The Portland daily press., 1880-02-27
THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE.
Mr.. Bicknell's Plan for Choosing Presi-
dent-Proposed Abolition of the Elec-
toral System

MT. blckneuS Plan for Choosing PreSi-
dent-Proposed Abolition of the Elec-
toral System.
=, WASHINGTON, Feb. 26.-Mr. Bicknell from
ted in the House joint resolution Yesterday
proposing an amendment to the Constitution
OF the United States, together with long re-
port. The amendment provides that the Presi-
dent OF the United States shall be elected by
the people of the several states. The machin
cry of an election under the proposed amend
ment is to be the same as now in all general
features. A wide departure is that which
prescribes that ''the electoral vote and frac-
tlons thereof of each person voted for as Presi-
dent IN any state shall be ascertained by null
tlplylng his entire popular vote therein by the
number OF the states electoral vote and divid-
ing the product by the sum of all the votes
cast IN the state, and the quotient will be the
required number" When the returns have
been sent to the President of the Senate they
snail pc counted BY that officer in the presence
OF both Houses, sitting in the hall of Represent
tatives, and it shall require the concurrence of
both Houses to reject.
The report is very long and goes into the
history OF the different Presidential elections
in some details. The present system was
adopted at the birth of the Republic, and was
lar from being popular then. 1t has never
been considered safe by thinking men, and the
events OF the last electoral count amply de-
monstrated this danger This system, the re-
FoAo Soy % was uaoeu Oh ulSCruSG OF the people.
1t was shown that the electoral vote does not
necessarily represent the peoples WILL and
when honestly cast is but partially an express
sion of the popular vote. 1.-THE electoral vs.
tenn" continues the report els not merely use-
less, it is full of danger and difficulty; it is pe
9euIlariy open to treachery and fraud and has
brought the nation to the very verge OF an
archy and ruin. The effect has been to in
crease the relative power of the large states.
1t has happened that the vote of New York
cast solid by general ticket has decided the
entlre residential election by few thousand
majority. In the election of 1876, eleven con.
tguous states might have decided the election
with an aggregate majority of not more than
io,Uoo votes, against an aggregate majority of
half million votes in q other states. Where
the parties in state are nearly equal, sue
cessful fraud may carry the entire state, and
settle the question for all the states.'' This
system has become peculiarly odious to the
American people" and five times in the last
ten years propositions looking to direct cleo
ton of the President by the people have pass
ed the Senate. Andrew jackson urged a re-
form in this direction in his eight annual
messages. Gen. jackson said: 1.-THE evils
which can be clearly traced to the organic de-
fect IN the Constitution of the United States
ought not to be overlooked through too scru-
pulous veneratlon OF the work of our ances-
tors''
The report advocates an election by a plu-
rallty vote, rather than by q majority one. for
the reason that by this system an election
would rarely be sent to the House. AS the
law now stands an election by the House
might result in the choice of the candidate
who had the least number of votes The com
mittee have had this subject under discussion
for long time, and the amendment proposed
seems on the face Of it to be very fair one.
1t is by no means certain, however, that it will
be considered by the House at this session.