ABSTRACT
The party in the American political system has to do what in other political systems is devolved upon the formal governmental organization. The party is made responsible by the fact that during the particular term for which a mayor with large powers of appointment and control has been elected, the responsibility of the party is incarnated, so to speak, in its choice of mayor. That is, the responsibility is taken out of the party and is placed in the formal governmental organization. The development of responsible party government in England has been, as has been pointed out, accompanied by the recognition of the party leader whose influence should largely dominate the policy of the party, and to whom other party leaders were largely subordinated. An observer of political parties in the United States cannot fail to notice the greater ease with which voters, of recent years, change their party associations.
