son receiving the highest number of votes, if such number were a majority of the whole number of electors appointed, was to be President; the person receiving the next highest number of the votes, whether a majority or not, was to be Vice-President.

The evident intention of those who devised this scheme was that each State would choose a number of its wisest and most trusted citizens, who would cast their votes for President and Vice-President according to their independent and individual judgments. This theory lasted through the first three elections only, since which time, notwithstanding the Constitutional Amendment requiring the electors to designate the persons voted for, as President or Vice-President as the case may be, it has fallen into disfavor and been entirely neutralized by the action of our our political parties, which nominate in advance through their caucuses or conventions, the candidate to be voted for, and electors are chosen merely to register the will of those who select them. Indeed any attempt of an elector to do otherwise would be justly regarded as a high breach of faith.

There was little or no room for the appearance of party divisions in the choice of the first President and Vice-President. The universal confidence that George Washington would be the first President under the new Constitution, had, in fact done much to reconcile support to that instrument, from many who looked npon the powers lodged in the Executive as

fraught with danger to the liberties of the people. The exalted patriotism and tried unselfishness of the Father of his Country, were, everywhere, relied upon to establish an example of moderation and of fidelity to the Constitution Constitution and the rights of the people which no later Executive would dare to disregard. In one State only, to be noted hereafter, did anything like a party division appear in the vote for Vice-President.

Meanwhile, however, Senators and Representatives in Congress had to be selected, and the old antagonisms of Federalists and Anti-federalists were here apparent. Governor Clinton and Patrick Henry were earnestly striving to secure enough votes in Congress to call a Second Convention to revise and change the Constitution in the manner provided therein. Other Anti-federalists were aiming only to secure enough influence to compel the adoption of the Amendments deemed essential to limit the power of the Federal Government. A very interesting and faithful account of the progress of the elections. may be found in Madison's letters, written at the time, to Jefferson, Washington and others. The influence of Patrick Henry was absolute in the Virginia legislature, and at his bidding Madison was thrust outside and Richard Henry Lee and William Grayson, Anti-federalists, were chosen Senators. He even went so far as to arrange the districts of the State to prevent the election of Madison to the House of Representatives, but in this he failed, for notwithstanding Monroe was the opposing

candidate, Madison appealed directly to the people and was successful.

In New York a factional fight between the two houses of the legislature, the one controlled by Clinton, the other by Hamilton, prevented the choice of electors and of Senators, so that the State did not participate in the first election or in the organization of the first Senate. In both Virginia and New York, a majority of the delegates chosen, were Federalists. South Carolina alone sent out an Anti-federalist delegation to the House and one Anti-federalist Senator. In the other States Federalists were generally chosen.

Madison wrote from Alexandria, Virginia, on March 1, 1789, to Edmund Randolph, of the contest in his own district between Colonel Monroe and himself

"Whether I ought to be satisfied or displeased with my success I shall hereafter be more able to judge. My present anticipations are not flattering. I see in the lists of Representatives a very scanty proportion who will share in the drudgery of business. And I foresee contentions first between Federal and Anti-federal parties, - and then between Northern and Southern parties, which give additional disagreeableness to the prospect."

After a long wrangle in Congress, the city of New York had been selected as the first home of the new government. A quorum of the House did not meet until the first day of April, 1789. The Senate organized on the sixth day of April, and chose John Langdon, of New Hampshire, President, to open and count the electoral votes, which he immediately proceeded to do in the presence of both Houses. Every one of the sixty

nine votes cast by the ten States that took part in the election, was found to be for George Washington, who was accordingly declared elected the first President of the United States. John Adams received thirty-four votes, less than a majority, but the next highest number, and accordingly became Vice-President. In Virginia alone did any party division appear in the vote for Vice-President; three of the electors being Anti-federalists, Patrick Henry among them, cast their votes for George Clinton. The remainder of the thirty-five votes not cast for Adams, were distributed between no less than eleven persons, generally as compliments to local favorites, the highest number for any one person being nine for John Jay, of New York.