5.In each of the fortyfive states there is a similar army，though much smaller，with a governor at the head.Besides the state officials，there are included also those in the counties，cities，towns，and villages.These people are busy with all the different kinds of public work.Many of them are occupied with the public money，assessors deciding the value of property on which taxes must be paid，others receiving payment of the taxes and giving the taxpayer receipts，others taking charge of the money thus collected and paying it out as directed by law.
6.Who appoints all these people to office？The president of the United States is chosen by election，and the electors are chosen by the people.The president appoints the most important of the federal officers，and they in turn，or some of them，appoint the inferior officers.We must remember that there are many appointments which the president cannot make without the approval of the senate.
7.To illustrate，we may take a postoffice in a large city，like Chicago.The postmaster has charge.He is appointed by the president，with the approval of the senate.There is a number of clerks and lettercarriers.These are appointed by the postmastergeneral，and the most of them can be removed only for bad conduct.
8.The postmasters in small places are appointed by the postmastergeneral.
9.If we come to the states，we find that some of the officers are appointed by some one higher in authority，and many are elected by the people.The governor is always chosen by the people，as are the sheriffs，the mayors，and many more.
10.So we see that the officers who carry out the laws are either elected by the people or are appointed，directly or indirectly，by some one who is elected by the people.
11.The Courts of Law.The federal judges are all appointed by the president of the United States.Of course the senate has to be consulted.In some of the states，as in Massachusetts，the governor appoints the judges.But in most of the states the judges are elected by the people.Now，we remember that the people elect the governors，and that the electors who choose the president，and the state legislatures which choose the senators，are also elected by the people.So we see that the judges are either elected by the people or are appointed，directly or indirectly，by some one who is elected by the people.
12.How the Officers Are Chosen.Then，we are not far out of the way if we say that our whole government consists of officers who are chosen by the people .To be sure，the postmastergeneral may appoint a village postmaster.But the postmastergeneral is appointed by the president，with the approval of the senate.And the president is really elected by the people.The electors whom the people choose would never think of voting for any one but the man nominated by their political party.The senators，too，are chosen by legislatures elected by the people.So，after all，the village postmaster depends for his office on the election by the people.
13.Elections.We are all familiar with elections.They are held often in November；many of them，especially for local officers，in the spring；in a few states，in August or September or October.Votes are cast by means of printed papers called ballots .Each voter has the right to cast one ballot.It is put into a locked box the ballotbox .At night，when the voting is ended，the ballotbox is unlocked and the votes are counted.Then the officers who have charge of the ballotbox make a report to the proper election officers.In this way it is found out who has the most votes，and he is elected .Sometimes one person has more than half of all the votes cast.This is a majority .In other cases no one has a majority，but one person has more votes than any one else.This is a plurality .The person who has a majority is always elected，and for most offices a plurality also elects.
14.Who Are “the People”？Now，who are the people who elect so many officers in our republic？Is it all the people？Surely not.Many are children too young to vote.And in most of the states the women do not vote，either.So it is plain that the men who have the right to vote are less than half of all the people.
15.But the laws are not the same in all the states.In some states a man has the right to vote who，in some other states，would not have that right.In many states no one can vote unless he is a citizen of the United States，which，indeed，ought to be the law everywhere.In a few states，however，one who has taken his “first papers，”although he is not a citizen，has the right to vote.In a few states，also，no one may vote unless he can read and write，which surely seems a reasonable requirement.But in most of the states ignorance is no bar to voting.
16.The States Decide Who May Vote.We see from what has been said that it is the states that make the laws which give or withhold the right to vote.The United States government can make no such laws.The states may do very nearly as they please.So it is that some states allow women to vote at all elections.Some allow women to vote at elections for school officers，and many do not allow women to vote at all.If we wish to know who may vote，then，we must look in the constitution and laws of each of the states.
17.The People Who Vote Are the Real Rulers.And when we speak of the people as electing public officers，we mean the people who have the right to vote .
18.Our whole republic depends in the end on the wisdom of the people in voting.And so the safety and success of the republic will depend very largely on what sort of voters we have.
19.All voters ought to know for what they are voting.They ought to understand what the republic is，what are the duties of public officers，and why they prefer one man or one political party instead of another.Ignorant voters are easily led by dishonest and selfish politicians，and are likely to elect men who want office because they can make money out of it for themselves.
Ignorant voters are a danger to the republic.