Page:Back to the Republic.djvu/65

 the varied and oftentimes perplexing problems of government.

It is not a popular statement, but it is a fundamental fact, that the people generally know comparatively little about governmental problems. While this statement is widely at variance with the vociferous contentions of the demagogue, it is a truth that the founders of the republic thoroughly recognized, and they acted in accordance therewith. To summarize, the Constitution provides for (1) an executive and (2) a legislative body and defines their qualifications and powers. It requires them to appoint (3) a judiciary and to recognize (4) certain inherent individual rights, and it defines the powers of the judiciary and enumerates the individual rights. It also provides that the people may vote once in four years for the executive and once in two years for members of the legislative body.

The Constitution was far from perfect. The Electoral College as a method of electing the President is an awkward creation that could be much improved. The enumeration of inherent individual rights was incomplete, and the classification and arrangement of them could be improved. There were other imperfections that detracted, but it did provide for just the four