HISTORY OF VERMONT. 521 



ready to embrace any opportunity that might 

 present, to favor their own cause. The affairs 

 of war and peace in Europe, were perpetually 

 changing ; and the measures that France or 

 Great Briti-.in might pursue, might essentially 

 affect the interests, and probably the councils 

 and measures of the United States : And amidst 

 the variations of European politics, events or 

 designs might appear, that would soon throw 

 the balance of popularity and power into the 

 hands of either of the contending parties. 



Another consideration of more immediate 

 weio^ht and consequence was the election of a . 

 president and vice president of the United States* 

 The choice of the electors for that purpose 

 would come on in the course of another year ; 

 and. although it was certain tliat a majority of 

 the people were in favor of Mr. Jefferson, it was 

 not certain that this would secure his election. 

 By the federal constitution, the votes for presi- 

 dent and vice president were not to be designa- 

 ted by the names of the persons that were in- 

 tended for the one, or for the other of those 

 olHces. The votes were to be taken without 

 any such designation, and that name which had 

 the largest number of votes, was declared to de- 

 note the president ; and that, to which the next 

 greatest number of votes was assigned, signified 

 v/ho was to be vice president. It might there- 

 fore happen, that the person whom the electors 

 meant to choose for vice president would have 

 the greatest number of votes, and thus be cho- 

 sen pre':::dent, v/hen the electors meant the re- 

 verse. I*: was apprehended that this would in 

 fact be the case at the next election : That all 

 VOL. ir Q 2 



