The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-12-17

1880. che fseyessee~aa eouacaas
J. Msiue gives to that sstaee Legislature
.shscb Viii have the poscr 70 follow I''s
,se,,es Of the New York Republicans O. aha
chos,sa Democratic electors OF pfes.aeHs
saa ysce.presideus. aa New YORK, noW-
ever. the pian scems-ts be for the hepa'.-.
can Legislature TO provide that the efecsofa
shasl be chosen By districts tnessps &c
cur,n1 for the Republican caaaloa'e ios
p.os,den, votes encugh to insure hss esec.
a. ,,nch il toe Scalcuiation,) when aoded
- ,no vo,es OF the, other States r'sieh IL is
sunnosed will certainly vote sbe Republican
ticket: whereas tn Maine the Legislature IS !.
exnected 90 choose the electors ttseif' ano'
q shall do so, will OF course 'ehoose noGe
I.,,t democrats. The Democrats OF Name
vii, NOT. we are sure, resoftio this despe-
rate measure IL II can possibly DE avoided.
7, tbev adsnt such scheme at all, IL VIA
he because they will fees themselves forceo
to do 50 In seii.defence.
Let as see what would be the result II Tue
Maine Legislature shou'a CHOOSE sefeh
Den,ocrat;c electors, and the New 1orR
Ieo;ssmure should provide for choosing The
electors for that State ;isy coDgressiona' s'as.
tr;c,s The solid South casts 1873 electoral
votes and Indiana casts 15--making iSS ID
all IA 1875 are necessary to choice OF
President the Democrats will still neca 90.
They have been calculating all along that
they would get S5 ia New Iork-thfee
more than they need. But the schemes OF
WHICH we speak have "changed all that"
so that they caaeulate to get only Do votes
in New York IL the Stalwart plan IS carried
out This will leave them seventeen peio"
tbc Indispensable number. Maine will give
seven OF these. They will then need only
ten. which they can reasonably calculate
mon getting In New Jersey, Connecticut
Oregon. and Californi2-States wh1ch TO-
gether cast tweatyfour votes. New Jersey
and Oregon weuld givethe needed NUMBER.
So would California and Connecticut. ana
Connecticut, oregon, and California are all
Democratic States.
All these schemes 20 to show that the
country is in disturbed condition. we
are not by any means sure that 1t would not
he the best thing that could happen Tor the
country for the Legislatures OF all the STATES
to choose the electors o! President ana
yice-President, and thus rid The business
men OF the quadrepnial paralysis OF com.
MERGE that seems to result from our excited
presidential campaigns. The contest "onid
In that case be over when the Legislatures
were elected; for the members would feel
as firmly bound in honor as the electors
now do to support the ticket upon Which
they would have been chosen. Fer this reason
the plan ought not to be adopted next year,
as many Of the Legislatures will have been
chosen without reference to the presiden-
tial election. The fathers OF the republic
intended that the electors should each eXer-
else bis own choice in voting for President
and Vice. President. They put the whole
matter under the control Of the State Legis-
latures; and though custom bias substan-
TALLY changed the law of the land, yet the
people have never lost their rights under
the Constitution. 1t would certainly he
sure method OF evading the laws OF Con-
gress which provide that Federal marshals
and supervisors sbalI superintend the cboos.
Ing OF electors of President and Vice-Prest'
dent.