The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-03-14
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ment of the electoral law remedying the de-
fects which have become so painfully appar-
ent during the last six months. We have
narrowly escaped great danger TO which the
imperfect constitution of the electoral system
subjected us, and our escape was due only to
the great common sense of the people and the
high regard for law and order which is dis
tinguishing attribute of the Anglo Saxon
race. But none of us care to subject the
country to such another strain There is a
limit to commonsense and regard for law, a
limit we have approached perilously near.
All parties acknowledge the necessity of re-
form in the electoral system, and the sooner
the reform is effected the better, Now, while
partsanship is comparatively quiet, and be-
fore the issues of the next Presidential cam
paign begin to develop themselves, is the
time when we can agree upon a fair and Just
amendment. Two changes are necessary;
change in the method of choosing electors,
and provision of law for the prompt and
final settlement of disputed elections.
To the consideration of the question of
electoral reform, the Hon. Charles r. Buck
alew OF Pennsylvania, favorably known by
his efforts in favor of minority representa-
tion, contributes in the current number of
the North American Review, an article de-
serving of careful study. The objects which
Mr.. Buckalew believes we should seek to at
tain are: the choice of a President by pop
ular vote as nearly as may be, while presery-
ing the state lines and state power: the
avoidance of the election of President bv
: % - = ait ''Ato: guarding against gross frand
M any one district of state which NAV
carry the WnoTo-~.--.., "H'0n n1"y
and the destruction Of III tie " tnae STATE !;
"pivital states" These objects he believes
would be best achieved by the adoption of
the amendment introduced in the House last
February by Mr.. Mash of Pennsylvaria.
This amendment provides for direct vote fol-
President; retains electoral votes while doing
away with electors and the electoral college
and assigns to candidates electoral votes 10
each state in proportion to popular votes
given to them therein. By this scheme, Mr..
Buckalew thinks, a great defect in the plan
proposed by Mr.. Dana in the last number ol
the Review is obviated. Mr.. Dana desired
that each district in state should choose its
elector; but Mr.. Buckalew fears in that case
a gerrymandering OF the states in the forma
ton of the electoral districts. The Maish
amendment reads as follows:
''The citizens of each state who shall be
rpD nfatiu
shall cast their votes for candidates for Pres i
dent and Vice President by ballot; and prop er
returns OF the votes so cast shall be made under
SEAL within teu days, to the Secretary of State
or other officer, lawfully performing the duties
OF Such secretary IN the government of the
state, by whom the said returns shall be puo-
lcly opened in the presence of the chief execu-
tive magistrate of the state, aud of the chief
justice or judge of the highest court thereof
aud the said secretary. chief magistrate and
luoge shall assign to each candidate voted for,
by sufficient number OF citizens, a propor-
tlOhate part of the electoral votes to which the
state shall be entllted, in the manner following,
that is to say, they shall divide the whole num-
Der of votes returned by the whole number of
the states electoral vote, and the resulting quo
tient shall be the electoral ratio for the state,
and shall assign to candidates voted for one
electoral vo.e Tor each ratio of popular votes
received Oy them respectively, and If necessary
additional electoral votes for successive lareps
tract Obs OF ratio shall be assigned to caudl-
dates voted for until the whole number of the
electoral votes of the state shall be distributed
and the said officers shall thereupon make up
up and certify at least three general return >.
comprising ths popular votes by counties, par
ishes or other principal divisions of the state.
and their appoItlonment of the electoral votes
as aforesaid, and shall transmit two thereof,
under seal, to the seat OF government of the
United States, one directed to the President of
the Senate, and one to the Speaker of the
House OF Representatives, and third unseal-
ed return shall be forthwith filed by the said
secretary in his office, be recorded therein and
be at all times open to inspection
In his paper Mr.. Buckalew does not entire.
y confine himself to the consideration of the
matters embraced in the proposed amend.
ment, though his attention is given to them
in the main. He holds that electoral dis.
putes should, following the English prece.
dent, go to the courts as mere questions oil
law The prohibition of second term he
regards as unwise, and failing of any good,
for. as he shrewdly suggests, an administra.
tionis quite as likely to use its po yer in favor
of a party candidate to succeed it as it would
be to use that power in securing another
| term foritself. This consideration removes
the only strong argument against second
term. Mr.. Buckalew also thinks that there
should be a new arrangement of congression
| al terms and sessions so that an old Congress
| shall not sit after new one is elected, either
| to make laws, or to choose, in case of neces,
| sity, President. But his main endeavor t.
| draw attention to the Maish amendment. AMI
in closing he makes the following compac
statement of the important objects while b,
believes that amendment will secure:
| 1t will very greatly reduce, in fact, almos
| extinguish the chances of disputed election
i by causing the electoral vote OF the state to b.
very nearly a reflex of the popular vote, by con
| lining the effect of fraud and other sinister in
| fuenceS within narrow limits, and by with
drawing the compact, undivided power Of an,
one state from the contest Giving a Just al
lotment of electoral votes to candidates, no
greatly too many or too few, it conforms to tn,
| proper sense of justice and tends to allay pas
sion and prevent controversy. 1t excludes th
temptation to falsity or manipulate election re
turns, by which the whole vote of the stat
may be welded in the interest of party Uu
der it there would be 40 rival electoral college
or double returns of electoral votes; and pivot
states, inviting to protuse money expenditure
TO fraud, and to false returns, would no longe
oe known as conspicuous feature of Presdeu
tial contests
| Pit will render almost impossible tn
election OF a minority candidate 10 contes
between two, and Will in many cases proven
plurality candidate from receiving an unjus
electoral vote, and often from being improper
lyireturned to the house of representatives a
one of the three persons from whom the choic
is to be made, III case where the power o
choice shall devolve upon that House. 1t wi
secure justice by insurlng fair representatio
of the people, and applying the majority ru.
to the electoral instead of the popular vote; L
other words, all the people will be represente
by electoral votes, and the majority princlpl
will be properly applied when the general II
turns of those electoral votes shall be subiecte