The Dominion of North America. D.N.A. 1. Government 1.1 The Office of the Viceroy In the terms of the Declaration of Dominion, 1776, the King of England was made the titular head of the DNA. However, it was recognized that the King could hardly be an effective leader from across the Atlantic Ocean, so he would designate a viceroy to lead in his place. In theory, the King has the authority to appoint any Senator to the Office of Viceroy upon the death, incapacitation, or resignation of the previous Viceroy. In practice, however, the Senate elects a Viceroy from among their own numbers and submits that name to King for appointment. The Office of the Viceroy is held until the Viceroy dies, resigns, is rendered incapable of fulfilling his duties, or is declared unfit for office by two-thirds of the Senate. The King also, in theory, has the power to revoke a Viceroy's power, but this has never been invoked and most likely never will. The King's authority in this matter is usually invoked when the Senate declares a Viceroy unfit for office, however. Powers: The Viceroy is the head of state and has the power to appoint judges, dictate broad policy statements, and is commander-in-chief of the Dominion's armed forces. The Viceroy may also, in times of war and extreme crisis, declare a State of Emergency in which both Houses of Congress are suspended and sole authority resides in the viceroy. This power would seem easy to abuse, but the power of the Senate is such that if they do not agree with this decision, their dissent would throw the armed forces into chaos, through the system of patronage. Limitations: The Viceroy has very limited powers over the internal affairs of any state within the Dominion, unless a State of Emergency is declared. His ability to collect revenue is also sharply limited, and he is dependent on Congress to approve what funds the States will submit to the central government. Under a State of Emergency, he may use whatever means necessary to raise funds. List of Viceroys: Thomas Jefferson: 1776-1826 Henry Clay: 1826-1852 Abraham Lincoln 1852-1865 Robert E. Lee 1865-1870 Ulysses S. Grant 1870-1872 Rutherford Hayes 1872-1875 John S. Logan 1875 (Assassinated) Samuel Tilden 1875-1880 (Died in Train Accident) Chester Arthur 1880 (Forced to resign when existence of illegitimate child was revealed) Franklin Robinson 1880-1883 (Died of TB) Edward Bevin 1883-1886 (Resigned for unknown reasons) Conrad Russell 1886-1896 (Assassinated) William McKinley 1896-1900 (Died of TB) Teddy Roosevelt: 1900-1927 Herbert Hoover: 1927- 1.2 The Prime Minister The Office of the Prime Minister is where the real matters of government are settled. The Prime Minister signs all laws into action, and has the power to veto laws, though the Senate may overrule him with a two-thirds majority. He appoints all the Ministers serving under him from members of the House, and may revoke their appointments at will. As second in power to the Viceroy, he can assume the powers of the Viceroy upon the death or incapacitation of the Viceroy, until a new Viceroy is chosen. These broad powers do not come without a balance, however. The Prime Minister is simply the member of the House of Commons who controls the most votes. At any time, a Vote of Confidence may be declared by a 1/3 minority of the House. The House then votes to show their support or opposition to the Prime Minister's course of action. If the Prime Minister does not show a simple majority of support, he loses his office and a new Prime Minister is voted on. Usually, a Vote of Confidence is declared by a member of the House, but the Senate can, by a simple majority, declare a Vote as well. But, in all cases, the House votes on the Prime Minister's fate. 1.3 The Congress The Dominion Congress consists of two Houses, the Senate and the House of Commons. 1.3.1 The Senate Each State in the Dominion has three Senators. Senators serve for life and the method of choosing a Senator is left to the individual states. Normally, however, the State Assembly elects one of their own to the office. Senators are usually respected lawmakers and powerful men, with long careers in politics behind them. The Senate approves all laws passed by the House of Commons before sending them to the Prime Minister. They also select Viceroys and can recall them. However, they may not submit laws directly to the House for consideration. All laws must be proposed by members of the House. However, the system of patronage circumvents this to some extent. The Senate also has the right to review all political appointees for their suitability for office. If a simple majority of Senators votes nay, the appointee cannot assume the office. A Senator remains a Senator for life, unless convicted of treason. However, since treason carries a death sentence, stripping the traitor of his office is just one more humiliation he must suffer on his way to the axeman. A Senator CAN be Disbarred by a two-thirds vote of the Senate, where he is forbidden to assume his seat in the Senate. Only a Special Act of Congress can repeal a Disbarring. 