The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-11-11
Rnlupl,l llspatfh.
. ,.r NOVEMBER II, 1879.
$50. IN Naxt President.

T4jESpA1 1850 .ssss ~ ~ y -
New York---The Next President
The importance Of the vote OF New 1ola
N the next presidential election IS felt 20 os
n 80 rrcat and the necessity OF securing Il
ca 90 ;m ratlye, that the papers are full OF
snopest,o,,s on the subject. These are OF
yario,,s sorts, but all look to the one end OF
hayinc that, vote counted on the side OF the
man who makes the given suggestion. " ;,
course everybody knows that 1t was th's
consideration which secured to Dir. flLpks
Tho Democratic nomination 10 1875, ana
which gives him all The strength ne now Q.
has lot thisbe little or much. IL Is TINS
consideration that makes the washington
Post ciau,or for the domination OF Mr. sEf-
Aoun. a gentleman who has repea.ea'y
declined TO be elected Governor OF New
yo,t who could have been elected
to that Office last week il he bad accepted
fhe nomination which In an informal way
was rendered to him last spring-and who
can thoroughly unite the TnDES ana hEI-
Iy men at any time, but whose health IS so
bad that it is hardly to be presumed that any
objective considerations could induce MN
70 agree 10 run for President. Ii IS the
same consideration that iBducesf.Mr BAY.
.pn,s friends to declare so confidently that
he could carry the Empire State. 1t Is Tue
came consideration that has called forth the
combinations of HENDRICKS aud POTTER
..cuURcH and MCDONALD" "TILpEs and
MCDONALD" tBAYARD and MCDONALD
asrYxoUR and MCDONALD" &C., &c.
But the latest OF all the plans for securing
the vote of New York is that set forth in the
following paragraph from the Philadelphia
Times:
II, has been proclaimed BY desperate
partisans that the Republican Governor and
legislature OF New York will attempt to
defeat the anticipated verdict OF the Empire
State on the presidency by providing for the
choice of presidential electors by the Legis'
ture. 1t is in the power OF the Republicans
OF New York to do so, as they have an I'M
scrupulous partisan soon to I'LL the guber-
material chair, and two-thirds vote IN botn
branches OF the Legislature ready to obey
the mandate OF Conkling; but the attempt
to cheat the people OF the first State OF the
Union out OF their verdict in the selection
of President, by Legislature chosen un-
der violent partisan gerrymander OF the
districts. would lose toe Republicans every
dcbatable State in the North. It would be
regarded as q revolutionary effort to make
distrusted and now broken senatorial leader
the dictator OF the presidential battle, and
the Republicans would be defeated by their
own insanity, even with the vote OF New
York stolen from the people"
New York has an undoubttd right to
choose her electors in any manner which
may be provided for by act OF Assembly.
1t was the intention Of the trainers OF the
Federal Constitution that the States should
be perfectly free in this matter. South
Carolina, as we have repeatedly had occa-
sion TO say, always up 10 1880 chose her
electors by vote Of the Legislature. There
is, however, no dispute as to the right OF a
State so to choose her presidential electors.
The argument that "the people, would
thereby be 'scheated out Of their verdict
in presidential election" Is not very
strong one, seeing that this is exactly
what the fathers Of the republic in
tended should be done. They provided
that United States senator's should be chosen
by the Legislatures OF the several States. 1t
was never their intention that the people
should have anything to do with these cleo
tions nor with presidential elections. The
electors Of President and Vice President to
be chosen by the voters were BY the fathers
expected and intended to be entirely indie
pendent Of, and in no way responsible to,
"the people," The Legislature was inter-
posed between the people and the voters in
the one case, and the electoral colleges In
the other. That such was their intention
is abuhdantly evidenced not only by his
tory, but by facts. In 1889 Connec-
ticut cast seven electoral votes for
WASHINGTON, five for JOHN ADAMS, and
two for SAMUEL HUNTINGTON. Virginia
cast ten for WASHINGTON, five for ADAMS,
one for JOHN JAY, one for JOHN HANCOCK,
three for GEORGE CLINTON, and two for no.
body. In 1896, WASHINGTON being out Of
the way, Virginia divided her electoral
votes between seven candidates. It will be
recol!ected that until 1904 the electors
voted for President and Vice-President on
the same ballot, the one receiving the high
est number Of votes being President. So it
is useless to deny the right Of State to
choose its electors as it will. We are not
sure but it will come to that in the end. II
Congress insists upon compelling the cleo
tion of President under the supervision Of
deputy marshals aud supervisors, the con-
sequence, sooner or later, must be that
the electors will in every State be chosen
by the Legislature. 1t will be the last
refuge Of States rights. 1t would save
the country an immense deal OF eX-
element and expense, and allow bust
ness q much better chance than it
now has. AS 1t now is, the country is
all the time in the midst OF some struggle
or other connected with the presidency.
These are suggestions which we,throw out
without intending to justify the Republic
cans Of New York, and indeed without be-
lieving that the said Republicans will dare
to pass such law as the one under consid.
Grafton. The Philadelphia Times warns
them that the southern States would imi-
tate their example, as they would we doubt
not.
Before the "strong man" comes many
wonderful things may happen.