The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-03-13
Constitutional Anne ndments Relating
10 the Election snd Tenure OF the
President.

menueu Dy PreSldent Hayes IN his ihau-
| gural address has good chances of success If
pushed at the approaching extra session and
coupled with other needed amendments re-
lating to the method of choosing the Presi-
dent Mr.. Hayes merely recommended
the extension of the Presidential term
to six years with ineligibility of the
incumbent. But the recent trouble
some dispute, settled by makeshift
which ought never to be repeated, has con-
WINGED the country that the mode OF cleo
ton and of deciding contests after the votes
have been cast needs radical reconstruc-
ton. The people at large have liveller
sense of the necessity for changing the
method of election than for limiting the
President to q single term. But the already
existing public opinion in favor of an amend
ment which the new President did not no.
tice is favorable to the success of the one
which he recommended. The people dep
recate perpetual tinkering of the consti-
tuition, and the imperative necessity for
changing some parts of it which relate to
the Executive predisposes them to have oil
desirable changes made at once The one
term amendment alone might fail through
public apathy, in spite of its acknowledged
Importance but since the constitution is
to undergo important changes there will be
a general wish to make them so complete rs
to insure stability and permanencc in the
article which relates to the President 1t is
not expedient to rebuild dilapidated edifce
plecemeal. The second article of the con-
stitution has utterly failed in practice
The Presidential electors are n sham the
system is SO arranged that the candidate
having the smallest number of popular votes
may be legally elected; when there is no
choice by the electoral colleges moribund
House of Representatives, elected more
than two years previous and not rejecting
the popular sentiment of the time, chooses
the President there is no provi-
sion for settling disputed questions;
the electoral votes for any can
didate bear no proportion to the
popular votes no may have received; and, in
short, the whole method both in substance
and in detail, is repugnant to equity and
common sense. We have tolerated it SO long
by the mere force of custom and indisposi-
ton to change; but our recent narrow escape
from dangerous civil connections has
opened the eyes Of the country to the full
magnitude of the evil. 1t is universally felt
that change is indispensable before another
Presidential election, and we must avail
ourselves Of the occasion to make all the
changes in that article of the constitution of
which long experience has demonstrated the
necessity.
As to the future method of electing our
Presidents the plan advocated by ex-Sena-
tor Buckalew in the last number of the
North american Reuie,o deserves discussion
and consideration. 1t is proposed in this
plan that tho people vote directly for the
candidates they prefer without the alb
surd Intervention of Presidential electors,
but that each State shall be entitled to the
same number Of electoral votes as at pres
ent. BY Mr.. Buckalew's plan these electoral
votes are to be divided in each State be-
tween the candidates in proportion to the
number Of popular votes they may respec-
lively receive. We cannot at present ex-
plain the details of this plan but great
deal may be said in favor of its principle,
and not much, perhaps, against it. But
whatever method of election is adopted it is
our strong conviction that the President
should be limited to one term, as recon-
mended by President Hayes.
1t must be borne in mind that Mr.. Hayes
has not proposed novelty. He is far
enough from being the originator Of the
idea. For moro than two genera
tons statesmen and publicists who diff
fered on all other questions have agreed in
deprecatng the re-eligibility of our Presi-
dents. 1t was the chief objection of Jeffer-
son to the constitution when he first re-
ceived copy of it in Paris. jackson, in
his first annual Message, recommended an
amendment giving the election of the Presi-
dent to direct vote of the people and
making him ineligible for second term.
Henry Clay, the greatest of Jacksons an
tagonists, quite agreed with him on this
point, and necessarily urged an amend
ment limiting the President to one
term. When tho Southern States seeded
they put this reform into their constitution,
which was in most respects transcript of
the federal constitution, expecting to make
it more popular by SO manifest an improve
ment Mr.. Tilden in his letter of accept
ance sought to enhance his popularity by
strong declaration in favor of the one term
principle and of the necessity of making it a
part of the constitution. The most enlight-
ened European critics of our institutions,
like De Tocqueville in the last generation
and John Stuart Mill in our own time, have
strenuously maintained that the re-eligibility
OF our Presidents is cardinal vice of our
political system. No valid answer has
ever been made to their arguments. 1t is
said, indeed, that the President is always a