, 1876-12-25
THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE: MONDAY, DECEMBER 25 1876

son or tribunal whateyor to bo prohibited; any
State so batbarous "a not 10 be abtc to indts.
pntabiy indicate lts choice for President to be
dlsfrAnchised for that occaaion.
4. A plurality voto 10 elect, as In tho case,
believe, Of AT our elections except the PresI,
dcntinl.
i. THO President Of tho gennte to open tho
rctuEns a. made BY tho State Canyassers Ia &ho
prcsencc Of tho Senate, count, and declare tho
result.
THUS would tic Electoral College and cleo.
tions by the Houso lo done away with; the first
should be, because It has long been obsolete,
be, bccauso Il Ia too rtsky; The 1louse isn't ilt
to trust with any such duty, and probably never
Will bel and there Is no rcnson why plurality
shouldn't elect In shc Presidential Che satne as
Tho State principle e respected by giving
il il is needfafl 10 do tiis to make '''snt our
s,ystem harmonious; to simplify tho
esI3f': se IN sesns e1 saens''sf sfepe and Tho 1@i @
States catinot bo expected to tlo anything to re-
dnco their present Importance voluntarily.
Therefore, to attempt 70 do away with the State
principle would be win. To elect by Congress:
Canvassers. They would never get through IN
contested seats. We cannot stand contested re-
suits III Presidential elections.
what i liz .e s' q u ang Wig sste. At III
II they arc not competent to declare in
an absolutely un1nistaksblo manner thelr
preference for President. II they can't do It,,
tsas II slsaay aure % 4 e s sey re"fo efs
sttbuna1 to overhaul and ovcrruie the stases It,
this matter, wo do in Ill matters and It would
ultimately follow, sure aa the world. Let us
admit, and certify, and stand By the principle,
bcyOr1i recall or revfAIOn: md Int uk rail- the
casting Of their votes for President one
Of them. It IS no, eupposab!e that
%,s Ms isrs,d,., srs To- have stases ,, With lo.-
H. T sse long n for ii. sssay tsSs ss
such States had better BE- aboElsl,cd altogether.
AND that result Is inevitable. II the people
OF Louisiana, or South Carolina, Tor example,
sn st. n tho sndsayes ,fs t. t9n two s
will be obliged to step IN, and, after enough OF
But there Is no danger ol thts. When tho cvi1
gets bad enough. tho people of cach State will
thrown out By tho Vicc. President in counting.
would make tho State Canvassing DoaTds'
duties purely ministerial, III order to keep con-
to thc narrowest locality possible. Let results
be settled once for NIL and forever at tile pre-
einrts Or ut the counties. Or. II this Is unsatfs-
factory, Jet the Presidential vote be- determined
In m easli state precisely a' the vote for Governor
II thers wero no other reason for
10 investigate these things except
on the spot. Each poll, or at most each coun-
.d 81 to 81 Ss h' s uoa t - nS apo.c g
sny that popular government Is q failure.
Whereas, II your State undertakes such m In
vestIgation, It Is too far away from the polls to
get at the truth; It 70 too expensive, tedious,
f3,0r n nJs
~ do besides investigating elections. Then, II
you create higher tribunal still, you cati rs
well have twenty contested States as one. To-
day there aro no less than ten States that might
necessary, simply to give time for the sottlc-
ment Of these contests, to hold our elections
i've ycnrs Ia advance.
Finally; let i be undssstoo1, that eternal yigi:
lance is tho price Of liberty. No method Of
from tho rule Of the baser elements OF society
unless men attend to their political duties. Ii
Massachusetts not moro tnnn 80 per cent Of the
voters vote, ordinarily. In New York, Inst No
E hsG sSo sea 5sos t'f 1en
had tho Republicans turned out, Tilden
would haye been beaten out Of
sight, for there were 10000 voters in the Stats
who didn't vote, and, no doubt, most Of then,
perator rules US Il will be because we we're too
indifferent to do It ourselves. Let It be under
stood that a mans placs on election day Ia at
the polls; that be is not only to vote. but to see
fair play, and prevent fraud. Elections won't
run themselves and remain pure, no moro than
business will run itsclf successfully. It fs at
the polls all the evils, We complain Of
are to be corrected. Nothing elso will
over do It. II re would have
elections In which people will chccrfully &C.
quicscc, they must be fair and honorable; and
they never will be that TIL everybody makes 1t
Ills business to SEQ that they arc.
Meanwhile. let It be understood that the
votes in tue boxes arc to decide the result b.
yond rerall. II there is fraud, or rcprat,ug, Or
Intimidation, and tho result Is thus made to
misrcprcscnt tile wIshes Of tho community, let
the community bcstir Itself aud correct these
evils, or let 4 suffer tho conse-
qucnces. Let there bo no rcbcll-
Ion pgpinst the votcs, for II there Ia
ono there will he q hundred. II tho decision Of
tho ballot~box Is once reIccted and MI appeM
taken to arms, the chances are that 1t always
Will be thereafter, when the stake Is thought
sufficient and the mea,ls arc ut hand. 1n that
case popular government ia gone, and sonlc
form Of dcspoilsnl will be invoked as the only
alternative Of anarchy.
It. Is tie voting md tho returning that arc 10
be looked alter. That done. ali else will take
care OF itscIt. DOUGLASS.