46 THE TREATY OF WASIIINGTOX. 



not always easily imforahle either by eloquence or 

 by reason. And during the progress of all great 

 measures, including esj^ecially foreign negotiations, 

 which require to be left undisturbed in their prog- 

 ress from germination to maturity, he is subject to be 

 goaded almost to madness every day by vicious in- 

 terpellations, not only on the part of members of the 

 Opposition, but even his own supporters in the House 

 of Commons. 



How different is the spectacle of government in 

 the United States ! Here, the President, — that is, the 

 Prime Minister of the sovereign people, — is placed in 

 power for a fixed period of time, during which he is 

 politically independent of fiiction, and can look at the 

 temporary passions of the hour with calmness, so as 

 to judge them at their true value, and accept or reject 

 their voice according to the dictates of public duty 

 and the command of his conscience. Neither he nor 

 any of the members of his Cabinet are su1)ject to be 

 badgered by factious or unreasonable personal inter- 

 ro2;ation in either house of Con ogress. 



Moreover, the House of Representatives does not 

 presume to set itself up as tlie superior either of the 

 President or of the Senate. Nor is the Senate in the 

 condition of beino; terrified from the discharire of its 

 duty by threats on the part of the President or of the 

 House of Representatives to subjugate its free will at 

 any moment by thrusting into it a batch of twenty 

 new administration Senators. Least of all does the 

 House of Representatives presume to possess and ex- 

 ercise the powers of a constituent national convention, 



