The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-04-28
THE LESSON or 1876.
The Constitutional Amendment Proposed by
Mr.. Buckalew Of Pennsylvania.

NIT. o.
To THE EDITOR OF THE SUN-Sr: have
heretofore suggested that the danger OF n dead
lock between the two Houses OF Congress. such
as that which resulted in the proclamation Of
Fraudulent President in 1877. might be avoided
by an amendment TO the Constitution. proyid-
ing that the House should count the votes for
President aud the Senate the votes for Vice.
President. It was held by respectable au-
thority while the great fraud OF 1876 was in
course Of consummution. that the above was the
true Interpretation Of the present language Of
the Constituton-and perhaps the purpose
might bc effected by joint decaratory resolu-
ton. This or some other equally simple device
is necessary. unless we are willing TO incur the
danger Of usurpntion or civil war whenever the
two Houses Of Congress are controlled by differ-
cnt political parties in the year Of the Presden-
tial election. This ia vastly more important
than tho correction Of any other vice in the cleo
toral system. because 1t vitality concerns the
pence Of the country.
But there are other reforms with which the
present Congress will no doubt be called upon
70 deal.
This is. or ought to be- government Of the
people and by the people But is It so in fact
After the Returning Boards had excluded as
many votes rs they saw NJ in Louisiana. South
| Carolina. and Florida. Mr. Tden still had
| 1854 j7 against 4 033 $50 'or Hayes. giving Mr.
| Tden n majority Of 1856 900. But Hayes WIS
| declared the President. notwithstanding the op-
| position o. this great majority OF the qualified
! electors. II D. nothing 10 the present purpose
| TINT This WAS done Illegally and irnuiuleuiiy 10y
the Intervention ~ AN un constitutional tribunal
and a false count of the electoral votes 1t might
| have been honestly and legally done. Under
| signed To- each candidate usually bear no Just
| proportion to the popular votes received 10y
| him. Mr.. Lincoln. at his first election was in
"a mi n IA ~
and ' vet he i Lad ANN mSorty 81 i23 out OF 500
| electoral votes. and. unlike Hayes. was legally
| chosen. But a system which admits OF such
| results ls certainly III u'ed OF reform. Besides
| the essential injustice OF the thing, and It's Ut
| ter incongruiy IN n government supposed TO
| le popular. W. cannot expect that all minority
! Pres dents Will turn out Us fortunately rs Mr..
| LINCOLN did. Hayes, for instance. would have
! mad" very shabby hgure IN history. even had
! ne been legally elected. H. will carry not only
| the brand of Fraud, hut all the marks II yacil
/ Mtiou imh'ciity. and hypocrisy which We
naturally look for in tho accidental candidate
| nin.anrs and rr,ectrd by the people il pu.he
| into Iln'e 10y parcel of seli-seekinE cons ira-
| turs. Hereafter men viii forget about the great
| and good minority Presid mis-. ana remember
| uutl ih" system, the ABUSE ol whlcn proIuced
him. is so amended As 10 prevent another c','sn-
| iiy of the sumo kind.
Thore have been since the great fraud many
| ESSAYS toward the reform which that event
| showed To be necessary; but most OF them,
| bang crude and ill-contrved either too radi-
cal or too cluhoritc-ucNer gut beyond the stage
| of printing and reference. But the plan ma
| turrd by ex-senator Buckulev Of Pennsylvania.
and introduced IN Congress by representative
MaSh. rs worthy OF the most careful consdera-
ton. II AhOll-hrs the electoral colleges aud the
| general ticket system. and gives To the minority
| in rach State voice IN almost exact proportion
| 10 lis strength. Mr. Bueknlcw says of il:
The amendment may bee conveniently comprised under
three heHd- of remark First 10 provides Tor direct vote
hy people President aud Vice Presidents second,
10 retains electoral votes as ~ present while dispensing
with aud electoral colleges and hird II assigns
ton Vn. u|tr votes received bv them therein. lhs
u. feature the plan !. peculiar 20 ~, and, taken with
te nrrs. presents complete scheme OF constitutional
! amendment
Under this scheme tho election Of q minority
candidate in n contest between two would be
impossible, and in u contest between three or
more tho thror having the highest number OF
popular instend of tho highest number OF
electoral votes. would be returned TO the House
~ Representatives when the choice constitu-
tiouuiy devoved upon that body. The plan
| would eNtiTpute almost every form OF corrup-
ton. fraud. and intimidation rs now practisrd
In Presidential elections. because the general
result could not be sufficiently affected 10y these
means To make il worth while toapply them. 4
swiudle H. gigantic rs that performed los Wells
ami Anderson for the benefit 81 Hayes would
matter how many votes might be udded to or
suhtracted from those lawfully in the boxes,
the remaining minority in each State would be-
fully represented by It's proper proportion OF
electoral votes. There would he no solid
South and no united North" for the voices
| of tine D"Wunratic minority in New England
and ~ the Republican minority IN the cotton
Stuins would be ~ potent ~ the voice OF the
same number of electors anywhere else. C.