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251 so VEREIGNTY IN ENGLISH LA W. ^ 2$ I Senate without its own consent.^ The English doctrine of abso- lute sovereignty is not capable of being usefully applied to con- stitutions of this type. In fact it is a generalization from the " omnipotence " of the British Parliament, an attribute which has been the offspring of our peculiar history, and may quite possibly suffer some considerable change within times not far distant. Such a constitution as that of the United States or of Switzerland may be said to give a definite meaning to the sovereignty of the people, as opposed to the power or caprice of transitory majorities. Frederick Pollock. 1 Const, of U.S., Art. V. 34