New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-01-22
Voh.XXXlV. mo. l0,549
WASHINGTON.
RY POPULAR VOTE.

RI.ECTING PRESIDENT BY POPULAR VOTE
Mr. MoRToN's BILL TO AMEND THE CONSTITUTION
PROPOSED CHANGE IN THE MODE OF ELECliN'
THE PRESIDENT AND NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
MENTs IN FAVOR OF THE PROPOSED CHANHE-
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. AND DANGERS OF IHk Piths-
EMF SYSTEM.
IBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRrBUSE.i
WASHINGTON. Jan. 21.-Mr Morton delivered TO-
day carefully prepared, thorough, and straight
forward argument in favor of his proposed amend
ment TO the Constitution of the United States III
regard 10 the election of President and Vice
President He has given great attention to this
subject, and presented the whole matter with won
derful clearness. He gave careful history of the
Electoral College the of its institution the
ideas of the Father Of the Country in its formation
the wrongs which it has wrought, and
the perils for the future with which
the present system is fraught. Changes
have been made in the method Of choosing Electors,
but during the last half century in most of The
States, they have been elected by the people. Al
though down to 1860 in South Carolina they were
chosen by the Legislature the States have almost
exclusive control over them, Congress having no
power except to appoint the day of choosing them
aud the day upon which they shall deposit their
votes II was supposed at first that they would be
deliberatiye body and that those from each State
would divide their votes bat their appointment
has for a long time been matter of form. all
being pledged beforehand to vote for a certain
didate.
The opportunities for fraud and the dangers to be
spprehended in a close election numerous. When
the electors have met and voted their term of Office
expires and as the voting is done by ballot, one
olector cannot tell how another voted. and if cor
rupton exists there Is no remedy for it. Two sets
OF electors may be chosen; and who then is 10 de-
eide which vote shall be counted 7 If the Vice
President should hand over the votes cast by the
electors chosen by the McEnery voters in Louisiana,
they must be counted If he should hand over the
Kellogg votes they would have to be counted The
Vice-PTesident may be a candidate himself as has
frequently happened. John Adams, in 1871, declared
himself elected, and Jefferson, in 1891, counted
the votes and found them a tie. The
two Houses act simply as Witnesses and can
DO nothing They cannot act as a joint convention
nor as separate body ID each others presence. The
vote of the Electoral College is not indication of
the popular vote, as the successful candidate may
have a minority of the votes of the whole people,
but majority of the electors. Lincoln bad q mi
norty of the popular vOta, but O majority in the
Electoral College. Jackson, in 1924. received the
largest majority ever given to President, but
Adams was elected with only one-thlrd of the pOpu-
lar vote. The vote of the Electoral College may
differ thirty per centum from the vote Of the people,
and it is nearer than ten per centum. In 1860,
Lincoln had only 40 per centum of the popular vote,
but 80 per ceutum of the College. The 22d
Joint Rule, Senator Morton says, is grossly
unconstitutional, as it enables the
House or Senate to defeat the popular will, by
counting out the vote of any State on account of
merely formal objection. In 1857 great snow storm
III Wisconsin prevented the electors from meeting
on the proper day. and they did not deposit their
votes until the following day, which, according to
rule, rendered the votes null and void. Objection
was made, but the VIce-Presdent declared that no
motion was in order, and the vote was counted. Had
the election of President depended upon this vote
the Vice-President would have had the decision of
the election. In the last election objection was
made to the counting of the vote of Georgia on &C
count of the death Of Mr.. Greeley; and that of
Texas was objected to on account of the infor
mality of the certificates of the electors.
,,r. ,uurman. who followed Mr.. Morton said that
he would not underrate the dangers of fraud ana
revolution spoken of by Mr.. Morton. but he consid
cred that the most menacing danger was IN the
method of counting the vote. What Is needed, &C
cording to his idea, is a tribunal to be fixed by the
CODst. tuition and not by majority of Congress,
which shall act upon the electoral vote. At present
all debate is cut off, and questions out of
order In the of Arkansas in the last election,
when the seal was said to be improper one, no
information could be asked for as to whether the
zeal was that Of the Secretary Of State or was the
great seal of the State, or whether the State had any
such seal. Each member had 10 go the desk and
examine the seal and then look up the Constitution
of Arkansas to ascertain if State seal existed Mr.
Thurman moved that the question lie over until the
first Monday in February; pending which the SEN
ate went into executive session, ard then adjourned