For a long while before the appointed time is at hand
the election becomes the most important and the all-engrossing
topic of discussion. The ardor of faction is
redoubled; and all the artificial passions which the
imagination can create in the bosom of a happy and
peaceful land are agitated and brought to light.
The President, on the other hand, is absorbed by the
cares of self-defence. He no longer governs for
the interest of the State, but for that of his re-election;
he does homage to the majority, and instead of checking
its passions, as his duty commands him to do, he frequently
courts its worst caprices. As the election draws
near, the activity of intrigue and the agitation of
the populace increase; the citizens are divided into
hostile camps, each of which assumes the name of its
favorite candidate; the whole nation glows with feverish
excitement; the election is the daily theme of the
public papers, the subject of private conversation,
the end of every thought and every action, the sole
interest of the present. As soon as the choice
is determined, this ardor is dispelled; and as a calmer
season returns, the current of the State, which had
nearly broken its banks, sinks to its usual level:
a but who can refrain from astonishment at the
causes of the storm.
[Footnote a: [Not always. The election of
President Lincoln was the signal of civil war.—Translator’s
Note.]]
Chapter VIII: The Federal Constitution—Part III
Re-election Of The President
When the head of the executive power is re-eligible,
it is the State which is the source of intrigue and
corruption—The desire of being re-elected
the chief aim of a President of the United States—Disadvantage
of the system peculiar to America—The natural
evil of democracy is that it subordinates all authority
to the slightest desires of the majority—The
re-election of the President encourages this evil.
It may be asked whether the legislators of the United
States did right or wrong in allowing the re-election
of the President. It seems at first sight contrary
to all reason to prevent the head of the executive
power from being elected a second time. The influence
which the talents and the character of a single individual
may exercise upon the fate of a whole people, in critical
circumstances or arduous times, is well known:
a law preventing the re-election of the chief magistrate
would deprive the citizens of the surest pledge of
the prosperity and the security of the commonwealth;
and, by a singular inconsistency, a man would be excluded
from the government at the very time when he had shown
his ability in conducting its affairs.
Copyrights
Democracy in America — Volume 1 from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.
