The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-04-11
The Proposed New Method OF FL.
Getting a President aud Vice
President Of the United states

Baltimore American.
After the country had safely emerged
from the unprecedented danger that
threatened 1t during the tendency oil the
late Presidential controversy there was
no public demand more urgent than that
Congress- should at ono turn Its atten-
lion 10 such u revision OF the laws gov.
Gaming the electoral count "a should pro:
vide insurance against the occurrence Of
another such delicate situation. we
found that neither the Constitution nor
tbes statutes were sufficient in an emer.
pency Of the kind, and while the country
accepted q settlement at the hands Of the
extra constitutional Tribunal established
by Congressional enactment, It was uni.
yersally felt that It would not be wise to
depend for the future upon a similar
make.shift, and that the whole problem
should be determined by legislation that
would have permanent value and force.
II had, indeed, been long foreseen by some
OF u ablest statesmen that u mode oil
electinga President was unsatisfactory
and liable 10 provoke serious consequen.
cea, but Congress could never be brought
10 an earnest consideration OF the subject.
The late Senator Morton took great inter.
eat In II, and for years past had, ut each
session, suggested various plans Of re.
form and submitted measures designed TO
cary them into effect, but he failed to
persuade his colleagues 70 do anything
more than discuss them. When this Con.
press met both the House and the Senate
appointed committees upon revision Of
The electoral laws, and, Notwithstanding
the great importance OF the matter, they
have been singularly remiss and tardy in
their duty Of considering 1t. The Senate
eommitte has, we are told, held but two
or three meetinga, and out Of them moth
iug practical has come. The House com:
mittee has been rather morediligent, and
Ii. now prepared to submit a proposition
for an amendment to the Constitution in
teuded 10 make the Electoral College the
representatives OF the will Of the major
ity Of the people.
This plan Is simple and easily compre.
hensible. 1t proposes that the electoral
yotes and fractions thereof Of each per-
son voted for as President in any State
shall be ascertained by multiplying his
entire popular vote therein by the whole
number OF electoral votes Of the State,
and dividing the aggregate popular vote
Of the State Tor all persons voted for as
President and the quotient shall be the
number OF electoral votes and fractions
thereof TO which such person shall be
entitled, using for such fractions three dec.
finals and no more. A little figuring will
show the practical workings Of this. meth:
cd. Letus take, for instance, the case OF
MARYLAND at the election Of 1876. Mr.. Til
den's vote 81, ne; Mr.. Hayes, II 1880; total,
l6S,759. Multiplying Mr.. T~ilden'syote byS
The number OF electors to which this
State IL entitled) gives a product Of 7S4,
2S2. Now divide this product by the
popular vote and We get a quotient the
fractions being expressed In decimal
t~housandths, OF Ass, which would be his
proportion Of the eight electoral votes.
The multiplication Of Mr.. Hayes' vote
Of 1880 BY 8 yields q product OF 6T5,
$40, which, when also divided by 16S,759,
shows 4 quolient Of S,5l7, aud this would
DO Hayes proportion Of the eight. The
addition Of the two quotients makes ex-
actly the eight. The election returns
used in this calculation are taken from
the Tribune almanac, and may not be Off.
cially exact, but as We are merely chow.
Ing the process that u proposed, any dis.
etepaney does not affect the explanation.
When the Electoral College meets II would
count the votes aud fractions Of votes
each candidate received, aud the one hay-
log the majority would be declared cleo.
Il will be seen at a glance that the OBJ
feet Of this plan Is To- secure minority rep
resentation. According 10 the existing
system a minority in any State Is COM
pletely sWamped under the majority,
which carries all the electoral votes Of
that State with Il, while the Constitution.
al amendment TO be submitted would ap.
portion those votes accordiugto the actual
numerical ratio prevailing between the
majority and the minority. It is too soon
to pass judgment uponi II yet for We pre-
fer 10 wait 70 hear what will be said for
and againItit when Il issubiected TO the