The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1873-10-24

number of Representatives from each State
I is in proportion to it's population afid the
whole arrangement is subject to these two
permanent conditions first, that the num-
Der of Representatives shall not exceed one
for every thirty thousand of the people
and, secondly, that each State shall al
ways have, at least, one Representative.
, The different principles on which the
councils of Congress are based require a
: little further notice.
America is, L may say, exclusively set
tied by Europeans and their descendants
and hence those political maxims that
have been common 70 all Europe viii al
ways be found TO underlie the organism
and policy of the American Government
Now, the most conspicuous amongst the
political maxims that have, for centuries,
been common in Europe, are these three,
namely: Il that all sovereign nations stand
towards each other on Il footing of perfect
equality; (2) that the family is sacred; and
(3) that the rights of every individual to
acquire and possess property, and to enjoy
the fruits of his own industry, must be
guaranteed to him by public authority.
Now, the several States of America, stand
ing towards each other as independent ma
tions, meet through their representatives
in the Senate on terms of equality. On
the other hand, as there is no hereditary
distinction among the people, no class or
locality has any recognized pre- -eminence
over any other class or locality, and, there
fore, the House of Representatives., which
represents the people as such, has its men,
bers apportioned among the States accord
ing to the ratio of population in each State.
Thus, the American Congress represents
in one council the American people organ
lied as independent States, and in the other
council represents them as individuals, or
even perhaps as families. l have said per-
hGpS as families, because, as far as | can
learn, the distinctive representation of the
family, as distinguished either from indi-
viduals or from aggregations more numer-
Gus than the family, is not to be reckoned
amongst the political institutions of Amer
lea. The same is to be said of social, COM
mercial and other such like corporations
1t may, with a certain amount of accuracy
be said that all the inhabitants of America
are represented in the inferior council of
Congress, though all the Inhabitants do
not take part in choosing the Representa-
tives. The right of making choice Of the
Representatives is generally extended to
and confined to persons of the male sex
who are upwards of twenty-one years of
age. And thus the American Congress re-
presents IN one council the States of Amer
lea, and in the other the people of America,
and this is why the two councils have such
different bases of organization.
All that | have already said, although
containing information that is substantial
ly useful, has, nevertheless, been arranged
to enable you to understand the political
principles that are brought into play i'll the
election of the President of the United
States of America. The manner of his
election was explained in my former letter,
and Will, perhaps, be more fully explained
in this; but my special desire in this letter
is to point out to you the reason why the
election of the President is regulated in
the established manner.
The American President is not elected
by the States as such, nor by the people as
such. but the basis of his election is com
pounded of the equality of the States. and
of the diversified mum oers of the inhabit-
ants of tie States. If the election were
based on the equality of the States, each
State, whether large or small, whether
more or less populous, would have an equal
number of votes in choosing the President,
which is not the case. If, on the other
hand, the election were based on mere
population, each State would have n num-
Der of votes proportional to its population,
which likewise is not the case. For eX-
ample: If the President were chosen by
the Senate each State would have an equal
number of votes in his election; if, the
other hanu, the President were chosen by
the House of Representatives, each State
would have a number of votes proportion
ate to its population. If, again, the Presi-
dent were chosen by the Senate and the
House of Representatives assembled to-
gether in one consolidated meeting, it is
manifest, from what has already been said,
that the number of votes of each State
would be partly influenced by the number
of its inhabitants, and partly influenced by
its equal standing with the other States.
If, again, the President were chosen By
electors from all the States, each State
having a number of electors equal to the
number of its Senators and Representa-
tives in Congress, it is further manifest
that, so far as the electoral influence of
each State is concerned, this supposition
involves no principle at variance with the
preceding suppOsition. This last supposi-
ton is in accordance with the fact. The
President is elected by electors, and these
electors are, in each State, equal to- the
whole number of Senators and representa-
tives to which the State is entitled i'll Con-
gress. Though this principle is at first
sight simple, the slightest reflection will
show that the application of it might pos
sibly be so varied as to cause it to be either,
on the one hand, nearly identified with the
equality of State influence in the election,
or, on the other hand, to approximate in
definitely to State electoral influence pro-
portionate to the population.
Here L must stop to inform you that the
number of Senators is invariably two, but
Congress is authorized to increase or dimin-
ish the number of Representatives, pro-
vided only that the number allotted to eaoh
State be proportionate to its population.
Now, if the number of Representatives be
very few, the element of equality in cleo
toral influence will comparatively predomi-
nate. For example, l viii select one of
A Il IO,,e fa%A Of +l,o
least populous States to illustrate what
mean. Let Pennsylvania be taken as a
very populous State, and let Delaware be
regarded as a State insignificant in its
population. Let Pennsylvania be supposed
to have population of three millions and
Delaware a population of one hundred
thousand. If the Representatives be at
the rate of one for every hundred thou
sand, then Delaware will be entitled to one
Representative and Pennsylvania to thirty.
To each of these numbers add two, to cor
respOnd with the two SanatorS of each