The daily gazette., 1876-12-18
From the Baltimore Sun.
Election by Popular
NOt0

The advantages of direct popular vote
| in presidential elections have been long
| obvious to rejecting men, but they have
| never been more strikingly illustrated
| than in the late canvass. There is no doubt
| that Mr.. Tilden has received about a
quarter of a million majority of the popu-
lar vote, but that avails nothing unless
| candidate has certain number of votes in
| the electoral colleges. The dominant
party, which denies that there is any sucn
things as estate rights" and which holds
| the theory of President Lincoln that the
| relations of the States to the general gov
ernment are identical with those of coun-
ties to the States, bases its only hope of
carrying this election on the principle of
States rights, which was recognized in
the creation of the electoral college. Out
side of the recognition of principle
which has been theoretically and practi-
cally secuted by the party in power, there
| is not a plausible reason for the difference
n the manner of controlling State and
| national elections.
As correctly stated by the New York
journal of Commerce, "under the system
in practice each State rs a State has
voice in the election of the President and
Vice President, and gives all its votes in
the electoral college for one candidate or
the other, though there may be an excep-
tional case, here and there, from pecu-
liar cause Furthermore, each state is
entitled to two electors answering to the
number of its Senators at Washington
Nevada, with its 10000 or $1,000 inhabi-
tants, is equal to New York with its A.
600 900 in this respect. AS Nevada elects
one representative to Congress she is en-
titled to three electoral votes. while New
York, with nearly hundred times her
population, has only thirty-five votes
The same principle of disparity, though
not IA great, obtains In other Ofthe States
old and new. The doctrine of State rights
in its various forms is good one, but
even those people who stand up most
sturdily for the rights of the Statss must
admit that this particular right is one that
could bc abrogated without impairing
any of the powers that ought in common
justice TO belong to the different States of
the Union. This we doubt not, would be
the opinion of n majority of voters In the
larger States, though in the smaller ones,
like Nevada, Nebraska, Oregon, &c, con
trary views might prevail from motives
of policy"
1t is true that, even if change were
made, cheating could be done by decep
tive counting as now. But the facilities
for fraud would be certainly lessened by
submitting the Presidents election to the
popular vote. The trckery of return
ing board and other devices suffice now
for throwing ont the votes of small
States. \ large majority would be more
difficult than now to overcome. Origi-
nally it was assumed that the electoral
college would select for themselves the
men whom they considered most compe-
tent and available for President and
Vice President. This was not very con-
sonant with republican ideas, and it is
not surprising that the decision of these
contests has been since predetermined for
the electors by the vote of the people act
ing in obedience to the nominating con-
ventions of the two parties. Still, as
suggested by the Journal of Commerce,
the great argument against the electoral
college is the fact that candidate who
would receive considerable majority of
the popular vote if balloted for directly
may be defeated by fair party vote in
the college. Two candidates for the
Presidency in times past who were chosen
by the electoral college received an ac-
tual minority of the peoples votes, and if
Mr.. Hayes occupies the presidential chair
a third will be added to the number.
There can be no better time than the
present for discussing the subject of
amending the federal constitution so as
to require the choice ofthe President and
Nice-President by the direct popular vote
instead Of by the agency of the electoral
college. The question might propeely
come up at the next session Of Congress,
and the public sense of the country be
tested thereby. 1t might be well also to
consider the merits If an amendment
prohibiting more than one term for the
President. Many of the occupants of the
executive chair hayeacknowledgc the wis
dom OF the one-tcrm principle, and the
same objections which apply to third
term may be charged against a second.