eral of the United States. By profession a lawyer, he has been prominent as a Democratic politician in his State, Michigan. In 1876 he was chairman of the Democratic State Committee, and in 1884 he became a member of the Democratic National Committee. He was appointed Postmaster-General by Cleveland in December, 1887, and his name was confirmed by the Senate January 17, 1888.

Died of an Attempt to Swallow the Fugitive Slave Law. This was said of the Whig party, the eighth resolution of its platform of 1852 having been an elaborate statement to the effect that the party recognized that law as a portion of the final settlement regarding slavery, unless "evasion" or "the abuse of their powers" should demand further steps, and recommending that the agitation of the subject be dropped. The party was practically destroyed in the election that followed.

Die in the Last Ditch.-William of Orange, when the destruction of the United Provinces appeared unavoidable, exclaimed: "There is one certain means by which I can be sure never to see my country's ruin-I will die in the last ditch." The phrase is often used to indicate an intention to persevere in a course of action to the last extremity.

Diplomatic Service. (See Foreign Service.)

Disability of Rebels. (See Proclamation of Am nesty.)

Disability of the President.-Disability signifies lack of qualfication; inability, lack of power. A man that is not a natural-born citizen of this country is disabled from occupying the presidential chair. A President stricken with insanity is unable to act as President. The word "disability" is commonly used when "inability" is meant. The Constitution, Article 2, section 1, clause 6, provides for the succession in case of the removal, death, resignation or inability of the President. (See Presidential Succession.) There is, however, no provision, nor can there be any, to indicate what degree of inability shall shift the office to the Vice-President.

In the case, for example, of the insanity of the President, in which it is not probable that he himself will realize his condition, or give notice of it, it must be left to the Vice-President to assume the office at his discretion, leaving the determination of the question, in case of a contest, to the courts.

Disgruntled is a word of recent coinage. It is applied to politicians that have been disappointed, and that are, as a consequence, disaffected. The word to gruntle means to sulk, and disgruntle is probably a more emphatic form of gruntle.

Disputed Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections. The original method of choosing the President and Vice-President is prescribed in Article 2, section 1, clause 3, of the Constitution; the Twelfth Amendment, ratified September 25, 1804, altered that method to its present form. There have been three controversies in regard to the presidency and one in regard to the vice-presidency.

I. When the electoral votes were counted in 1801 it was found that Jefferson and Burr had each received 73, being a majority of all the electors, each elector having two votes. On the House of Representatives was therefore thrown the task of deciding between them. All but two of the members were present; one had died and one was ill; another, though ill, was carried to the House in his bed. Rules were adopted as follows: The public was to be excluded, the Senate to be admitted; there was to be no adjournment, and no other business was to be considered until a choice had been arrived at; States were to sit together; duplicate statements of the vote of each State were to be prepared and to be cast into two different ballot-boxes, to be passed around by the sergeant-at-arms. The word "divided was to be used in the cases of States that could not agree. The contents of the two ballot-boxes were then to be counted by tellers, of whom one was to be appointed by each State. The agreement of the boxes was to be the test of the correctness of the vote. The Federalists, obliged to choose between two Republicans, at first supported

Burr, though not unanimously. The balloting continued for seven days with no choice. At length, February 17th, the Federalists' chief, James A. Bayard, of Delaware, having obtained from Jefferson assurances that he would maintain the navy and the public credit, and that he would not remove Federalist office-holders for party causes, decided to end the struggle, and on the thirty-seventh ballot three members in Vermont and Maryland by voting blank gave these States to Jefferson, who was thus elected.

II. There was practically but one party in 1824, and the contest in that year was between John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, William Crawford and Henry Clay, all Republicans. Their electoral votes were respectively, 84, 99, 41, 37. None having a majority, the election went to the House, which was obliged to choose from the highest three; Clay was thus excluded, and his strength went to Adams, between whose views and those of Clay there was marked agreement, and Adams carrying thirteen States was elected. Jackson carried seven States and Crawford four. The House had adopted the rules of 1801. Adams made Clay his Secretary of State, the price, it was alleged, of Clay's support and influence in the House.

