The Rutland weekly globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-05-19

tors should be appointed In the several
states on the Tuesday after the first Mon
day In November, but that each state might
provide for filing vacancies in the elector-
al college and in case an election shall
have been held on the day appointed. hut
they shall have failed to make choice of
electors, then they may be appointed on
such subsequent day as the state may, by
law, provide. As 1t now is, electors are
all chosen by general ticket, by the people
on the Tuesday after the first Monday Of
November in the year in which president
is to be chosen meet at their respective
capitals on the first Wednesday Of Decem-
Der vote by ballot, for president and vice
president make, sign and certify three
lists of the votes so given, and transmit
one sealed by a special messenger to the
president of the United States senate, one
by mail to the same officer, and one to the
United States judge for the district in
which the electors shall assemble which
votes are opened in the presence of the two
houses of congress, on the second We'd
nesday of February, and counted. The
twenty second joint rule of congress pro-
vides that If the vote of any state is object
ed to for any cause, that each house shall
consider the objection separately, and that
no vote, so objected to, shall be counted
except by the concurrent vote of the two
houses.
We have been thus particular in stating
the method heretofore practiced in ascer-
tanning the will of the people, because the
effect of the proposed amendment will be
to abrogate all existing laws upon the sub
ject, substitute an entirely new tribunal for
counting the votes, and necessitate new leg
isation as to the times when the votes shall
be given and when counted
The object of the proposed amendment
is, of course, to remove the counting of the
vote from the danger which is supposed to
attend the strife for political power-the
danger that the vote of a state may be
counted or rejected as it may give the ad-
mnislra,ion of the government to this or
that political party. The supreme court is
supposed to be beyond the reach of politi-
cal bias, and surely if any tribunal can be
found beyond lis reach, the supreme court
is. But to make assurance doubly sure, it
is provided that no judge of the supreme
court of the United States shall be eligible
to the Office of president or vice president
until two years next after he shall have
ceased to he member of that court.
Under the proposed amendment, as
now, majority of all the votes cast will
be necessary to secure an election and
the provisions relative to the procedure in
case of non-election will be unchanged
the house, voting by states, each state TO
have one vote, to choose president from
the three candidates having the high
est number of votes candidate,
in order to receive the vote of a
state must have majority of the
votes of the representatives voting from
that state. Two-thirds of the states must
be represented, in whole or in part, when
the vote is taken, and if no election is eff
fected by the majority of states voting,
prior to the fourth of March, the vice
president-elect will become president.
The yice-presidcnt, in case no choice is
made by the electors, is to be elected, as
now, by the senate, from the two candi-
dates having the highest number of votes
twc-thirds of the senate must vote and the
person elected must receive a majority of
the votes given. If adopted by both
houses of congress, the proposed amend
ment cannot be acted upon by the several
states until after the next presidential cleo.
tion-but better late than never