The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1867-10-31
TIFFIN TRIBUNE.
THURSDAY MORNING, OCT. slis67.
The Elective Franchise -- Con-
stitutic- al Provisions.

In our last number, We gave a brief
sketch Of the Elective Franchise up
till the formation of the Federal
Constitution, aud promised in another
article to advert to tho provisions Of
the Constitution upon that subject.
The second section Of the first ar
ticlc contains all there is upon
the subject relating to legislative
officers, as follows:
"Thc House Of Representatives
shall he composed Of members chosen
every second year by the people Of
the several States, aud the electors in
each State shall have the qualifca-
tion' requisite for electors Of the mcSt
numerous branch of the State Lcgis.
lature."
BY this Section the iuhabitant oi
any State that has a right to vote for
members of the lower house in his
State legislature, is entitled to his
vote for Federal Representatives.
To whomsocvcr the several State
Constitutions and laws, give n voice
in the selection of the most popular
branch of the State Legislature, this
provision gives voice in the choice
Of Representative to Congress
l. In this provision we fnd an asser.
ton Of power in the Federal Govern.
mcnt to prescribe who shall be electors
of Legislative Federal officers. We DO
not 6ud in it any assertion of power
to prescribe eleetorship for State of.
dccrs, but for tho only Federal Legis.
lativo officers that are elective by the
people.
q In this section we find tho Fed.
eral Government giving aud concod-
ing to the States power to determine
whether all or part of the citizens of
the States, should have voice in
Federal Observation-Disclosures suffrage
should be universal or limited. In
it the Federal Government permitted
Que State to lcbar from the election
of Representatives to Congress, a
poor man, aud another State to admit
him. II permits tho largest liberty,
aud tho narrowest illiberality alike,
with the right of suffrage Under
the rules Of apportionmcnt for repre-
seutativcs, adopted ut the same time,
it gave few men in South Carolina
the same right to select n member of
the House of Representatives, that
it gave to many times the same mum.
Der of men in New York
The only other Federal officers
that are elective by the Constitution
are the President aud Vice President
They are not elected by the people
They are elected by electors. These
electors are, in fact, elected by The
people OF the several States, with but
one exception, South Carolina. The
Constitution does not REQUIRE them
t. be elected by the people, It's pro.
vision upon that subject is in the
following terms;
7
Each State shall appoint in such
manner us the Legislature thereof
may direct, number of electors, &C."
Under this provision all the States,
except South Carolina, have through
their legislatures provided for the
otcrs in the States, voting directly
for electors, But the South Carolina
Legislature elects the electors for
that State.
The Constitution thus put it in the
hands of the Legislatures Of the
several States TO select the President
aud Vice President, All tho States
might have done as South Carolina
has done, Electors are, of course
chosen, who will vote for the Prosi.
dcut aud Vice President desired by
the majority that selects them, Hence
it is by State action, and not by Fed
oral provision, that the people Fave
any direct voice ia tho choice of
President and Vice President. Uni
formity prevails in all the Ststes, in
giving each voter in the State right
to vote for all tho Presidential Flee.
tors chosen by or within tho State.
By this, the whole number Of Presi,
dental Electors in each State, are
secured to the candidate of oue or tho
other party
No other Federal officers are elee
tive. All others are appointed. In
the few that are elective by the peo.
pie, the Federal Government has but
little control, 1t gave the matter of
the election of them substantially
over to the States. Tie Trainers of
the Federal Constitution saw that
the Federal Government must at least
provide for filling the Federal offices.
They saw that government was sub.
stantiahy no goyernmest that did not
through its own officers, elect its own
oIhaers. Notwithstanding this potent
fact, they weh nigh handed ii all