The Portland daily press., 1872-06-05
THE PRESS.
WEDNESDAY MORNING, JUNE 5,'72.
Mr.. summers Amendment.

MIR. Summers Amendment.
Mr.. Summers proposition to amend the
constitution of the United States so as to al
low the people to vote directly for President
and Vice-President of the United States is
not by any means a new one, but it has the
merit of being extremely reasonable. An
drew johnson was in the habit of recommend
ingthe same thing in his annual messages, but
we do not remember that Congress ever gave
the matter the slightest attention. But
consideration of some things that have hap
pened under the present system and some
other things of a far more remarkable charac-
ter that are likely enough to happen, will
show that there is great need of reform. A
good illustration of the curious working of
the obsolete electoral college system is af-
forded by the result in 1860, when Douglas
received popular vote of / 1866, 976 and Bell
popular vote of 500, 1881, the former getting
IL electoral votes and the latter. 80. The
candidate who received vote much more
than twice as large as his rival had less than
one-third of that rivals strength in the
electoral college! Practically this singular
result happened to make no difference, for
Mr.. Lincoln, who received much the largest
popular vote, had also clear majority in the
electoral college But it is some kind
providence rather than any security against
disaster afforded by the present arrangement,
that has prevented the election of Chief
Magistrate who has received less votes than
some other candidate for the office. There
is no safety in a method which has in it such
tremendous possibility as the election to
the Presidency of candidate who receives
one-fourth of the popular vote over another
who receives three-fourths. Suppose, for in
stance, in order to illustrate the full extent of
the danger, that one candidate should receive
the entire popular vote of the great States of
New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Indi
ana, Missouri, Massachusetts,, Georgia, Ken
lucky and New Jersey, which contain rather
more than half of the population of the Uni
ted States He would in thatcase receive but
1872 electoral yotes,-not a majority of the
whole college of 1866 according to the latest re-
vised apportionment act. Now in case the
opposing candidate had bare majority of
OuC VI GWO nuluIcu III cdCu Vi lille REMAINING
States, he aoould rece;ue 1874 electoral votes,
and be elected By considerably less than one
quarter Of the popular cote! In the case we
have supposed the equal representation of
the States in the Senate, which gives the
small States greater number of electors than
they would be entitled to on the basis of pop
ulation alone, operates in such a manner as
to increase the disproportion between tie
popularity and the success of the candidates.
OF course so remarkable result as we have
indicated, though possible, is so extremely i'm
probable as not to excite any very grave ap-
prehension. But there is range enough be-
tween that possibility and the bare election
OF minority President, for the occurrence
OF very unpleasant accidents. The
people of the United States are so well
schooled in their duties as citizens and so
well accustomed to submit unhesitatingly to
the result of ballot, that they would be ex-
tremely unlikely to resist the Inauguration of
President who had received less votes than
rival, if the election were wholly free from
all suspicion of fraud. But suppose, for in
stance, that among the electoral votes con-
tributing to the choice of a minority Presi-
dent were those of New York, and that the
ticket in that State was believed to be elected
by forty or fifty fraudulent votes in New
York city. Those few ballots would change
the whole 35 electoral votes of the Empire
State and give them to candidate offensive
to majority of its people and of the people
of the United States. OF course election by
the popular vote would be no protection
most ingeniously contrived to give every
fraudulent ballot thousand-fold effect and
to make very few of them decisive of an
election.
We have not stopped to give the partisan
bearings OF this question any consideration
whatever, except to note the fact that from
the origin of the present proposition it is
probably thought to be unfavorable to the Re
publican party. But nothing so clearly con-
sstent with natural equity can be really dis
advantageous to party that has made the
establishment of justice the great business of
its existence.
THE Greeley Ratification meeting in New
York Monday evening was distinctively DEM
ocratic and of the Tammany shade at that
Gen. John Cochrane in his velvet coat and
red neck-tie, Andy Mcclure and Gen. Killpat-
rick and Senator Upton were specimens of
the Republican reformers who figured in the
meeting while the Democracy was represent
ed by Ben Wood, the ex-rebel Gen. Fellows,
now Tammany ofice-holder, Capt. Isaiah
Rynders, Mutually, Tammany health com
missioner, and the like, indicate the complex
ion of the Greeley Democracy. The Gree
ley applanders reminded an old resident of
the rough crowds that have heretofore SWELL
ed the enthusiasm of Tammany demonstra-
tions. These" he said, sled the cheers for
Greeley, contributed largely to the evenings
noise and probably carried away valuable and
many spoils in the way of wallets and watch
es" The grand promises advertised were not
realized, so that the latter part of the meeting
was tame. 1t may be confidently predicted
that the long advertised display will not
quicken or strengthen the Pickering pulse of
the Cincinnati movement
THE indignant protests to Mr.. Summers
malignant speech are not confined to VIM.
L. Garrison, ]. G. Whittier and Fred Doug
lass. As in the case of Mr.. Logan, hundreds
of Indifferent or Independent Republicans, in
dignant at the bitterness, malignity and falsi-
ty of the charges against the President, have
been suddenly transformed into active Grant
partisans.
A wIDE-AwAKE Republican in one of the
fourishing. villages in this county sends us a
campaign list of thirty-slx in addition to thir-
ty-five regular subscribers at that office. He
is curious to know what village can do better.
As ''straw," he says eve canvass about 60
Republicans and 10 Democrats in our village
and no Greeley men except among the lat
ter" H
WE trust the friends of Reform will not for
get the Convention of the Washingtonians in
Augusta to-day, and that all of the friends of
temperance who can, will go up to Angus ia.
Political Notes.
A Philadelphia despatch says that the ar