The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-05-30
TIE CHOICE or 4 President.
Senator Benton's Plan for Doing Away with
the Electoral College.

To THE EDITOR OF The SUN-Sir' In
n recent issue OF THE Sun one of your cor
respondents mentioned with favor n plan for
oecting President proposed by ex-senator
Buckalew. / desire TO say few words with
reference to plan presented fifty years ago by
Senator Benton. While, under the plan Of Mr..
BIckalew. the emergency which threatened the
country two years ago could hardly occur again.
II is not always safe to take the solemn stop OF
amending the Constitution to afford n tempo
rary remedy for my existing evil. To afford
complete and permanent relief so serious
step should accord with the natural tendencies
Of public sentiment. SO far all progress has
been toward a more complete enfranchscment
Of citizens.
The system proposed by Benton provided.
not only for the election. but for the not loss inn
portant function of the nomination Of Prcsi-
dent. In substance, his plan was to hold two
elections, the people voting direct for Prcsi-
dent at once. and il no majority resulted. n sec
ond was held between the two persons who
had received the highest numbers Of votes.
This plan was intended to do away with all
intermediate bodies between the people and the
man Of their choice. Mr.. Benton contcndcd
that the will Of tho people was liable to be frus-
trated by small bodies at every stage Of the pro-
cess Of election. First and chiefly. by small po-
second. by tho Electoral College; and third, by
the Congress in case tho electors failed TO mako
II choice, II he were living now he might have
added a, BODY smaller than, any OF tlesc..th
Electoral Commi ssion. He believed with Mon
tesquicu that upon the manner oi regulating
the suffrage depends the destruction or saliva
ton OF States; and after deyoing his life 20
the ngitation Of this subject. he penned upon
the flnal page othis great political work the dec
laratiOn that If what he had written would
rouse the people to the resumption OF their
electoral privileges. then it would not have been
Calhoun Btlrpu HuNuN
and other leading State rights advocates saw
nothing in the Electoral College especially
worthy Of preservation. and all OF those mon
toned united with Benton in recommending
his plan. II was Calhoun. who. in character
Hing the political conventions declared il inn
possible to form scheme more perfectly calcu-
lated 20 annihi late the control Of the people over
INC Presidential election aud vest 1t in those
who live or expect TO live on the Governments"
The prevailing temper Of the people - to rebel
against dictation. not only in national. but in
state and municipal affairs. They are beginning
to awake to the fact that an election Is Invested
OF its vital characteristic when II amounts To-
nothing but "A forced choice between the rrur,,-
scntutivcs Of two cliuues aud they do not see
the force OF a provision OF the Constitution,
adopted on the presumption that the electors
would form a body having an independent
judgment. which prevents Oflcchodcrs from
participating in an electoral collesce Of automa-
tons while the vital function OF election Is prpc-
ideally discharged by two political conventions
illed with OfiicehOlders With such Influences
controlling the public Will, battling for the con
trol OF an almost unlimited patronage there
need be no surprise when great public rights
nrc set aside because they stand In the way Of
The plan Of Benton would not have fully ac-
complished its purpose. slight change would
make 1t efficient TO that end. The candidates Of
the various parties could be- Identified ana the
person Of each of the two leading parties hav-
INK the most votes should he voted between at
The second election, II second election be-
came necessary.
1t is important that the majority principle
should be preserved. This has been properly
called the vital principle Of republics. The con-
sent OF the people can De inferred from the
agreement OF no number less than n majority.
The choice Of n smaller number than majority
presumes the existence OF a physical force sui
iicient to overcome the party successful NJ the
election. 10y revolutionary means. In praNiee.
when third parties have been In the held. the
candidate for President. who WINS elected by n
plurality vote. would have been in the minority
II the choice OF the people had been limited to
himself and his principal oDponent. Clay was
deteated ny Birney representing the hiri party.
Cass by Van Burcn. and Douglas by Br ( IA
ridge. assuming the choice had depenlrt anon
the popular vote. Polk. Taylor. AMI Lrp"oln
We're all plurality candidates, reprrsrntinR
really minority public sentiment. u ne. the
final election should be limited 70 two candi-
Natts hhu ehcn % tnc Two shoulu DE the repie-
sentative 81 a leading party. Under the present
system third po tical force OF less than five per
cent. performs gil tie functions exercised by
the whole people. after the nominations are
made. for it Gun elect or defeat either Of the two
eAcfitft.tirh Yrorlifed niRh 81 Bentohfs sSyafSl
candidates would he presented 10 each party
discussion at the nominating election: and In
the selection OF these qualities Is involved hon
81 " NfiIhlk NNNtIuiututs the Test OF illness
would he honesty and capacity; eNercisinu n
choice within the party. without endangering
me party success or principles. political indr-
pendence would be the rule Of public action
rather than the exception.
Local affairs would soon be divorced from
national politics 10y applying the plan 10 Stntos
limited tg one candidate Of each party the
cholee nt the people is necessarily pnr-
tisan The moment the momhors Of oa"b
party may s"l"'t between several candf-
dates. the party bond II broken. and the minor
liY Ike the Demo rats in Iowa now virtually
dlsiranrhised. would sock release from tneir
situation 10y casting an effective vote for tho
numlnHtiou Cd. some political opponent rather
mated would be certainly defeated. The break
ing up OF parties would result in a demund fOr
a different political test To define the political
relation Of the voter. and the two candidates
nominated would represent opposite sides If
the local or Stute policies properly involved i'm
the election. each of which would be- sustained
10y force confident OF victory. and therefore
,NfllS hhl'ued National issues would be- the
dividing line only at Presidential or national
elections. :, d. c. MCMILLAN.