GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS 



601 









Delaware. The first Constitution, adopt- 

 ed in 1776, was followed by those of 1792, 1831, 

 and 1897, the last named being still in force. 

 Constitutional amendments, proposed in either 

 House of the Legislature, agreed to by a two- 

 thirds vote of both Houses, and by a similar vote 

 of the next Legislature, become law. The Legis- 

 lature consists of a Senate of seventeen members, 

 elected for four years and a House of Representa- 

 tives of thirty-five members, elected for two 

 years, the two Houses being known as the Gen- 

 eral Assembly. Senators must be 27 years of 

 nd Representatives 24; both must be 

 citi/ens who nave resided three years in the 

 and one year in the electoral district im- 

 mediately preceding the election. Money bills 

 must originate in the House of Representatives. 

 The Senate tries cases of impeachment brought 

 by the House of Representatives. The principal 

 executive officer of the State is the governor, 

 who is elected for four years and is not eligible 

 for a third term. He is commander-in-chief of 

 the military and naval forces of the State, and, 

 with the consent of the Senate, appoints to 

 various offices of State. He may call special ses- 

 sions of the legislature, and has power to pardon, 

 limited by the authority of the board of pardons, 

 of which he is a member. He has a veto on legis- 

 lation. which may be overridden by a three- 

 fit t h- vote of each house. The secretary of state 

 is appointed by the governor with the consent 

 of the Senate. Other State officials are the 

 lieutenant-governor, the treasurer, and the 

 auditor. 



Denmark. Under the Constitution of 

 1849 (modified in 1855, 1863, 1865, and 1866), 

 the executive power is vested in king and minis- 

 ti-rs. the legislative in the Rigsdag or Diet acting 

 jointly with the sovereign. The Rigsdag is com- 

 posed of the Landsthing (or upper house of sixty- 

 -i\ members twelve Crown nominees ap- 

 pointed for life, and fifty-four indirectly elected 

 by electoral bodies, in which large taxpayers are 

 well represented, for eight years), and the Folke- 

 thing (or house of commons of 114 members 

 directly elected by universal suffrage for three 

 years). Members of both houses are paid about 

 three dollars a day while the Rigsdag is sitting 

 and their traveling expenses. The Rigsdag 

 HUM meet every October, and all money bills 

 be Mibmiucd first to the Kolkething. For local 

 irovernment the country is divided into eighteen 

 c -unties, each under a governor, and theae are 

 -Mi-divided into hundreds and parishes. The 

 towns are administered by mayors. 



District of Columbia. The municipal 



men! of the District of Coluini 

 by act of Congress approved June II. isTx. in 

 three commissioners, two of whom an- appointed 

 by the president from citi/ens of the 1 

 having had three year-' residence therein imme- 

 I "receding that appointment, and con- 

 firmed |,y ! The other Colillli 



is detailed by th- President of the United 

 from the Corps of n of the ' 



States Army, and mu-t have lineal rank 



tin. or be a captain who has served at 

 least fifteen years in the Corps of Engineers of 

 the Army. The commissioners appoint t In- 

 subordinate official service of said government. 



except the board of education which is appointed 

 by the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia. 

 Congress makes all laws for the District, but has 

 intrusted to the commissioners authority to 

 make police, building, and plumbing regulations, 

 and others of a municipal nature. 



Dominican Republic, or San Do- 

 mingo, is the Republic which occupies the 

 eastern end of the island of Hayti, and was 

 founded in 1844, after a revolution which over- 

 threw the Spanish rule. It is divided into six 

 states or provinces, and six maritime districts, 

 and is governed by a President, chosen by an 

 electoral college for a term of four years, and a 

 National Congress of twenty-four members 

 elected for four years. A convention was drawn 

 up on February 8, 1907, and approved February 

 25th, by the American Senate, and by the San 

 Domingo Congress on May 3d. The chief 

 creditors of the Republic had agreed to accept 

 50 to 55% for cash payment of their claims. It 

 was estimated that $17,000,000 were required 

 for the purpose, and a New York bank agreed to 

 find the sum of $20,000,000 (the balance being 

 for the extinction of certain concessions and har- 

 bor monopolies, and for the construction of rail- 

 ways and other public improvements) on the 

 basis of an issue of 5% bonds payable in fifty 

 years, and redeemable after seventy years at 

 102$. The bank thus became the sole creditor 

 of the government. The receiver-general of 

 customs was appointed by the United States 

 Government under the new convention, and the 

 customs duties are applied in the first instance 

 to the payment of the annual sums for amortiza- 

 tion of the bonds, the balance going to the 

 Dominican Government. The Dominican Re- 

 public further pledged itself not to increase its 

 public debt till the whole of the bonds had been 

 paid off, nor to modify its import duties without 

 the consent of the United Sta' 



Ecuador is a Republic of equatorial South 

 America, constituted in ix:to. by separation 

 from the original Republic of Colombia. Under 

 the Constitution of 1884, modified in 1SS7. and 

 1897, it is governed by a President elected for 

 four years, wit h t he assistance of aCongress com- 

 posed of a Senate of thirty-two members, elected 

 for two years, repre^entim: the sixteen provinces, 

 and a Chamber of forty-two Deputies, ropresent- 

 iim the people, which is elected every two years. 

 Tin- electors to both chambers must be adults 

 able to read and write. 



Florida. The original Constitution, framed 

 in 1838, was succeeded by others m 1st.;,. 1868, 

 and 1885. That of I ss;,. amended in is'.M. 1896, 

 and "\\ in force. Amendments may 



be proposed in either Hoii-e of the Ix'pislatm 

 appi hs vote of all the mem- 



bers of each House, they are submitted to the 

 people and, if accepted by a majority of those 

 voting on them, they become part of the Coi 



The State Legislature consists of a Sen- 

 ate of thirty-two members, and House of Rcpre- 

 sentatives with sixty eiirht members. Senators 

 are elected for four years, Representatives 

 for two, the Senate being renewed by one-half 

 t wo years. Any bill may originate in 

 either Ib.u-e. The House of Representatives has 

 the sole power of impeachment, but a two- 



