Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-04-23
COUNTING THE ELECTORAL VOTE

COUNTING THE ELECTORAL VOTE.
The only topic of political interest now
before Congress is the proposed amendment
to the Joint rules of the two houses relative
to the manner of counting the electoral
votes for President and Vice President
The Democrats have despaired of securing
any legislation by which our electoral sys-
tenn can be radically reformed, for they are
conscious of the fact that any measure
adopted by them would not be approved by
Mr.. Hayes. Their only hope of changing
the present plan, therefore, is by an amend
ment to the rules.
Under the present rule either house of
Congress has the power to have the vote of
any given State thrown out of the count.
The danger of committing such power to
either the Senate or House of Representa-
tives will be readily seen. If the Senate
should happen to be Republican, it would
have the power to throw out the electoral
vote of any Democratic State, and thus again
defraud the people of their choice of a
President. That the party would do so if it
had the power there is no reason to doubt,
for it has proved itself capable of any infa-
my in order to retain power. And if itshould
become necessary to do so resort would be
had to every arti6ce known to politi-
Cal strife-to bribery, intimidation, perjury
or subornation of perjury, or any other of
the despicable and dishonest tricks which
were employed in Louisiana and Florida
during the contest of 1877. Fortunately
there is not immediate danger of their being
able to accomplish such an outrage upon the
people next year, as both houses of Congress
are safely in the hands of the Democracy.
But accidents might happen. The death of
five Senators the Democrats from Ohio, New
York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Cali
fornia-would throw the control of the Sen
ate into the hands of the Republicans, and
although such fatality is not likely to oc-
cur it is within the range of possibilities.
The amendment proposed to the rules in
regard to this matter provides that the con-
currence of both houses shall be required to
secure the rejection of the electoral vote OF
any State. In case Of contest as to the reg
ularity of any set of electors, the judicial
power shall be vested in both houses. This
amendment, we believe, will commend it
self to the best sense of the country. 1t will
take the power to perpetrate a great wrong
upon the people out of the hands of few
INSCRIPTIONS partisans, and commit the
most sacred rights of freemen to the hands
of majority of their representatives in
both branches of Congress.
AS we have already said, we would prefer
that the President and Vice President should
be elected directly by the people without the
interposition of the senseless and cumbrous
electoral colleges. Such change in our
system, however, would involve an amend
ment to the constitution, and if it received
the Presidents approval would have to re-
ceive the concurrence of three-fourths of the
States. This is tedious process, and it is
probable that before the amendment went
into effect great mischief might be done
Under the circumstances Congress cannot dc
better than by amending the joint rules in
the manner indicated.