The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-07-31

WASHINGTON, JOY 30. 1879.

The Forthcoming Debt Sta cement.
The public debt statement, to be issued on the
LIST of the month, will report the full amount Of
new ives issued and fve-twenties redeemed for
the reason that all bonds redeemed have to pass
through the books Of the Register, Auditor and
Comptroller before being credited to the Treasurer
OF the United States, from whose books the debe
statement is made out. This necessarily takes
great deal of time, and more than usual now thas
80 many OF the clerks are away on their Summer
leave OF absence, thus reducing the clerical force.
which, when full Is just suicient for the ordinary
current business so that, although the Syndicate
have received and paid for fifty millions OF new
dves, but little than thirty millions can ap
pear in the debt statement
Syndicate Settlement.
The Syndicate to-day made their final settle
ment with the Treasury Department for the
100000 900 OF dve-twentes called on the 1st March
Iast
Senator Morton's Plan OF Electing tho,
President and Vice President OF the
United States.
Senator Morton arrived here to-day for the pur-
pose OF avang himself the facilities OF the Con-
gressional Library and certain imprinted records
OF Congress in preparing his report Tor the Senate
Committee on Privileges and Elections, OF which he
is chairman, upon the proposed election of the Pres
dent and Vice President of the United States by
direct vote OF the people, instead OF by the inter
vention OF Electoral Colleges. The Senator
is accompanied by the committee clerk,
and intends to devote the ensuing days
OF his sojourn to arduous research and
annexation upon the matter now uppermost in his
political thoughts He intimates that his bill and
supporting speech OF last session contain the sub
stance OF his mature thought and investigation
upon the subject, but recognizing the truth OF the
remark OF his Industrious predecessor in this par
tcular field of reform, Senator Benton, that select
body like Congress is always inert on questions
which propose to restore to the body the people
privileges which they have granted away, he in
tends to prepare and submit for the adoption OF his
committee such report as will go ringing through
the country and arouse press and people to the
demanding either OF a constitutional amendment,
proposed by Congress to the State Legislatures,
by the State Legislatures to each other and to
Congress. The Senator, too, finds no cause OF re-
greet in the fact that for once in his Senatorial ca
reer he IS engaged in an important work that il
neither sectional nor PARTISAN and which nothing
but the worst political malignancy construe
into a design for his own advancement before
the country. At the best he claims more
than ready perception OF popular dis
content with nominating conventions that
cannot much longer endure, and willing
ness to meet such sentiment half way.
Mr.. Morton's plan Of reform, which is that Of d.
viding the States into Presidential districts OF
equal population and contiguous territory and
giving each district single vote for President and
Vice President. would, in his opinion, If adopted
before the Summer OF 1885, strike such blow at
the caucus tyranny OF party conventions
that C2sarsm, If there should be any
danger OF it under the existing electoral
plan, would be impossible, or, what is the Same
thing, possible only in the event Of the masses
han of fha Of final n01Oo
holding as the army Of ot1ce-holders now in pos
session. Senator Morton, in his reports, intends
to go back to the debates in the constitutional
Convention over the mode Ofelecting the President
and Vice President, and show how the best and
most logical minds there present at the head Of
whom was the illustrious Franklin, pointed out
the inconvenience and dangers Of the method
that prevailed, and argued el0quently for entrust
ing the people directly with the determine ion Of
the one question that really concerned them more
than any other in the federal system. He will
show, too the mistaken reasons on which the
conservatives in the convention carried the point
and fashioned their Presidential election upon the
aristocratic models OF the Venetian and Genoese
Republics, while fearing that they had already
conferred too much direct political power upon
the general mass OF the people. He will
refer to the cases of Jefferson and Burr ana
Adams and Jackson to illustrate his assertion that
the Electoral College system, besides being useless
as medium Of selecting men OF better character
and attachments than could be discerned by enthu-
siastic and unthinking direct voters, can become,
through intrigue so dangerous as to precipitate
civil war, and that such danger grows with tho
lapse OF time and is by the nature Of the system,
more dangerous now than ever, and Will
be so hereafter. The district system Is sup
ported by the Senator in preference to
the plan preferred by others OF giving
every voter in every State q direct and
Independent vote Tor President and Vice Prest-
dent, because 1t gives more practical force to the
wishes OF contiguous communities and interests.
and restraints the power OF such log rolling COM
binations as carry prohibitory tariffs and iraudu-
lent internal improvement bills. This was the
plan recommended by an illustrious Senate COM
mittee that sat upon the question nearly fifty
years ago and brought in report
that contrasted the merits OF both plana
of voting; and though the logical argument
IS admitted to lie apparently on the side OF
individual voting, the practical view OF the qucs
ton demonstrates that the result Of vote BY
districts organized as proposed would be much
nearer pure, impartial expression OF the popu-
lar WILL Senator Morton expects to carry
his committee, unanimously Tor his plan,
and hopes to advance the measure consider.
ably before Congress as early as next session.
An Official Despatch from the Conn
mandcr Of the Tigress.
despatch to the Navy Department, from COM
mander Green, announcing the arrival OF the
Tigress at st. Johns, on the morning OF the 23d
inst, after an eight and one-haf days. passage
from New York, says:-"we had q moderate gale
of a few hours duration, in which the vessel
showed herself to be good seaboat Asa steamer
she may be classed q fve-knot one. The engineer
proposes to make change IN the furnaces which
may increase the speed. expect to sail for Disco
In two days. We saw our first icebergs on Cape
Race"
Texan Finance and Texan Politics.
Governor Davis, Of Texas, left here tonight foa
that state. He represents that at any time he
could have placed in the North the 100000 d
Texas bonds at eighty cents, but expects within
thirty days to place them at ninety cents. While