Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1877-01-12
The Electoral QuentIon.

In the January number of the North
American Review is an able and thought
full article by Richard III. Dana, Jr., in
which he discusses our electoral system,
exposes lis weaknesses and suggests reme-
dies. Mr.. Dana reviews the earlier prac-
tice in the choice of Electors, who were in
the first instance appointed by the Legisla-
lures, and later were elected by the people,
voiing on district tickets, and on general
tickets for those representing the States.
This system Mr. Dana pronounces the SAT-
est and iairest ever adopted, but the pres
ent method of electing on general ticket,
which succeeded it, was the contrivance of
political managers and eectioueering ex-
per!s, who saw in ii great increase of their
own power and importance. Under the
general ticket system, the candidate hav-
ing majority in any particular State, be ii
ever so small would be credited with the
whole in summing up the aggregate of the
Union. This is practically the result of
this method now. Ever so small MAORI
ty throws the entire electoral vote of a State.
Under the general ticket system, too, the
most extraordinary frauds have been de-
velOped-being encouraged by the great
impo rtance Of carrying the Presidential
elect ion, and the fact that the area Of the
operation of such a fraud is an entire Stale.
ard it may determine The choice of thirty
or forty ElectOrs-one tenth of the entire
vote of the Union.
But the pre- sent system is TO be depIecat-
ed also because it gives to a great Slate an
undue preponderance over smaller States,
The effect is deinoralizing on the smaller
States because, however great their MAORI
lies, or, however deep their interest, they
have little to do but ITO await in suspense
the drawing of the lottery in the great
State hich is to control the result, howey-
er small its majority, and however large an
element in its composition may be fraud or
mistake" 1t is even more demora'lzingin
the great States, because il offers tempta-
ton to fraud, adds to the power Of the
spoils system, gives an undue importance
to the States holding September or October
elections, and initiates the electioneering
managers from great States, giving to small
and worthless personages disproporlionate
power. The result is that it has come 10
pass that the selection of candidates and
election of President, instead of being a
power and function spread as equally as
possible over the whole country, is reduced
to few great centres, where the political
machinery OF the few great States is in
play.
The remedy lies in a Constitutional
amendment, prohibiting the election of the
w hnla Cnllaoa on,
we are to amend the Constitution at all,
Mr.. Dana would have us do away with the
Electoral College altogether, and substitute
a direct popular vote for President. The
plan of simple direct voting, counted in
the aggregate, would only extend the area
for the operation of every fraud and mis-.
take to the whole Republic; and the single
course remaining seems to be that of the
people voting directly for President, but
counting the votes by States aud single dis
tricts:
ITO be more explicit, the plan is that each
citizen OF State vote directly for the can
dldate for President whom he prefers. The
candidate having the plurality of votes in
the whole Slate will lie credited with two
electoral votes, and the candidate having
the plurality of votes in any district will
be credited with one electoral vote for each
district which he carries. The result is.
that the plurality in each State counts two
electoral votes, and The plurality in each
district counts one vote. In the last elec.
lion, for instance, Mr.. Tilden would have
had two votes from the State of New York
Of large and Mr. Hayes would have divid-