46 THE TREATY OF WASHINGTON. 
not always easily perforable either by eloquen¢e or 
by reason. And during the progress of all great 
measures, including especially 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 faction, and can look at the 
temporary passions of the hour with calmness, so as 
to judge them at their tfue 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 subject to be 
badgered by factious or unreasonable personal inter- 
rogation in either house of Congress. 
Moreover, the House of Representatives does not 
presume to set itself up as the superior either of the 
President or of the Senate. Nor is the Senate in the 
condition of being terrified from the discharge 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, 
