authority　which　the　Constitution　had　vested　in　his　hands。　This　dependence　of　the　executive　power　is　one　of　the　defects　inherent　in　republican　constitutions。　The　Americans　have　not　been　able　to　counteract　the　tendency　which　legislative　assemblies　have　to　get　possession　of　the　government；　but　they　have　rendered　this　propensity　less　irresistible。　　The　salary　of　the　President　is　fixed；　at　the　time　of　his　entering　upon　office；　for　the　whole　period　of　his　magistracy。　The　President　is；　moreover；　provided　with　a　suspensive　veto；　which　allows　him　to　oppose　the　passing　of　such　laws　as　might　destroy　the　portion　of　independence　which　the　Constitution　awards　him。　　The　struggle　between　the　President　and　the　legislature　must　always　be　an　unequal　one；　since　the　latter　is　certain　of　bearing　down　all　resistance　by　persevering　in　its　plans；　but　the　suspensive　veto　forces　it　at　least　to　reconsider　the　matter；　and；　if　the　motion　be　persisted　in；　it　must　then　be　backed　by　a　majority　of　two…thirds　of　the　whole　house。　　The　veto　is；　in　fact；　a　sort　of　appeal　to　the　people。　The　executive　power；　which；　without　this　security；　might　have　been　secretly　oppressed；　adopts　this　means　of　pleading　its　cause　and　stating　its　motives。　But　if　the　legislature　is　certain　of　overpowering　all　resistance　by　persevering　in　its　plans；　I　reply；　that　in　the　constitutions　of　all　nations；　of　whatever　kind　they　may　be；　a　certain　point　exists　at　which　the　legislator　is　obliged　to　have　recourse　to　the　good　sense　and　the　virtue　of　his　fellow…citizens。　　This　point　is　more　prominent　and　more　discoverable　in　republics；　whilst　it　is　more　remote　and　more　carefully　concealed　in　monarchies；　but　it　always　exists　somewhere。　　There　is　no　country　in　the　world　in　which　everything　can　be　provided　for　by　the　laws；　or　in　which　political　institutions　can　prove　a　substitute　for　common　sense　and　public　morality。

Differences　Between　The　Position　Of　The　President　Of　The　United　States　And　That　Of　A　Constitutional　King　Of　France

Executive　power　in　the　Northern　States　as　limited　and　as　partial　as　the　supremacy　which　it　represents　…　Executive　power　in　France　as　universal　as　the　supremacy　it　represents　…　The　King　a　branch　of　the　legislature　…　The　President　the　mere　executor　of　the　law　…　Other　differences　resulting　from　the　duration　of　the　two　powers　…　The　President　checked　in　the　exercise　of　the　executive　authority　…　The　King　independent　in　its　exercise　…　Notwithstanding　these　discrepancies　France　is　more　akin　to　a　republic　than　the　Union　to　a　monarchy　…Comparison　of