CONSTITUTIONAL SOLUTION. 61 



patriots. Look, however, upon the construction which vests the two 

 houses with these Governmental functions, acting in their separate and 

 organized capacities with the ordinary constitutional right of nega- 

 tive on each other's proceedings, and you readily perceive all the 

 machinery of legislative action arranged for the Constitutional solu- 

 tion of what was before utterly impossible, and a complete vindication 

 of the wisdom and patriotism of our illustrious forefathers, who had 

 no more confidence in the one-man power than was so often and 

 so paternally expressed by Washington himself for our admonition. 

 What more appropriate repository could mortal wit or experience 

 devise than the Congress constituted of the House representing the 

 industrial activities and immediate will of the people, and of the 

 Senate impersonating the majesty and calm deliberation of the States'? 



Nor is this position shaken by the assertion that the power must 

 reside somewhere, and the electoral colleges may as well have it. 

 Because among other reasons the irresistable reply comes — that the 

 several colleges belong to and are created by the States as several 

 communities, and one of them could destroy the choice or rights of 

 of all the others without ever having been entrusted by any other 

 with the ridiculous authority to do so — an injury which cannot be 

 inflicted by implication at least, particularly when no such harm 

 could arise from Congressional jurisdiction energized by legislative 

 methods. By these Congressional methods the deadly enemies of 

 Republican Government — Cabal, intrigue and corruption are excluded 

 from our domains. 



But it has been said that that the President is the direct repre- 

 sentative of the American people. To this Mr. Webster, in the 

 United States Senate in 183-i (four works Everett's Ed. page 144) 

 replied. 



"Now Sir, this is not the language of the Constitution. The con- 

 stitution nowhere calls him the representative of the American peo- 

 ple, still less their direct representative. It could not do so with 

 the least propriety, he is not chosen directly hy the people, but by 

 a body of electors, some of whom are chosen hy the people and some 

 of whom are chosen b}' the State Legislatures. Where then, is the 

 authority for saying that the President is the direct representative of 

 the people ? The Constitution calls the members of the other house, 

 (Representatives) and declares they shall be chosen by the people, and 



