The presidential election has come to be the most exciting and bitter of all political contests, because of the large influence which the President exerts upon national legislation, and because of the immense patronage of his office.

NECESSITY.—­Parties appear to be a necessity in all free governments.  They serve as check upon one another, as the party in power is responsible for the public policy of the country.  If the people are dissatisfied with the party in power, they can displace it and elect another in its stead.  Parties are therefore placed upon their good behavior, and made to feel their responsibility to the people.

If there were no party organizations, many of the views of a candidate would not be known, and there could be no assurance that he would be true to the interests of the majority electing him.  The fact that a public man is a member of a certain party shows many of the views which he entertains and the principles which he may be expected to support.

Party government is often bad, but as the party is responsible for the conduct of all officers elected by it, party government, especially in legislative affairs, is better than personal government, in which no one but the officer himself is responsible for his official conduct.

PARTY MACHINERY.—­The machinery of parties in this country is very complex, and is closely interwoven with our system of government.  Each party must select candidates for the various offices in the gift of the people, in order that it may exert its greatest power in elections and in public affairs.  The people in each party must have a voice in the selection of candidates for township offices, district offices, county offices, State offices, and President and Vice President of the United States.  Therefore each party has a system of committees, conventions, primary elections, and caucuses, for ascertaining the choice of its members for these various offices.

Parties and party machinery are not generally provided for in the law, but they exist by a custom almost as old as the government, and are firmly fixed in our political system.

COMMITTEES.—­Each of the great parties has a national committee, consisting of one member from each State and Territory, chosen by its national convention.  The national committee is the chief executive authority of the party.  It calls the national convention, fixes the time and place for holding it, and the representation to which each State and Territory is entitled.  It appoints a sub-committee of its members, called the campaign or executive committee, which conducts the political canvass or campaign, for the party.

The campaign committee distributes pamphlets, speeches, newspapers, and other political documents among the voters of the country; selects public speakers; makes appointments for them to speak; arranges for party meetings; collects funds to bear the expenses of the campaign, and has a general oversight of the party work in all the States.