Pioche daily record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1872-1876, 1872-12-12
A DIRECT VOTE FOR PRESIDENT.

The Virginia Chronicle takes rather
superficial view Of the subject. We
quote:
1t has become apparent to all thinking
men that the cumbersome method which
is now in use of voting for President and
Vice President, should be changed.
The election of President is not more
cumbersome than the nomination Of
county officers through the medium of q
county convention. The will of the
people, as expressed in the November
election was clearly carried out in the
Electoral Colleges on the 4th Of Deem
Der. The Chronicle continues:
A large number of able articles on this
subject have been written lately and the
question Of amending the Constitution
SO that the people may vote directly for
the men OF their choice, is beginning to
enlist the attention Of rejecting men,
irrespective of parties.
As we have before stated in those col
umns, the great difficulty in securing the
direct vote in lieu OF the present Elector-
al system is from the fact that the PEG.
pie in the small States, such as Rhode
Island, Delaware, Nebraska, Oregon and
Nevada, exercise a greater influence in
proportion to population, than New
York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, and
Indiana; yet the five small States have
just &C much voice in the ratification or
rejection Of an amendment to the Con-
stitution rs the five large States, although
the latter have 112 members Of the Low
er House Of Congress to six for the five
States first named.
The Chronicle further says that las
the law now stands candidate for the
the Presidency may receive majority
Of the popular vote and yet be defeated
This is possible contingency, yet e1
csedingly remote. In its calculation o.
the subject the Chronicle goss on to say
We know no valid reason why the Law
should not be amended, and we hope tn
Press Of the entire country will deman
change. For the prevention Of frau
this should be done, if for nothing elss
Suppose, for instance, the dominar
party in New York State should have a
estimated majority Of forty thousand, an
Pennsylvania and New Jersey were cor
sidersd doubtful, by sending few thor
sand voters to the above named State
they could carry them against tn
wishes Of the people Of these tw
States.
The apprehsnded fraud by the colo
nization Of voters from one State int
another is no more to be feared in til
choice Of Presidential Electors than i
the election OF Congressman. OF coura
our intelligent contemporary does nc
imagine that Presidential Electors al
anything else than repres entatives of tt
State in its Electoral College, being cho
ne by the State in such manner ,
the Legislature thereof may prescrib
being paid by the State, and voted #
by such persons as the State may d
clare entitled to vote for PRESIDENT
Electors.
We believe, however, that the syste
should be am ended in accordance vii
the views Of Andrew Jackson and Thom
H. Benton; that is, by the adoption
the district system, which favored divi
ing each State into as many districts
it had Senators and Representatives
Congress, the people to vote direct Il
President, the person receiving q M
jority in the district to be entitled to OF
vote, and the person receiving majorit
Of the districts to be declared electe,