, 1877-03-17


We have presented from time to time the
various pians which have been proposed for
tue Improvement Of the system OF electing
the President of the United States. In the
light OF recent events, there can be no SUBJ
ject moro important to the national peace
than that Of securing fair and honest ex~
preston of the popular will. Fraud is one
of the easiest methods of defeating an hon.
est election, aud yet there is nothing moro
difficult TO detect, to punish, or to remedy.
The present system offers great Inducements
to fraud It makes the whole Electoral vote
Of q State dependent on bare majority Of
the popular vote Of that State. The four
States Of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio,
and Illinois have 115 Electoral votes, and, in
an ordinary close election, the result may
depend upon the vote Of either Of these
1arge States, 4 fraud Of 5000 votes in New
York may change thirty-tivc Electoral votes
from one to the other, and q like fraud in
Pennsylvania would change twenty-ninc,
Ohio twenty two, and Illinois twenty-one
Electoral votes. So long as the whole
Electoral vote of State depends on q bare
majority Of the popular vote, SO long is q
hrge reward for fraud held out to encourage
aud invite fraud. A fraudulent count Of
few Thousand votes in Ohio would have
given T11DES the vote OF that State, and tho
fraudulent count OF even less numHin
Indiana aud Connecticut would have given
both those States to HAYES.
The two plans now most conspicuous1y
before the country are those prepared by
Senator MonroS, of Indiana, and by cx-Sen-
ator BUcKA1Ew, Of Pennsylvania. We have
discussed both Of these plans in detail, and
it is only necessary now to state briefly their
operation:
l. Senator MoETox's plan provides that
each voter shall vote directly for President
and Vice-President, and the persons having
the highest number Of votes in the, State
shall be entitled to the two Electoral votes
Of the State at large; and that the persons
having the highest number Of votes for
President, in each Congressional District,
shall he entitled to the Electoral vote Of that
district, aud the Electoral vote Of cach
State shall be apportioned, first. two votes
for the State at large TO the candidate having
the highest popular vote in tue whole State;
and one Electoral vote for each Congressional
District to tie candidate having the popular
majority in tLat district.
: 2. Afr. BCcEALEw's plan is to have voters
vote in each State directly for President;
that the aggregate vote for President be di-
vided By the whole number Of Electoral
rotes to which the State is entitled, aud the
quotlent will bo Tie rntio on which the Elect
oral vote shall be divided between the candi-
dates in proportion TO the popular vote re-
ceived by each.
Both of these plans provide for breaking
up the present unfair system Of having the
whole Electoral vote of each State given to
the majority of the popular vote, and are
commendable because they reduce the pre-
MUM on fraud to one OF two votes in o
State, instead Of from six to thirty-6ye
votes, as now. To 1Ir. Monrox's plan it is
strongly objected that it offers an increased
inducement to partisan majorities in State
Legislatures to act unfairly and dishonesty
in forming Congressional Districts. To Mr..
BucKA1Ew's plan it is objected that the ma
]ority in many States would he deprived Of
any advantage to which majorities are Justly
entitled in all elections In eve r. State
where the Electoral vote was an even num-
beE, such as i, s, s, 10, lG, 20, and so on,
and the popular majority was less than
10000, the Electoral vote Of the State
would be equally divided between the can
didates, and this result being known long
befQre tha alacfinn all inducamant for ..t,ta.r