The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-12-14
More of the Senate Debate of Monday.

Mr.. Morton said he was sorry this debate
was thrust upon the Senate at this time, a:
he had not carefully considered this pro
posed amendment, though he had studied
the general subject for years past. The
Senate should be very sure that the propo
sition now before it was true and propeG
one, and one under which the country
could prosper and live for all time. Should
this proposition be adopted it was very Ger
tain that none other would be adopted for
many years. There were number OF fatal
objections to this amendment. 1t proposed
to transfer the count Of the electoral vote
to the Supreme Court, which would make
that tribunal political body. 1t would
make that court the grand returning board
OF the country, and its motives would
always be impugned. When the Supreme
Court of the United States should be vested
with the powers of determining what party
should be in authority for four years
the members OF that court would have
political power which would be
dangerous. He argued that the proposed
amendment was a reenactment OF the
twelfth article Of the amendments to the
Constitution, with three changes, which
were, first, that the electors shall vote UiCa
,ooc instead Of by ballot; second, the trans
fer OF the count of the electoral vote to the
Supreme Court; and, third, making SUI
preme Court Judge ineligible for the Office
of President or Vice-President until the
expiration OF two years next after he shall
have ceased to be such justice. The pro-
position left the Electoral College standing
with all its abuses. The people of the United
States were opposed t.SS tnat institution, as
IL was 90 full Of danger and trouble, some Of
which was at the very doors OF Congress to-
day. This Electoral College was the
rock in the channel upon which the
country was more likely to split than
on any other. Mr.. Morton then quoted at
length from report which he made to the
Senate two years ago from the Committee
on Privileges and Elections, to show that
he opposed the Electoral College then, and
said he did not believe the people of the
country would ratify this proposed amend
ment with the Electoral College provision
standing. He also objected to the proposed
amendment because it reenacted provision
authorizing the election Of President by
the House of Representatives. This proyi-
sion he regarded as one OF the most danger
Gus in the Constitution. 1t gave to Nevada,
with her $4,000 people, the same voice in
the election Of President that New York
had with her one hundred and fourteen
Of the President for the ensuing four years
should be thrown into the House OF Repre-
sentatives. A President would be elected by
men who were elected two years ago, and
many of them did not represent the will Of
the people now, as they had not been re-
turned to Congress. This clause authoriz-
ing the House to elect was the last clause
put in the Constitution, and was put there
without delibeTation and without debate.
The country came nearly being shipwrecked
BY it in 1901. The arts resorted to to bring
about an election by the House that year
would utterly damn any public man OF this
day. He argued In favor Of having the Pre-
sident and Vice-President elected by di-
rect vote Of the people, and had read the
constitutional amendment proposed by the
Committee on Privileges and Elections to
that effect two years ago.
Mir. Edmunds, in reply to a question OF
Mr.. Merrimon, said all Of the members Of
the Committee on the judiciary were OF the
opinion that it would be better to have the
electors vote uiua uoce than by ballot, as
the action OF the chosen agents OF the peo-
pie should be public, so all might know
whether such agent fulfilled the trust con-
fided to him or betrayed it.
Mr.. Merrimon gave notice Of an amend
ment he would offer, so as to make any JUS
tice OF the Supreme Court ineligible to APP
pointment to any Office under the United
States; also, ineligible to be elected Presi-
dent or Vice-President until the expiration
OF four years next after he shall have ceased
to be such justice. Ordered to be printed.
The matter was further discussed by
Messrs. Frelinghuysen, Merrimon, Ed
munds, and Morton.