The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1874-06-05
Ho,O to Elect Future Presidents.

The present mode of electing the Presi- |
dent and Vice President of the United
States is so defective as to cause much /
concern to thoughtful minds. Thus far
the country has fortunately escaped the
perilS which lie Oh the surface of this sys-
tenn. The cause of this is that the popular
verdict has been so decisively pronounced
in nearly all our presidential contests that
there was no room to cayil or dispute
about its validity. But the time may
come when in the even balance of parties
the defeated side may take advantage of
tho defects of the present system, and
precipitate the country into anarchy and
revolution in an attempt to maintain pos
session of political power When the vote
for President was opened and counted IN
the presence of the senate and house in
February, 1869, on motion of Butler it
was resolved that the electoral vote of
Georgia should not be counted if it affect
ed the result of the election and had the
vote of Georgia decided the election in
favor of Seymour it would not have been
counted, though there is no more doubt
concerning its validity than there is about
that of Massachusetts,. OF dispute like
this there would be no arbtrament but
that of civil war unless the triumphant
party should quietly submit and yield to
the vanquished the fruits of it's political
victory. Of such surrenders there are no
examples in history, and there are no war
rants for them in human nature This
fatal precedent which was made in 1869
would have been employed against Gree
ley in 1878, and it remains as a menace
in ali future elections of President. The
party that insolcntly proposed to fling
away the electoral vote of Georgia in 1869
would have thrown out the vote of New
\ Ork on pretense Of fraud III the elections,
and Of as many more states as would have
=. IL.
increases the danger is that the electoral
vote is counted in n congress which ex-
piTes with the Inauguration of new adj
ministratiOn, and which may have the
strongest motives of ambition to urge its
members TO overthrow the verdict of the
people by inventing a pretenSe to destroy
the electoral votes of states Ill declaring
the result of a presidential election. II is
impossible to contemplate the perils of
such a situation without anxiety for the
political future.
In view of the acknowledged defects in
the present system, the senate committee
on privileges and elections are about to
make 4 unanimous report in favor of Sen
atOr Mortons plan of electing the Presi-
/ dent of the United States. By this plan il
I IS proposed to divide each State into dis
/ tlicts corresponding with the present con
/ gresSioual districts. Each one Of these
! districts Is to have a vote for President
( the result Of the election to be certified tC
. the Secretary Of State. For the senatorial
. electors each State shall have two votes
which shall be counted either for the can
didate having the highest vote cast in the
State or for him who has the majority O
( the districts. 4 tribunal is also to be es
tablished for the adjudication of all case.
arising out Of an election for President
This Will remove the dangerous power o
| congress to which we have averted.-
/ While there may be differences in and on
OF congress in regard to tho details Of thi
or any other plan, there can be little con
corning tho necessity of reform on this i'm
portant u3ject.-HarriSJUrg Patriot