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372 Presidential elections. [rae-isoo than the method of electing a President. As originally provided, each State was to appoint, in such manner as the State legislature might direct, as many presidential electors as it had senators and representatives in Congress. The electors were to meet in their respective States ; and each was to write upon a ballot the name of two persons. A list of all names voted for and the number of votes for each was then to be made, and a certified copy sent to the President of the Senate, who, in the presence of the House and Senate, on the appointed day, was to open and count the votes. The person having the greatest number of votes (if a majority of the whole) was to be President of the United States ; and he who received the next highest was to be Vice-President. Under this system the President was to be an official chosen and elected by sundry citizens having no connexion with the government, for no senator, representative, or office-holder may be an elector ; he was to be eligible for any number of terms ; and he was to enter upon his high office bound by no pledges, representing no section, and belonging to no party. He was to be the choice of fellow-citizens called from private life to act as electors without collusion, and perfectly free to vote for any duly qualified men they pleased. So long as Washington consented to serve as President, the system of election worked well; but in 1796 he declined to serve a third term; and the first contest for the Presidency took place. The Federalist electors gave all their votes for the office of President to John Adams, but scattered them so widely for that of Vice-President that their second candidate, Thomas Pinckney, fell twelve votes behind Adams. The Republicans agreed to vote for Thomas Jefferson, who was but three votes behind Adams, intervening between the two Federalist candidates, and was thus elected Vice-President. The defects of the system from the point of view of party government were now clearly illustrated. Pinckney was defeated because the Federalist electors had scattered their votes among many candidates instead of concentrating them on two. When the next election occurred, in 1800, both parties attempted to prevent the recurrence of such a defeat. Each Federalist elector was instructed to vote for John Adams, and all save one to vote for Charles C. Pinckney; and they implicitly obeyed. The Republican leaders at a private "caucus" selected Jefferson and Burr as their candidates, but failed to designate the man who should not vote for Burr. In consequence of this omission Jefferson and Burr received an equal number of votes 73 each; and therefore neither was elected President. But, as this number exceeded by eight the votes cast for Adams, he was defeated. Consequently no President was chosen by the electoral colleges of the States. The duty of deciding whether Jefferson or Burr should be President thus devolved on the House of Represen- tatives; and Jefferson was chosen. The Constitution plainly needed amendment; and, before the election