New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-07-20

than bare majority in each electoral district
of that State or section. 1t is singular that 80
ancient an advocate of State Rights as the Pres
ident should propose plan which would merge
the identity of States in all Presidential cleo
tons. But it is obvious that each political
party would be as anxious to effect National
nomination, which would concentrate on one
candidate the votes of all the Congressional
districts it could carry, as it now is to cOncen-
trate on one candidate the votes of all the
States it can carry. Nominations would, there
fore, be made by National Conventions of either
party, as now. The people would concentrate
on these nominations as now; the votes of the
minority in each electoral district would be
lost in the count as now the votes OF the NIL
nority i'm each State are lost; the popular vote
might be cast for another than the candidate
elected, just as now; and the only effect OF the
change would be to merge the States and elect
the President by electoral districts
An inconvenience attending the plan would
be that the electoral districts would not CORE
spond to any political division of the State
now existing. 1t would require two more dis
tricts in each State than the number of Con-
gressional districts, so as to add one electoral
district for each Senator. The electoral dis
tricts would be lust near enough to the Con-
gressional to create confusion. TO carry out
the plan would require board OF auditors ana
entire official machinery for each electoral dis
trict which do not now exist. As to the
proposition that the President shall be elected
for six years instead of four, reluctant as the
American people feel f. part with the services
IL ohnrf oil
rious an administration, we cannot conceive
that they will ever again have "showered
"down upon them" Presidential blessing
which they will seriously yearn to retain for
more than four years. If they should, their
warnings may doubtless be satisfied by re-
eecting him for four years more. The most
illustrious precedent relative to six years
term is that afforded by the Rebel COnfeder-
acy, which elected JEFF. Davis for that term,
and found it rather longer than they would
have wished.
The amendment requiring that on impeach-
ment and removal of the President he shall APP
point his successor-for devolving the succession
on the members of his Cabinet means no less
may not have been intended as a joke, but it
is a nearer approximation to humor than the
President has ever before perpetrated. The
thought of impeaching Johnson to have him
succeeded by Seward, or removing Buchanan
to get Howell Cobb, or BUSTING Franklin Pierce
to put in Jefferson Davis, is amusing. The
election of United States Senators by the people
instead of by the Legislature would, we think,
he no improvement on the present system. 1t
would practically devOlve the actual selection
on the State Conventions of the respective par
ties, and we doubt if any higher grade of Sena-
tors would be chosen by these two political
Conventions than are now chosen by the Legis-
lature. The change would be for the
worse. Appointing the Judges of the Uni
ted States Supreme Court for twelve
years, instead of for life, would bring
them more under the control of the Presl-
dent, and would lessen their indepen
dence. 1t would place the two Judges of
the Supreme Court whose terms would expire
during the term Of any President more under
his control than the welfare of the country de-
mands. On the whole, therefore, we see many
more evidences of wisdom i'll the Constitution
as our fathers framed it than in any improve
ments Mr. johnson would be likely to make In
it. We have not been in the habit of regard |
ing the Constitution with fetish worship. We
believe it will perpetually grow, and change, |
and be renewed. And like all living things, |
when it ceases to grow it will have begun to
die. But Mr.. Johnson's amendments are crude
and bungling in their conception; and though
he claims that his meditations upon them have
been long. they could never have been broad
Or deep.