The executive power is better to be trusted when it has no screen. Sir, we have a responsibility in the person of our President; he cannot act improperly, and hide either his negligence or inattention; he cannot roll upon any other person the weight of his criminality; no appointment can take place without his nomination; and he is responsible for every nomination he makes... far from being above the laws, he is amenable to them in his private character as a citizen, and in his public character by impeachment.


Arguing for a single executive at the Philadelphia Convention (1787).


The executive power is better to be trusted when it has no screen. Sir, we have a responsibility in the person of our President; he cannot act...

The executive power is better to be trusted when it has no screen. Sir, we have a responsibility in the person of our President; he cannot act...

The executive power is better to be trusted when it has no screen. Sir, we have a responsibility in the person of our President; he cannot act...

The executive power is better to be trusted when it has no screen. Sir, we have a responsibility in the person of our President; he cannot act...