1.3.2 The House of Commons The House of Commons, or Lower House (a title that the members of the House despise) is elected popularly by residents of the states. Representatives serve four-year terms and have the primary responsibility for introducing and passing on laws. The number of representatives from a state is dependent on population. The House has a Speaker, who is the titular head of the body. The Speaker appoints committees and conducts meetings of the full House when they are convened. Theoretically, the House and the Senate are two distinct bodies, but the system of patronage is all persuasive. Few members of the House get their positions without the patronage of one senator or another. The House is not a mere puppet, however, since balloting can be held anonymously. Quite a few startling upsets have taken place with secret ballots. Some members of the House resent the patronage system and use these occasions to turn the system on its ear. 1.4 The Judiciary The highest court in the land is the Supreme Court. Its members include the Viceroy, who is head of the Court, and eight other judges, all appointed by the Viceroy and approved by the Senate. This may seem to weigh things heavily in the Viceroy's favor in legal matters and this is true, in part. The Viceroy's legal authority is, theoretically, an extension of the King's, and he sits in the monarch's stead. Once a year, the King sends a Writ to the Viceroy, re-confirming the Viceroy's judicial authority. However, the Senate must approve all the other Justices, thus compromises are sometimes made. The Supreme Court is the final court of appeal for all legal cases and arbitrates and is charged with interpreting the Constitution. As such, their decisions can have profound effects on the Dominion. Most Justices are former members of the House of Commons or distinguished statesmen with legal backgrounds. 1.5 Relationship with Great Britain While nominally a Dominion of Great Britain, the DNA has in fact been autonomous since 1812. From 1776 to 1812, there was a quiet power struggle between the Dominion and Britain as each sought to define their relationship. Viceroy Jefferson, while deferential to the Crown, was instrumental in defining that the Dominion's size, character, and distance from Britain made home rule essential. In 1812, Britain attempted to press Dominion citizens into their navy. In response, Viceroy Jefferson made a new trade agreement with France that caused the bulk of American shipping flow to England's rival. The economic depression this set off in England quickly caused a reversal in Crown policy. The Dominion had shown who was the stronger economic partner in their relationship. Britain, fearing that it might be dominated by its former colony, quickly adopted a tradition of letting the Dominion go its own way. 1.6 Internal Politics True to Jefferson's ideal, the Dominion is a loose confederation of states bound together by a central government with few powers to interfere with them. There has been some friction between the various states, but the Viceroy has always acted decisively to end them before they got out of hand. The competition between the states quickly turned to economic matters. In the 19th century, the rivalry between the industrial northern states and the agricultural southern states seemed to be reaching a head when the war of 1860 provided a needed distraction. The war provided Viceroy Lincoln the opportunity to pass several policies aimed at strengthening the central government's ability to generate revenue and defend the nation. His assassination in 1865 ended his career before any truly radical changes could be made. Viceroy Lee, elected because of his popularity as a war hero, trimmed back the central government's revenue collection ability, but retained and enhanced its military authority. The late 1800s were a rough time for the Dominion, as a succession of weak and sometimes corrupt viceroys weakened its power. However, in 1900 Teddy Roosevelt was chosen as Viceroy and immediately swept the entire nation up in a patriotic fervor. For 27 years, his policies, which were both unconventional and inspired, brought new life into the Dominion. Roosevelt was a shrewd diplomat, despite a blustery exterior, and sought strong ties with Japan and other powers in the Far East. He also sought to improve race relations and, being a strong conservationist, helped normalize relations with the Native Confederation and even had some of their shamans come East to help with his plan for a series of national parks. As Viceroy during the World War, Roosevelt attempted to play peacemaker between the parties, but ended all such efforts when he discovered the nature of the Munich and Rouen projects. The massive ecological disasters caused by these spells was too much and Roosevelt condemned both sides for their use. After the war, Roosevelt was one of the critical forces behind a ban on all such spells. A hale and hearty man his entire life, some people thought he was involved with secret magical societies. No proof was ever found of this. Viceroy Roosevelt died in a Zeppelin explosion in 1927. His body was never recovered, however, and this has caused a myth to arise that he is not dead, but rather in hiding with his magical society and looking after America's interests still. Following Roosevelt's death, Herbert Hoover was made Viceroy. While a popular and effective statesman, Hoover's term has been marred by the Great Depression. His reluctance to enhance the national government's ability to aid the states has caused his popularity to wane greatly. Prime Minister Franklin Roosevelt, a cousin of Teddy, has been pushing for national relief efforts and is very popular. There has been a growing pressure on Hoover for him to resign in favor of someone else, but he has so far resisted such an action. Prime Minister Roosevelt has been one of the most vocal in calling for this. Dominion politics has become destabilized as a result of this struggle, for the Senate fears Roosevelt's popular support may undermine their power base. The balance of power between the houses of government is precarious, though few outsiders realize this. 1.7 The States Quebec Ontario Newfoundland Acadia Hudson Bay Maine Massachussetts New Hampshire Vermont Connecticut Rhode Island New Amsterdam [New York] New Jersey Pennsylvania Maryland Virginia North Carolina South Carolina Georgia Florida Kentucky Ohio