The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-07-19

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An Interesting Message from the Presi-
dcnt-Proposed Amendments to the Con.
| stitutiOn.
In conformity with that section of the cOnsti-
tuition of the United States which requires that
| the President ''shall from time to time give to
| the Congress information of the state of the
Union and recommend to their consideration
such measures as he shall judge necessary and
expedient," President Johnson yesterday sent
message to the Senate and House of Repre-
sentatives embodying certain amendments to
the constitution which he deems proper and
desirable to be adopted and submitted to the
people for their judgment The first and most
important of these amendments abolishes the
present mode ofchoOsing the President and Vice
President Of the United States through the
fundamentally of electors or under certain
contingencies of the House of Representatives,
and provides for an election by a direct vote
of the people The second distinctly defines
by constitutional provision the persons who
shall discharge the duties of President of the
United States in the event of vacancy in that
Office by the death, resignation or removal of
both the President and Vice President The
third provides for the election of Senators to
Congress by the direct vote of the people of
the several States instead of by the State
Legislatures. The fourth abolishes the life
tenure of the United States Judiciary and sub
stitutes appointment for definite term of
years
The first of these propositions has often
received the consideration of the press and of
thinking men in the United States As Mr..
johnson says, Andrew Jackson in his first
message to Congress, strongly urged an amend
ment to the constitution that should secure the
election Of President by the direct votes of the
people; and not long since Ashley of Ohio,
proposed an alteration Of the fundamental law,
not only making similar provision but abolish
ing the Office of Vice President II is true that
giving disposition was smarting under
his defeat by On alleged bargain in
the House of Representatives four years
previously, when Adams was chosen
President, and that Ashley's PROPOSE
ton, as he stated in his speech last May, was
mainly induced by a desire to get rid of an
Office which had subjected the nation to :.'the
perfidy Of Tyler the betrayal of Fillmore and
the baseness and infamy Of Johnson" Never
theess it has been by many considered incon-
'istent with true democratic principle that
Chief Magistrate should be chosen to rule over !
the whole of the States who had received the
votes of only minority Of the people, as has |
frequently been the case. In 1874, when Polk |
was elected, the popular vote gave Clay and |
Birney twenty-three thousand majority over !
him. In lS4S Taylor received majority of
the electoral votes, but the popular vote left |
him over one hundred and fifty thousand be-
hind Cass and Van Buren,. In 1856 Ere
mont and Fillmore had unitedly four hun
dred thousand majority over Buchanan, who |
was elected. The most striking illustrations |
Of the undemocratic character of the present |
electoral system were. however furnished by !
he two last Presidential elections. when Abra
lam Lincoln was chosen President In 1860 /
Lincoln was nearly one million behind Douglas,
our and half millions of votes. He was thus !
elected President under the existing system, |
although he received only three hundred thou |
sand votes above one-third Of the whole num- !
Der cast; and his election involved the most !
important events the world has ever known
In 1864 Lincoln was again chosen; yet in poll |
Of about four million votes he received only !
our hundred thousand majority over Mcclellan |
although the latter in the Electoral College got |
,nly the support of three States-Kentucky |,
New Jersey and Delaware.
President Johnson's structures upon the eau
Gus and party convention mode of forcing candi-
dates into nomination, thus compelling the
people at large to vote for men selected by u
few selfish and corrupt leaders from purposes
of bad ambition or to throw away their
ballots, will touch the popular heart
at the present time. and will lose
none of its force from the impression that
it may have been induced by personal disap
pointment at the rejection of his claims by the
democracy. The people are getting heartily
sick and tired of nominating conventions,
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constituted managers Of political organizations,
and would heartily rejoice at any reform that
could rid them Of machinery that works for
the subversion of their will. The amendment
as framed by President Johnson may be found
to need revision, but the country would be
very likely to approve constitutional pro-
vision that would remove all intermediate
agency in the choice of their Chief Magistrate
and submit his election directly to the popular
vote.
There are many considerations in favor of
such provision, in regard to filling
vacancies in the Office Of President
under certain contingencies, as is sug-
gested in the message, although II will only
be regarded by Congress as sly parting hit
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