Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-11-15

Shalt They BE- Chosen by tho People or BY
tho Le0tsEatures-Ths Last Resort Of State
Rights.
Washington Special (Nov. ll,) to Cincinnati
| .. .s.. Enquirer. T. ~ e.
A leading editorial in to- day's Richmond
Dispatch has attracted considerable atten-
ton here. It is on the subject of the election
of Presidential electors by State legislatures,
instead Of being chosen by the people. 1t
says: 'New York has an undoubted right
to choose her electors in any manner which
mny be provided for by act Of assembly. It
| was the intention of the trainers of tho fed
oral constitution that the States should be
perfectly freo in this matter. south Caro-
lima, az We have repeatedly had occasion to
say, always up to 1860, chose her electors by
. vote of the Legislature. There is, how
ever, no dispute as to the right of State 50
to choose her Presidential electors. The
! argument that "the people, would thereby
be cheated out of their verdict in Presiden-
tlal election, Is not a very strong one, seeing
that this is exactly what the fathers of the
Republic intended should be done. They
provided that United States Senators should
be Ichosen by the Legislatures of the several
States. It was never their intention that
the people should have any thing to-do with
these elections, nor with Presidential cleo.
tions. The electors of President and Vice
President to be chosen by the voters were by
the fathers expected and intended to be en-
tirely independent of and in no way re-
sponsib'e to the people,. The Legislature
was irterposed between the people and the
voters in the one case, and the electoral COL
leges in the other. That such was their in
tention is abundantly evidenced, not only by
history but by facts. In 1889 Connecticut
cast seven electoral votes for Washington,
five for John Adams, and two for Samuel
Huntington; Virginia cast ten for Washing
ton, five for Adams, ono for John Jay, one
for John Hancock, three for George Clinton,
and two for nobody. In 1896, Washington
being out of the way, Virginia d.
vided her electoral votes between
seven candidates. It will be
recollected that until 1904 the electors voted
for President and Vice President on tho
same ballot, the one receiving the highest
number of votes being President. Now, 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. If
Congress insists upon compelling the cleo
ton of President under the supervision of
deputy marshals and supervisors, the conse-
quence, sooner or later, must be that the
electors will in every State be chosen by the
legislature. It will be the last
refuge of States rights. 1t would
save the country an immense deal OF excite
ment and expense, and allow business
much better chance than it now has. AS it
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 Republicans of New York, and,
indeed, without believing that the said Re
publicans will have to pass such law. Be-
fore the Strong man comes many wonder
full things may happen"