Page:A Brief History of the Constitution and Government of Massachusetts (1925).pdf/40

 ment should be placed in the hands of a single man to be chosen by the Legislature. This Governor or President was to hold office for a short term and to be ineligible for reëlection. The judges of the Supreme Court, also, were to be chosen by the Legislature. These ideas did not find favor in Massachusetts. Yearly sessions of the Legislature were provided for and though there have been attempts to have biennial sessions Massachusetts continues to be one of the six States of the Union whose Legislature meets annually. Until recently it was the only State that had both annual sessions and also annual elections. There are only three other States in the Union which have a Governor's Council. There are a number of States that have no, and in States where they do have one, there being no Council he is apt to preside over the Senate as the does in Washington. The power of appointment, too, in most States is subject to ratification by the Senate, and not, as in Massachusetts, by the Council. Either branch of the Legislature or the Governor and Council may require the opinions of the justices of the Supreme Court on important questions of law and on solemn occasions. This is an unusual privilege, and according to Mr. Stimson it is allowed only in six other States and in two of those it is limited either to important questions of law or to those concerning the State Constitution. Many of the and liberal provisions contained in the Constitution I shall take up later, but two more I shall refer to now.