III. The third and latest presidential dispute differed from the others. In 1876 four States had each sent in several disagreeing returns. The question arose as to which was to be recognized. The Democratic nominees, Tilden and Hendricks, had indisputably received 184 votes, one less than a majority. The votes of South Carolina, Florida and Louisiana, and one vote from Oregon, being twenty in all, were in doubt, differing returns having been made, owing, in the first three States, to the rejection by the Returning Boards of votes alleged to be fraudulent. To settle the matter the Electoral Commission (which see) was created. It decided in favor of the Republican, Hayes, and as only the concurrent vote of both Houses could overthrow the result, its decision stood; the Republican Senate voting to sustain, the Democratic House to reject. One elector

in each of five States was objected to as ineligible because holding federal office, but both Houses consented to admit these votes.

IV. The only distinctively vice-presidential contest was in 1837, when Richard M. Johnson received 147 votes, to 147 for all the other candidates. The Senate, thus compelled to choose between the highest two, gave 33 votes to Johnson and 16 to Francis Granger; Johnson was thus elected.

District Court. (See Judiciary.)

District of Columbia, The, originally included sixty-four square miles ceded to the national government by Maryland in 1788 and thirty-six square miles ceded by Virginia in 1789. The District was organized by acts of July 16, 1790, and March 3, 1791. In 1800 the national seat of government was removed to Washington. (See Capital of the United States.) In 1801 Congress took complete control of the District, and the inhabitants had no representation in that body till 1871, when it was organized like the other Territories of the United States. By act of June 20, 1874, however, a government by three commissioners, appointed by the President, was established. In 1846 the portion west of the Potomac was retroceded to Virginia. The capital is Washington. The population in 1880 was 177,624, and in 1890, 230,392.

Dixie. This was the title of a song popular in the South during the Civil War. The original of it was a negro melody of the time when slavery existed in New York, where a Mr. Dixy, or Dixie, owned many slaves. His estate was known among them as "Dixie's Land." During the war the South was commonly spoken of as Dixie, or Dixie's Land.

Dollar of our Dads.-A nickname for the silver dollar.

Don't Fire Till You See the Whites of their Eyes, was the order given to the Americans by Colonel Prescott at the battle of Bunker Hill. The Americans had but little powder, and it was important that none should be wasted.

Don't Give Up the Ship.-These words were used by Captain Lawrence, of the United States frigate Chesapeake, as he was being carried below, mortally wounded, during the action between that vessel and the British frigate Shannon during the War of 1812. The Chesapeake was obliged to strike her colors. The words were inscribed on the blue pennant that Commodore Oliver H. Perry carried at his masthead during the battle of Lake Erie later in the same year.

Door-keeper.-The door-keeper of the House of Representatives is elected by the House; the door-keeper of the Senate is appointed by the sergeant-at-arms. The door-keeper has charge of the legislative chamber and its contents, and superintendence of, the document and folding-rooms. He enforces the rules relating to the admission of persons not members, and appoints the assistant door-keepers and the pages.

Dorr Rebellion.-In 1840 Connecticut and Rhode Island were the only States that were still governed by their colonial charters. The charter of the latter State, imposing, as it did, a property qualification so high as to disfranchise two-thirds of the citizens, was extremely unpopular. A proposition of Thomas W. Dorr, of Providence, to extend the franchise was voted down. Dorr then took to agitation, and finally a convention prepared a constitution and submitted it to a popular vote. Its supporters claimed a majority for it, which its opponents, known as the law and order party, denied. Nevertheless, in 1842 the constitution was proclaimed to be in force. An election was held under it, only the suffrage party participating. Dorr was elected Governor. The suffrage Legislature assembled at Providence with Thomas W. Dorr as Governor; the charter Legislature at Newport, with Samuel W. King as Governor. After transacting some business the suffrage Legislature adjourned. The charter Legislature authorized the Governor to take energetic steps, and an appeal for aid was made to the national government. The suffragists attempted armed resistance, but were dispersed. Dorr fled, but soon returned and gave himself