, 1880-12-05
Malone, Of Virginia, on the Pres
ent Mode Of EIecting
President.
He Would Have National Conven-
tions and Electoral Colleges
Done Away With,
Judge Gresham Withdraws from the Sena-
torial Fight in Indiana.

OF. fAUL, Mlnn., Dec. IA gentleman Oh
this city, formerly an intimate friend Of
Senator-eect Malone, OF Virginia, lately ad-
dressed to him letter inquiring his views
upon the substitution Of some other method
Of choosing President than by National
Conventions and Electoral Colleges. His re-
ply, which is full and exhaustive discus
sion OF the subject, contains some passages
showing incidentally his position upon the
questions of State and National sovereignty
and the future Of the South. Following are
extracts from
HIS LETTER.
We're constrained to express an opinion
would say that most Of the evil which has
befalen this country, and FROM which the
larger danger lies to our free institutions
may be directly traced to '' the lust Of power
and pride Of place." The masses OF the
people in TACT have but a small hand In
shaping, perfecting, or even Indicating the
policy of public atfairs-State or Federal.
The cares of this world, Involving the gain
of livelihood and the accumulation of wealth,
absorb the attention of the great bulk, while
the ambitious Of fame and power and the
sordid hummer, whose effort of life
is place, have been permitted to
assume the high prerogative and responsible
services Of giving Torin and fashion to that
policy which they may conceive will
HEST sUBsERVE THEIR OWN PROMOTION,
advance the general we]fa1n If = ct,mmon
country In = ward. self has hecome tha
substitute. for country, and personal adj
vantage the measure of patriotism. fully
agree that National Conventions t% are not tn the
measures which should or could promise to
the country its restoration to the path Of
virtue and patriotism. Far be it from 1neto
say that pure men and wise measures have
not been proposed by such. conventions
l mean only to say that in the nature
of things, looking to the mode and fashion of
such Conventions. They are not the kind Of
machinery best promotiye OF the general
so1ELy~ro PARTY AscESDEScr,
ond cnrgaet tho maoeuree which thav think
vii hssf attract ard hid fhe nonnlar s1,1r
port. The theory of the Government is in
antagonis,n With both CONVERSATIONAL and
Nnt;onnI coucnsns NJ conventions and the
ren,,dv vnn snrgnat, might suffice to cure tha
avii II {on, ny barn canns the ditf;cnits, those
who would control the eIectOral machinery
were inbued with a loftier patriotism than
| those who now control delegations to
| National Conventions. Parties would
still exist and party ends would still control,
| and at last tie Stale Electoral Board might
| BECOME mere recorders Of the party fat.
| Yet, withal, this might not be quite so full
| Of evil as Congressional caucuses or Nation
IL
| to the former, but in the absence Of any
| party indicator might not the necessity Of
| The case require return to it or the worse
agencies
| n..:.aI !A11A. 1,e...'d So =, rsa ,
feeafu Naslonal Cqhvent19ns III 1ne st' same
1gat d ~ - 5uu 4ha ~ tu ~ hattar n,nde fnr
| a1lu take .Ae eAahSTs ~ De.tEa n'oue , ~ ~
NAV io he +ha " bout 1nnde Is that sne
rss}ed ,v von hardly think It
| ~
70 below the surface and reach down to the
people themselves {the seat Of power), and
| stimulate them to act for themselves and by
themselves in the execution of the great act
| Of sovereignty,--the choice of their agents to
begin at the very bottom, al: the fountain
head of all political power, and to commence
| it Alright and complete it successfully, we
| must educate the people, not only to the true
s. but as to their duties and responsibilities as
| such. $.
SURE PROCESS,
SLOW. indeed. and possibly tho slow, for the
eyigencies Of the OCCASION. Were some few
| Of the States tn resolve on the reform, while
the bulk held to the existing practice, we
would have the choice Of President remitted
to the Lower ucuse OF Congress,Can evll
even greater than any system heretofore
practiced: 1t might be that ny changing the
Federal Constitution SO that the election OF
President might DC directly by the people,
that it should approximate the real condition
Of the country resultant upon the late Civil
War, which practically has declared that
Nation ~aen hpp[led hs s1,an 70 ne 1 dfaea1 M Gy
This, Of course, would subyert the idea that
the States elected the President and infringe
OIL their rights of sovereignty, claim which
is rather sentimental now than real. and yet
when personal application IS made
IS AS POTENT IN MASSACHUSETTS
rertait nroyisions of the Federal Constitution
as injurious to her honor and her dignity: or
as when she refused to ald tn war which
She regaraen Us H ~ h;nh ~ ee. rn,' ieoi
May nay he he raachef n by another and probably
more effective WayI That is BY drop