Connecticut western news., 1873-11-07
MO-. IT,.
How to Elect a President.

The members of the Standing Com ] mittee on Privileges and Elections of the United States, have closed their conferences in reference to the mode of electing the President. The Senate, just before adjourning last spring, in- structed 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: .FErst-To abolish the Electoral Col lege.
 Second-That the President and Vice-P President shall be elected by the people voting directly for candidates.
 Ihird-That each State shall be di- l yided into as many districts as the State is entitled to Representatives in Con- gress, to te composed of contiguous territory, compact in form, and as near ly equal in population as may be, and the person 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 voters at large, which shall be counted for the person having the highest number of votes in the whole State. ... t.s .I
 Foowth-The person having the high est number of such Presidential votes in the United States shall be President FSfth-These provisions to be ap- plicable to the election of Vice-Presi- dent. 4. .-. .5 3...e.-. 4SScth-Congress shall have power to provide for holding and conducting the election for President and Vice-Presi. dent, and to establish tribunals for the l decision of contests as to the vote in any district or State, and make regula- tions governing the proceedings of these tribunals. By the adoption of the dis tict system of voting by the people di- rectly for candidates with two Presiden- tia1 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 she nation as one community, and it still recognizes the States as such, while it enables the peo- pie of each district in the State to ex- press their will, So that hereafter a State need not cast solid vote, as | uAoOA bAO P1CoCAu CJ opOAh' " oOhSc " dispense with the convention which is now necessary in order to form an elec- toral ticket for each State, and it en- larges the liberty of the individual voter, who can vote for any citizen he may select for President or Vice-Presi- dent. By the plurality system the elec- tion will always be final, and there can be no necessity for an election by the House of Representatives, which is so much objected to. The plurality rule has been adopted successfully in all the States in the Union except four in the election of State officers, and it gen. erally prevails in the election of mem bers of Congress. In none of the States where it has been tried is there any thought of abandoning it. "-".-,
 Other questions are considered in connection with tie votes in States and districts, and providing for the exigen- cy of the death or resignation of the President after election, and before .in- auguration. These are suggestions which have been considered, but no con- clusions could be arrived at. ,-.4