Cæsar's Column: A Story of the Twentieth CenturyDonnelly, Ignatius
Science
Cæsar's Column: A Story of the Twentieth Century
Donnelly, Ignatius
Dystopias -- Fiction; New York (N.Y.) -- Fiction; Science fiction; Social problems -- Fiction; Twentieth century -- Fiction
Our governing body, called _The People_, is divided into three
branches. The first is elected exclusively by the producers, to-wit:
the workmen in the towns and the farmers and mechanics in the
country; and those they elect must belong to their own class. As
these constitute the great bulk of the people, the body that
represents them stands for the House of Commons in England, or the
House of Representatives in America. The second branch is elected
exclusively by and from the merchants and manufacturers, and all who
are engaged in trade, or as employers of labor. The third branch,
which is the smallest of the three, is selected by the authors,
newspaper writers, artists, scientists, philosophers and literary
people generally. This branch is expected to hold the balance of
power, where the other two bodies cannot agree. It may be expected
that they will be distinguished by broad and philanthropic views and
new and generous conceptions. Where a question arises as to which of
these three groups or subdivisions a voter belongs to, the matter is
to be decided by the president of the Republic.
No law can be passed, in the first instance, unless it receives a
majority vote in each of the three branches, or a two-thirds vote in
two of them. Where a difference of opinion arises upon any point of
legislation, the three branches are to assemble together and discuss
the matter at issue, and try to reach an agreement. As, however, the
experience of the world has shown that there is more danger of the
upper classes combining to oppress the producers than there is of the
producers conspiring to govern them,--except in the last desperate
extremity, as shown recently,--it is therefore decreed that if the
Commons, by a three-fourths vote, pass any measure, it becomes a law,
notwithstanding the veto of the other two branches.
The executive is elected by the Congress for a period of four years,
and is not eligible for re-election. He has no veto and no control of
any patronage. In the election of president a two-thirds vote of each
branch is necessary.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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