The Rutland weekly globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1873-08-15
4 NEEDLESS CONSTITUTIONAL
AMENDMENT.

Indiana, IS chairman, was appointed 10 tN-
anime into the various constitutional am
endments submitted in reference to the
election of President and Vice President of
the United States, and TO report plan for
the consideration of the next Congress,
whereby the alleged cumbrous methods of
the present system may be remedied, and
full, fair and free expression of the popu-
lar will may be obtained, and at the same
time, the voice of the smaller states may
not be crushed and overpowered by the
large preponderance of votes in the larger
tates. Senator Morton has, since the adj
iournment of Congress, devoted large
proportion of his time to the consideration
of this subject, has called meeting of the
committee to be held in New York,
during the month of October, and has, in
the meanwhile, prepared, for presenta-
ton to the committee, all the numerous
schemes" heretofore proposed, and has,
also, for the same purpose, provided him
self with the views of different American
statesmen upon the subject, ''from the be-
ginning of this century to the present
time" In addition to this, as telegram
informs us, he has gathered together, with
the like object, "the writings of distin-
gushed Englishmen." What distinguished
Englshmen' have to do with the method of
clecting President and Vice President of
the United States, how their writings"
can throw any light upon the matter, or
that the committee or the people
of this country, care about ''distin-
guished Englishmen" or their writings
on this subject, it is difficult to conceive,
is sufficient to say, that if these ''distin-
guished Englishmen" are no better informed
upon this subject than they are, generally,
upon American politics, constitutional law,
or geography, or if they are as profoundly
ignorant of the subject as some of our Yer
mont editors-even those who have been
lawyers are of our chancery system, then
their writings" will afford vast fund of
amusement to the committee, and relieve
the tedium of their more serious inquiries
and labors.
A Washington dispatch, published Mon
day morning, says that "the Senator is in
favor of devising plan by which the peo-
pie can vote directly for President and
Vice-President, or Of the election Of electors
by districts instead Of states" Reserving,
for some future time, the consideration of
the proposition to elect these officers by a
direct vote of the people, we have a
word to say in reference to choosing cleo
tors by districts instead of by states. A
careful examination of election returns
will disclose the fact that an election by
districts never would have changed the re-
suit from that actually obtained in voting
by states, except in one possible case and
this possible exception rests entirely on
speculation and hypothesis. In that case
we refer to the appointment of electors
in New York in 1024-it is claimed that an
election by congressional districts would
have resulted in making Henry Clay, in.
stead of William H. Crawford, of Geor.
gia, one of the candidates from whom the
national House of Representatives were
by the provisions of the constitution, tc
make choice of President That careful
observer, distinguished statesman, and ac
curate historian, Jabez d. Hammond, in
his political history of New York, expresses
his opinion that the result would have beer
the election of Henry Clay instead of join
Quincy Adams, and says "what might,
difference it would have made in the polit
ical fortunes of the politicians of the Uni
ted States Mr.. Van Buren,, Mr.. Forsyth
and Mr.. Calhoun will bear me out in say
ing, that in such an event General jackson
would never have been President of tn
United States" This, however, as w
have said, is all founded upon theory, sup
position and hypothesis, so far as election
by districts are concerned, as the elector
were chosen by the legislature legisla
ture selected without regard to the presi
dental election-and no popular vote talxel
in the state, either before or after, in suc
proximity, that 1t could be ascertaine,
what difference, if any, would have result
ed from the adoption of one or the othe
of the modes.
If 1t is desired that a President shall b
elected through electors chosen by con
gressional districts, or other districts
rather than by the people of the state a
large, there is no necessity for a constitu
tonal amendment for that purpose. TIL
matter is now under the control of the sey
eral states, and one or more, or all, ca
elect by districts If they desire The onl
provision of the constitution upon the sui
ject is contained in the first section OF tn
second article thereof, which provides tina
each state shall appoint, IN such mannt
as The legislature thereof may direct, a nun
Der of electors, equal to the whole numbe
of Senators and Representatives to whic
the state may be entitled to in Congress.
There is a further provision, in the sam
section and article, that Congress may d,
termine the time of choosing the electors
which shall be the same throughout III
United States under which, at compar,
lively recent date, the present day of ele,
ton was designated as the "time,
although in the case of Louisiana, anoths
day-whether rightfully or wrongfully W
will not stop to inquire-has since been al
pointed for that state. The practical col
struction of the constitutional clause quote
has been such that, In some of the state
electors were selected by districts, with Ii
exception of two electors at large-repr'
senting, as It were, the Senators-who wei
chosen upon a general ticket. The matte