CHAP. XIV.] AND RELIGION. 389 



402. The country is divided into States. 

 Each of these States has its own separate go 

 vernment, consisting of a Governor, Legislative 

 Body, and Judiciary Department. But, then 

 there is a General Government, which is, in 

 fact, the government of the whole nation; for, 

 it alone can do any thing with regard to other 

 nations. This General Government consists of 

 a President, a Senate, a House of Represen 

 tatives, all which together are called the Con 

 gress. The President is elected for four years, 

 the Senate for four years, and the House of 

 Representatives for two years. 



403. In most of the State-Governments, the 

 election is annual for the House of Represen 

 tatives. In some the Governor and the Senate 

 are elected for a longer period, not exceeding 



four years in any case. But, in some, the 

 whole, Governor, Senate, and Representatives, 

 are elected ANNUALLY; and this last ap 

 pears now to be the prevailing taste. 



404. The suffrage, or qualification of electors, 

 is very various. In some States every free 

 man ; that is, every man who is not bondman 

 or slave, has a vote. In others, the payment 

 of a tax is required. In others, a man must 

 be worth a hundred pounds. In Virginia a man 

 must be a freeholder. 



405. This may serve to show how little Mr. 



