HISTORY OF FEfcERAMOSrS 37
who commanded their armies, and who, with the advice
and consent of ten of the senators, administered the
Government in the recess of the senate, and had an
important share in its deliberations, when in session.
The individual citizens of all the member-states in
the League exercised directly the right of citizenship in the
Federal Assembly which they couid, theoretically at least,
attend in person, the system of representation being not
known to the Greeks*. In actual practice what happened
was, however, far from the theory. People of the distant
states could not afford to meet the prohibitive expenses of
coming to and going back from Aigionf where the assembly
met; while the Athenians attended the meetings in large
numbers. If voting had been allowed by heads, Athens
would have carried the decisions in her favour and the
principle of equality of the states would have broken down.
But this difficulty was solved by taking votes by cities, each
city having one vote, irrespective of the number of citizens
present from a particular city. This device kept the
federal principle safe and checked the bigger as well as
the nearer cities from getting the lion's share at the
expense of the smaller or distant cities.
The meetings of the Assembly were held twice a year,
in spring and in autumn, but special meetings could be
convened by the President. A Council of 120 members
was entrusted with the task of preparing the agenda of the
Assembly. The President attended the meetings of the
Assembly in person and moved the resolutions ^hich, when
they had been passed, became federal laws-t The executive
* Freeman, * History of Federal Government.' Vol. 1, p. 269.
t Fur the importance oC Aigion, Cf> Freeman,« History of Federal
Government.' fol. 1, pp. 276-277.
$ A, P. Polcy, * Federal Systems of the United States and the
EritiHh Empire.' p. 37.
Ibid. pp. 269-270,