The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1877-04-06
Ele ction Of President.

For The next four years at least political
discussion will be much occupied with the i'm
portant question Of a reform of the mode Of
electing President 40 as to avoid the perils
as well as the disgraceful scandals that attend
! ed the late contest. While the defects in the
present system have been long recognized
they were never revealed In so striking a
light as in the contest Of 1875 when unscru-
pulous and desperate partsans were enabled
to employ them in ovcrthrowng the decision
of the ballot The electoral colleges have
been perverted from the original design of
the constitution, and instead of choosing a
President themselves have become superflu- |
Gus part If the political machinery Having !
survived its political purposes and its useful
ness the danger is that the Institution will un.
dergo a still further pnrvcr-iun in some fu.
ture contest and will be used to thwart the
popular will through the corruption or weak
ness of the electors. Another defect Of the
system is that n candidate may be elected
who receives minority of the popular vnte.
In 1860 Mr.. Lincoln receiveda a plurrlity of
the popular votes and a majority of the elcc
tors The candidate next to him in popular
vote was Mr. Douglas with only twelve cleo
tors. Had the election been thrown into the
House Of Representatives Mr. Douglas could
! not have been candidate a, both Breckrn.
ridge and Bell had more electoral votes, ard
the constitution provides that thu houss sha
make choice of President only from the
three candidate highest in electoral votes.
: In the last contest the monstrous prrrersion
, of the republican doctrine of the rule of the
majority is witnessed in the Inauguration of
candidate who received quarter of mil
lion less votes than his competitor. 1t will be
; | said that this result WAS reached through the
most gigantic frauds But it is sufficient
= answer that such result il possible under
e ! the electoral system even without the com.
r mission OF fraud
4 In the opening paper OF the North Ameri-
9 can Review for March h-April entitled 'thc
3. Electoral Commission and its bearings" Mr..
o Buckalew points out these as well AS other de-
: fects in the system Of choosing President
q and determining contests which time and con :
o flict have developed. Though the electoral
ulbputt WIFI u'l tuc lutstlOuS tLht CluSttl
y around it is the burning issue of the present,
e Mr.. Buckalew has been able to keep his tenn
s per under sufficient control to discuss the SUBJ
ject as if it concerned another era and DIFF
ferent planet After ably reviewing the par
tisan work Of the electoral commission and
dismissing it with the remark that as the
Of commission was a temporary expedient it
,y will hardly serve as a model for the future he
E. proceeds to present remedy for the existing
er evil. This brings us to his plan which is en-
bodied in the amendment offered by Mr. rMaish
" in the last Congress, to which we called the
rs attention of the readers of the Patriot at the
be time fits introduction This amendment pro-
mt vides for a direct vote by the people for Pre-.
It. sident and Vice President retains electoral
ot votes as at present while dispensing with
re electors and electoral colleges; and assigns tC
n candidates electoral votes from each state r
on proportion to the popular vote A direc
H. popular vote for Presidena is secured by this
nc plan while politically the power of the small
n Ter states 10 preserved and the objection to the
he choice of President by the whole mass Of
voters is avoided. Mr.. Buckalew shows thai
en- by proportional distributing of votes, as il
in this amendment, the chances of a disputed
cir election such as the last would be almost ex
,ai tinguished; that it excludes the temptation
nd to talsity or manipulate returns that j
to would render almost impossible the election
sir Of minority candidate and that it woult
secure justice by giving fair representation t
nv the people and applying the majority rule tc
tv the electoral instead of the popular vote.
nj will discourage frauds in elections by removing
H. the temptation to commit them. With a ra
y. ito Of thirty thousand for an electoral vote
al fraudulent vote Of ten thousand in Philadel
% phia or New Orleans would mean one-thir,
.v Of an electoral vote instead of meaning til
ba political balance Of power and the decision Q
no a presidential election. In great state lik
10 Pennsylvania or New York fraudulent vot
"A Of even thirty or forty thousand would affeS
-. but one out Of the whole number cast by th
~ state, instead Of transferring the whole thirt
ha or forty electoral votes from one candidate I
,a, the other. The plan of district voting f
no electors, as for members of the house Of rel
resentatives, that has been suggested woul
not extirpate the evil Of corrupt elections, fi
the alance.of-power vote in each distr
would be the object of money expenditul
and evil influence. Ten thousand fraut
ulent votes in state might control half do
ing en- OF more districts, while they would be e
or, tirely lost when counted in the aggrega
the vote of state and assigned to candidates
OF proportion TO the votes received by them.
n' Mr.. Buos alew makes forcibLc argume
eg' against the one term doctrine aud closes Il
'eo paper with the following resume of the cha
NC ges which he proposes: A popular vote f
1u' President and Wee President similar to Il
o.' plan of the Maish amendment. 4 careful
W. drawn statute regulating contests upon ele
'na toral returns. A prohibition Of third pres
l Dental terms Fixed terms of service +
''s subordinate civil oihcer-, 10 I've removal
~ only for cause, and repeal OF 80 much OF Il
'u tenure Of office act AZ authorizes the senate
participate in removals. An arrangement
copgret sional terms and sessions in such MA
ner that an old congress shall not sit aft
90, the election Of new one either 10 enact la
~ or to choose, in u contingency, by a vote
I"e one or the other Of It's houses, President
Vice President Of the United States. p
triot.