The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1854-06-07

S''o"'u oe upPotHfe0, and the Senators
and Representatives elected"
INT by the word used, the consti,u.
ton contemplated another than non.
ular appointment, is further exempliticd
ny the use Of the term prior to the I'm
of September l7S7, and the int crprcta.
ton ofits meaning by the practice of
that period. The very convention.
whose labors resulted in the constitu-
ton, was the creature Of q rccom,ncn-
dation of the l4th September l7sG, of
Commissioners, appointed by tie Leg.
islaturos Of New York, New Jersey.
Pennsylvania, Delaware and Virginia,
who met ut Annapolis. They recon-
mended to the other States, the ap-
pointmcnt Of Commissioners to meet
at Philadelphia on the second Monday
in May, 1877, to take into considcra-
ton the situation of the United States"
Congress, 2lst February 1877, dcclar.
ed it cxpcdicnt "that on the SECOND
Monday in May 1887, a convention of
delegates, who shall have been appoint
ed by the several States, be held at
Philadelphia" Under these recon
lncndations, delegates were appointed,
and did meet on the day named
The Constitution and Government Of
the United States were the ollSprings of
that meeting. How were these dele
gates oPpointed? In cccry .Sgic, Jy
the Legislature Mereof except Rhode
Island, which never was represented.
claim their acts as commentaries on
their ,oorIs.
After this resume, one remark, per-
haps not germanc to the subject, may
be pardoncd. The Legislatures Of the
States were TIE promoters of the unity
and liberty Of the people, and not the
us"'pcrs Of their rights. Pref existing
bodies j were then bulwarks Of libcr-
ty, order and u.:ioM; not towers of
tyranny, anarchy and confusion. In
gcnuous minds DO not suspect wrong IN
those whose labor results in their good.
Why should not the convention, orig.
mated and empowered as stated, en-.
trust State Legislatures with electoral
appointments?
But this is not ALL On the 18th Of
September 1888, after eleven of the
origii!al States had ratified the consti.
tuition (Nortl Carolina and Rhode
Island not voting) Congress "Resolvcd
That, the frst "Wednesday in January
next DC the day Eor ahpoin:ing electors
in the several States, which'bef fore that
day shall have ratified the said consti.,
tuition" Ese"y ete;s,, is ain inform
ed, by her legislatures appointed elec.
tors, just as South Carolina then and
still does. Washington was unani.
mously elected, accepted anL served.
Latter day Prophets have discovered
that he was the willing recipient of
power conferred by the appointccs Of
eleven "sWpimg Legislatures. Tmeo
Dunaos, ct Dond Fcreatcs."
Seventeen times has South Carolina
unchallcnged cast her vote for P.esi-
dent. Seventeen times has it unchal-
!cngcd been opened and counted in the
Senate OF the Unitcd States. New
York cast her vote from the beginning
in the SAME way down to '35 or '36,
ana Delaware down to 1914.
And still this is not all. Congress in
1915 BY law directed the electors to be
appon ted Oh certain Tuesthy in
November of every fourth year. 1t
also provided that each State might by
law provide for the filling of.any vacan-
cy that might occur in its electoral
college before the vote was cast. And
further that if any S ate should fail to
make choice OF electors, on the aforc-
*aid day, " then the electors may be
appointed on a subsequent day in such
manner as the State shall by law pro-
vide" Here is Congressional admis-
sion that vacancies may be supplied
Just as a Legislature may providc--the
constitution confers no such power on
Congress, tits true; but ifa Lcgisla-
turc may appoint to Jill racancy,
why may it not fill the whole college
at once. And why not do it as well
~iMow an election, as after failure
to elect The different States have
legal provisions on ;hcse subjects, and
consequently admit that electors may
vote for President, without an election