Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1873-10-23
Our Mode Hereafter of EIecting the
President and ViCe-President of
the United States.


9th, says =
Senator Morton, Chairman of the
Committee on Privileges and Elec-
tons, furnishes the following: O. p.
Morton, Indiana, Matt H. Carpenter,
Wisconsin, H. B. Anthony, Rhode
Island, Thomas f. Bayard, Delaware,
members of the Standing Committee
on Privileges and Elections of the
Senate of the United States to-day
closed their conferences, which have
been continued from day to day for
the past week, at the Fifth Avenue
Hotel in this city, in reference to the
mode of electing the President. The
Senate just before adjouming last
Spring instructed the Committee to
examine the whole subject during the
vacation, and report their conclusions
at the next session of Congress. The
substance of their deliberations thus
far may be briefly stated as involving
the following propositions, which
were considered:--
F1Rsr-To abolish the Electoral Colleges.
rl,,+ +l,a Dra nd
dent shall be elected by the people voting
directly for candidates.
THIRD-That each State shall be divided into
as many districts as the State is entitled to Re-
representatives. in Congress- to be composed of
contiguous territory compact in form, and as
nearly equal in population as may be, and the
persons having the highest number of votes
for President in each district shall receive the
vote of that district for President which shall
count one Presidential vote: that each State
shall be entitled to two Presidential votes at
large. which shall be counted for the person
having the highest number of votes in the
whole State.
FoURTH-The person having the highest
number of such Presidential votes i'll the
United States shall be president.
FIFTH-These provisions to be applicable to
the election of Vice-President.
SIxTH-Congress shall have power to pro-
vide for holding and conducting the election
for President and Vice-President, and to estab-
lish tribunals for the decision of contests as
to vote in any district or State, and make
regulations governing the proceedings of these
tribunals.
. By the adoption Of the district sys-
ten Of voting by the people directly
for candidates with two Presidential
votes in the State at large, and the
plurality rule for determining the re-
suit, the election is brought as nearly
home to the people as can be, not to
make it an election by the nation as
one community, and it still recognizes
the States as such. while it enables
the people of each district in the State
to express their will, so that hereafter
a State need not cast a solid vote, as
under this system it tends to dispense
with the convention, which is now
necessary in order to form an electoral
ticket for each State, and it enlarges
the liberty of the individual voter,
who can vote for any citizen he may
select for President or Vice-President.
By the plurality system the election
will always be final, and there can be
no necessity for an election by the
House of Representatives, which is Sc
much objected to. The plurality rule
has been adopted successfully in all
States in the Union except four in the
election OF State officers, and it gener-
ally prevails in the election Of mem,
bers of Congress. In none of the
States where it has been tried is there
any thought of abandoningit it. Other
questions are considered in connection
with the votes in States and districts,
and providing for the exigency of
death or resignation of the President
after election and before Inauguration.
These are suggestions which have
been considered, but of course no con
clusion could be arrived at.