The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-02-27
OUR ELECTORAL SYSTEM.
A Proposal to Change the Manner of
Choosing President.

| ~ FF0puNut 10 Nhuukt v
Choosing President.
WASHINGTON, February 25.-Mr. Bick
nell, from the Committee on the Electora
Count, to-day submitted a joint resolution
proposing an amendment to the Constitu
ton Of the United States, together with
long report. The proposed amendmen
provides that the President OF the Unitet
States shall be elected by the people OF thu
several States. The machinery Of an elec
tion under the proposed amendment Is Il
be the same as now in all its genera
features.
A wide departure Is that which pre-
scribes that "the Electoral votes and frac
tions thereof OF each person voted for as
President in any State shall be ascertained
by multiplying his entire popular vote by
the number OF the States Electoral vote
and dividing the product by the sum oil
all votes cast in the State, and the quo.
tient will be the required number" When
the returns have been sent to the Presi.
dent OF the Senate they shall be counted
by that officer in the presence OF both
houses, sitting in the hall OF Representa-.
tives, and it shall require concurrence oi
both houses to reject
The report Is very long and goes into
the history OF the different Presidential
elections in some detail. The present sys-
ten was adopted at the birth. Of the re-
public, and was far from being popular
then. 1t has never been considered safe
by thinking men, and the events OF the
last Electoral count amply demonstrated
this danger. This system, the report
says, was based on distrust Of the people.
1t has shown that the Electoral vote does
not necessarily represent the peoples will,
and, when honestly cast, is but partly an
expression OF the popular votes.
"The electoral system" continues the
report, "is not merely useless, it is full oi
danger and difficulty. 1t is peculiarly
open TO treachery and fraud, and has
brought tho nation TO the verge Of anarchy
and ruin. The effect has been to increase
the relative power Of the large States.
It has happened that. the vote oil
New York, cast solid by q general
ticket has decided the entire Presidential
election by a few thousand majority. In
the election OF 1875, eleven counties might
have decided the election, with an aggre.
gate majority Of not more than 10000
against an aggregate majority of half a
million in twenty-seven other States.
Where the parties in State are nearly
equal, successful fraud may carry the en-
tire State, aud settle the question for all
the States"
This system has become peculiarly
odious to the American people, and FIVE
times in the last sixty years propositions
looking to direct election OF the Presi-
dent by the people have passed the Senate.
Andrew Jackson urged reform in this
direction iu his eight annual messages.
Gen. Jackson said: "The evils which can
be clearly traced to the organic defeat in
the Constitution OF the United States
ought not TO be overlooked through too
scrupulous veneration OF the work Of our
ancestors"
The report advocates an election by a
plurality vote rather than by majority
one, for the reason that by this system an
election would rarely be sent 10 the
House. As the law now stands an cleo
ton by the House might result in the
choice OF the candidate who had the least
number OF votes. This committee have
had this subject under discussion for a
long time, and the amendment proposed,
seems on the face Of it, to be very fair
one. Itis by no means certain, however,
that It will be considered by the House al
this session.