The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1873-11-01

changes IN the mode OF electlng |
President and Vice President, pro-
posed by Senator Morton, as mod
fled by the committee of which he |
is chairman, in their recent session
in New York. The subject is so
that we make no apology
for recurring to it and pressing
the necessity of the adaptation of
the amendment, ia The Electoral
College, as . mere reflection of the
popular wish, which the progress
of opinion has practically made it,
is supurfuous. As an independent
body, empowered to act upon it's
discretion it may be dangerous.
In either case it ought to be abol-
ished. The proposed substitute,
as nealy as possible owing to hu.
man fallibility, gives the election
directly to the people. It makes
their will effective, and provides
the best security for a fair express
sion Of it. It gives a vote for the
two Executive Offices, to a plurality
Of the legal voters of each Congress
sional district, and it gives to q
plurality of the voters Of State
two votes. It thus preserves the
distinctive power OF the States in
the election, while giving full effect
to the popular Will. In effect it
substitutes votes for Electors, obyi ]
ating all the possible and positive
evils of Electoral intervention be-
tween popular votes and their re-
suit. Let us sum up its advantages
LIST. It does all that the Electoral
College can do, with none of the
chances of mischief inseperable
from the action OF an irresponsible
body. Cd It prevents intact all
State rights and powers while Civ
ing due force to the wishes of the
people. The College does the for
mer, but may easily fail to do the
latter. Sd. It reduces to the low
est possible limit the effect and, of
course, the inducement to frauds
At the worst large fraudulent
majority can affect only the single
vote of it's district, and two votes
of the State, while now it may affect
the whole Electoral representation
of q State. 4th. It destroys the
power of overwhelming local ma
jorities, like those Of New York
City. 9Th. It frees a voter from
the trammels OF nominations, and
allows him, to vote for whom he
pleases and to make his vote eject
i've. Il can not be, when he must
give il for a body of ten or twenty
men if he voted at all. This is
practically Of little Importance. as
ninty nine men out of a hundred
will vote some nomination or other,
but it is something to man who
has choice and don't want to be
choked from expressing it. 9th
It obviates all reasonable possibility
of failure to elect by the people,
in making q plurality of each dis
trict and State decisive. 7th. II
protects the country against wha,
must be, in it's best aspect. disas
ter, in making it impossible for on
election ever to fall into the House
of Representatives. The corrup
ton, the contention, the violence
and the chicanery that would in
evitably accompany such q result
would shame the nation forever
It would be intolerable now. Sth
It would leave hardly chance fol
contest between opposing Stat.
or local votes. Without ''tie''-
a very improbable event-ther,
could be none. 9th. It would re
move, or greatly diminish the diff
ficulties growing out of the rul
which allows the decision of eithe
house, in counting the Presidentia
vote, to reject the vote of State
: Now either body may disfranchis
q State, silence its people wholly
and make it of no more force in th
election than q Territory An,
that State may be one whose vot
!. would decide the election. Tn
, amendment would submit to Cor
) gress only the votes of district
and the two votes of each State
and rejection at the worst coult
l like frauds, effect but three of tn
8 final votes. Except in the almos
: impossible contingency Of cor
test from the general State vot,
no complete disfranchisement {
: State could occur.
. 10th. It would prevent such
: difficulty as occurred in Wisconsi
Q in 1857, when the electors were OF
Q structed by snow storm and pr,
Q vented from meeting on the da
: fixed by law. The certifcation
; the popular vote could-not be easil
+ defeated by providential interp
9 sition. 18th. 1t would at once p,
u an end to the possibility of irreg
a lar modes appointing Electors. Nc
q the State may be represented in Il
J election by men chosen by the pc
/ pie, or by the Legislature-as Sou
Q Carolina used to do, or by the Go
IS ernor, or by the Supreme Court,
/ in any 3amanner the Legislatu
t. thereof may direct" Certainly l
D. change in any feature Of polite
system was ever commended
II more advantages. We do not p
v it beside such vital enactments
of great principles as the recent co
N stitutional amendments, but as
N practical, working measure, invol
IN ing no vital principle, except i
n motely and improbably, was the
10 ever such an array of indisputal
i. benefits. and not small benef
81 either, set against such obvious {
Ia fectsi The Sumner scheme of