The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1877-03-23
I%NGERsOLL's PLANS.

INGERS0LL'S PLANS.
The uncertainty which 30 long hung over
the result of the late presidential election,
and the possibilities of great danger arising
from that neutrality-suspicious. which
only the wisdom, admirable temper and
patriotism of leading southern democrats,
those much abused ex confederate con-
gressmen who were to overthrow The gov
eminent, prevented from being actualities
has concentrated public thought upon the
evils and defects of the present system of
electing president and vice president of the
United States, has given birth to projects
innumerable for r%emedying these evils and
curing these defects. 1t is none too soon
to consider these matters, and the best
thought of the country will be required to
solve it satisfactorily. Most of the plans
suggested are, necessarily, crude and will
not bear examination-but the more the
plans suggested, the more they are exam
ined, and the more their defects are expos
ed, the better will the country be prepared,
at last, to settle down upon and agree to
some we'll digested measure to govern fu-
ture election.
The latest suggestion on this subject
comes from Colonel Ingersoll Bob"
Ipgersoll-in the course of an address, or
lecture, delivered at fremont temple, Bos-
ton, Tuesday evening. After referring to
the present system, and the blind manner
In which the constitution leaves certain
questions, he says that the constitution
" leaves us in the dark, and, to a certain
degree, in blindness. 1 believe there is
ga way, and a very easy way, out of this
&" entire trouble, ard it is this I don't
a." care whether the electors first meet in
their respective states or not, but I want
the constitution 30 amended that the
/" electors of all the states shall meet on a
" certain day in the city of Washington
/" and count the vote themselves; to allow
that body to be the judge of who are
4" electors, to allow it to chose a chairman,
d" and to allow the person so chosen to de-
4" clare who is the president and who is the
&" vice president of the United States. The
executive is then entirely free and indie
pendent of the legislative department of
government"
Now this is all very pretty and plausible
in theory. AT first sight, it seems all very
proper to make presidential electors judges
of the elections and qualifications of their
nDp tnapnharo hut ~ mill barIlxr haas nv
animation. Take the last presidential elec-
ton for instance. The whole number OF
electors was three hundred and sixty-nine,
but there were more than three hundred
eighty-four persons claiming to be electors
which Of the rival boards from Louisiana
Florida and Oregon should have been ad-
mitted, in the first instance, to Judge of the
election and qualification of themselye 60
and of the persons claiming to lie electors
from the other states ? Should William
Pitt Kellogg have had the power to vot,
upon his qualifications and those Of
the other electors, or should John McEnery
have had that right
Conceding, however, that Kellogg, hold
ing the executive certificate, Lad the prima
.Jacie right to the seat until his qualifications
and election were passed upon-and this is
the general rule in congress and other legis-
lative bodies-would it not have, also, fol-
lowed that Cronin was prima Jdcie entitled
to his seat2 This rule would have given
the election to Tilden, and that too by the
vote of an elector conceded by both parties
to be without the shadow of a rlghtful
claim to act as such.
We say that such a provision would have
given the election to Tilden, because ex-
perience shows that in determining these
questions of election party success controls
to the exclusion of right. The history of
congress and of state legislatures is full OF
such instances, and ease occurred in New
York, some years ago, which forcibly H.
Illustrates the force of party feeling in such
cases. Peter Allen and Henry Fellows
were candidates for member of the assem-.
bly,, the latter receiving a majority OF
thirty votes. In making the canvass and
returns, the inspectors of one township re-
turned a certain number of votes as given
for "Hen." Fellows, when they were act
ually given to "Henry" Fellows, and these
votes being rejected the certificate of elec-
tion was given to Peter Allen. Without
the vote of either, the assembly was equal
" divided between the two parties, but
Allen was retained In his seat, allowed to
vote upon his own qualifications, etc., ETC.,
until all the elections were over and all pc.
litical questions were decided when Fell.
ows was awarded his seat by a practically
unanimous vote, and held it until the close
Of the session. But the mischief was all
done-his votes and acts as a do .Jacto as
semblyman being valid.