Now, the view which we wish to emphasize here is that the present position of American politics is the natural result of the principles embodied in the Constitution adopted in 1789, when the Union was formed.  The complete organization and the want of leadership are directly to be traced to the labours of George Washington and his associates.  A brief glance at the Constitution and the early history of its working will make this clear.

The thirteen States which revolted from England worked fairly well together under the “Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union” as long as the war lasted, but as soon as peace was proclaimed it was, as Washington said, no better than anarchy.  The famous Convention of 1787 was therefore held, and the Constitution was drawn up.  One guiding principle of its framers was to divide power so as to place checks on the will of the people, and on outbursts of popular passion, which were then greatly dreaded.  One means of attaining this object was the attempted separation of the legislative and executive functions.  We say attempted advisedly, for time has but shown that the two are inseparable.  But the framers of the Constitution divided the legislative function between the two Houses, and vested the executive function almost entirely, as they thought, in the President.  Montesquieu, in his “Esprit des Lois” had laid down that the great merit of the English Constitution was the separation of these functions, and the Americans accepted this view.  But, in truth, the English cabinet system had not then been fully developed.  The King was still, not only in appearance, but to some extent also in fact, the head of the executive, and there was nothing to indicate that ministers were so soon to become the real leaders.

The effect of this provision was a struggle between the two branches for supremacy, and the legislatures have won.  The President has been degraded to a mere agent, and the legislatures have absorbed the greater part of executive functions, even to the control of finance.  Now, the framers of the Constitution were apprehensive that the President might become a mere party agent, and they tried to strengthen his position by two devices.  First, they gave him the power to veto statutes unless overruled by a two-thirds majority of Congress; and, secondly, they provided for his election by an electoral college, or by a double system of election.  This second provision was designed to ensure the election of a President for personal instead of for party reasons; but it has proved a complete failure.  Almost from the first the electoral delegates have had to pledge themselves to support the party nominee.  The veto, therefore, has also become practically useless.  Thus it has come about that Congress is a body entirely without leaders.