, 1873-01-21

would excite tho people to such M ortont TINT n
dectaton either way would be lilkoly to cauae
popular uprising. Such contingency might
arlHo nj my timo.
". Tho practice Of receiying and counting tho
Electoral voto is full Of dangor. It now routu
ontiroly With tho Woo President to determine
tho juntsco In every caso whore tho Electoral
voto Of stnte Ia in t1iHputo. CongroaH lsus do
cidod tint itu only duty in to count tho voto
prosecuted by tho vlco prob1dontv Tho final
responsibility Of choosing tho President, then,
may roDt With ono n,an, undor certain circtim-
stanooe. undor rulo OF OongroBa, adopted In
1865, tho vote Of gtato Is subject to rejection
at any ti1no by combination Of politicians.
Whom an ob]oction In mndo to tho counting Of d
stato vote, 1t In provided TINT tho senato shall
retire, both bodlon shall deliberate separately,
and, unlosn tho two 11ousoa uhall concur, tho
voto shall mol DO conntod
It will not 10 doniod that thoao dangers aro
Formidable; and, na tho Electoral College is no
longor principal, but only cunboraon,o, agent
in tito choice Of President, aomo satisfactory
moanB for dispensing with It would be accopta-
bio. 1t docs not follow, howover, that the prao-
tico Of voting for President by States sha1l bo
abandoned because tho Electoral College ought
to be dropped. Mr. Morton favors tho method Of
olooting tho President by tho majority OF tho
popular voto, but fools that such proposition
would not be sustained by tho country. lie,
therefore, rovives the proposition that the peo-
pie shall vote by districto In Presidential e1oc-
tionB. His plan is that zach State shnl1 have
Presidential Districts to correspond with tho
Congressional Districts, and that tho vote Of the
mn ajority Of thoBo districts throughout tho
Union ahall elect tle President. Tho people
would hcsitate boforo agreeing to 10 radical h
change. To drop tho Electoral Collegoa, but
to retain the Hystem OF voting by States. would
not affect tho original intontion Of thouo who
formed tho Government. But to oloot the Pros
idont cithor by ma tority Of tho popular vote,
or by majority OF districts into which tho
whole country would DO subdiyidod, would be
utterly ignoring State lines md State positions
as integral parts Of the Union.
It ICONS, howovor, Tint the plan OF voting by
districts may DO adapted to tho purpose Of abol-
iahing tho Electoral College without falling into
tho Fundamental orror Of Mr. Mortons plan.
Let each State llave number OF Prooidontial
votos equal to, and corresponding with, the Con-
grosaional Districts, md lot each district within
a State count its popular voto for President, -
tho majority Of tho dintricta to doteruine tho
vote Of tho State. Each State may then certify
Ito own votos, oqual to tho number Of districts,
directly to Congress-. III this matter, each gtate
il tho Judge Of any contest that may
ariuo Us to the majority, which it may
rofor and sottle 1t doou,s be st 1t boing simply
required to return ita votes to Congroas By q
certain day, undor penalty Of forRoiting them.
Such plan would render an Electoral College
entirely uHoloBu, md would deprive tho Vice
President and Congress OF their presont facili'
ties for determining tho Presidential vote under
certain circumstances. Congress would have
nothing to 10 but count the yotos returned te
1t. Such system, too, might open tho way
eventually for m application Of tho Mino,|t,
Representation plan Of voting within the
Etatea to tho Presidential elections, ii itE
morits should prove sufficient to warrant itl
| adoption. But, ut all evonts, 1t aeons to ii
away with tho ahunos that aro posniblo undol
tho present syatem, without mutilating tho In
tegrity Of the State Governments in their rola
tiona to tho Federal Union. Tho plan Which
s4au best accomplish thia purpose must be tht
object that the Congressional Committee ahoult
keep mort prominently in view.