American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1880-07-31

NA'Att'A
The St. Louis G!ob, ID, m"craf,
the leading Republican paper III the
West, IN >tcw OF the indications,
thai il lett to direct vote of the
people, Hancock and English will
he elected, has proposed that III the
Nuriheru States NhIch have Repub
Ilcan Gnvcruo:s and Legislatures,
the Presidential electors snail he
appointed 10y the Lrgi~la ures there .
o.. The Cube Dcmoc. at says that
these have 1t it III their power TO
secure Il publican President be-
You'd peradventure by simply
changing their mode OF appointing
Presidential electors" and adds
Tn, re would be nothing i'll such
action by the eighteen States HAYS
ing Republican Governors and Leg
lslalures, or any OF the other States.
subveI sive of popular rights, or in
the slightest degtee revolutionary.
1t would he nothing iuore than the
exercise OF party supremacy through
% Legitimate legislative channel,
for the sake Cf more surely attain>
ing party end. 1t would be per>
fectly legitimate exercise OF IA pow-
er vested in he Stale Legislatures,
ana cnuid 0e aSSaiied on no other
ground than that the party which
controls the Legislatures will profit
by Il, and not their opponents Ii
! would not be necessary, III order tn
eject IA Republican President, for
all the eightee 5 aies to appoint
their delegates in this way. Only
those which they, the Democracy,
bias he temeri' Y to claim ii prospect
oil carrying would require to be ta
ken out of the doubtful column aud
transferred to the list of certalp
States 10 insure IL republican victo-
~" Tins is the language of the
! Republican oiy gan. the ST. I4nni-
Republican (Democratic) answers
1t well and FULLY in Saying that it is
IL confessed hopelessutss of the
election of Ga, field and Arthur
q hat the proposition. i'll plain words.
is That there shall not he any Press
SltCtib ANbi
the whule subj ct shall be taken
out of the hands of he people of
eighteen NJIt lern States and given
to Legislatures chosen IL year ortwu
years ago; that the canvass shalt
be absolutely closed In these States
and all popular discussion OF the
merits OF the two tickets and plat
forms ended ami the question sub
m il ted 10 IL tribunal whose opinions
are already known aud whose de-
cisIon can he infaliibly predicted
There wonld be ii Presidential elvc>
,ion in the Democratic States as
usual, Tor the Republicans Ave no
power to prohibit it there, bat IL
| the R-pub lean States the people
shall t,e declared f ON their ancient
privilege, aud restricted To the
harmless pas'ime of sucaing ilIeil
thumbs, while Republican J.egs!a-
lures usurp their authority and
perform their work for them. o
course The contest between Han
cock and Garfield would cease.
| The scheme does not assure the
! Z lection of Garfield 1t only as
sures The election of a R"pub, lean
Presidential might be Grant, OF
Conkiing, or Lngan for the Re
publican Legislatures chosen one
or two years ago are under no
pledges TO Garfield. and, when call,
ed together, would have authority
to set him aside and choose any 9th
er man. The proposition is II sign
of DIES ,,air. 1t admits the hopeless
ness of the Republican cause beiOr'.
the people hy advocating n chang
OF venue TO another tribunal. Such
scheme WAS never proposed he
fore. No party ever before exhibit
ed so tasrant disregard of the
| rights of the people as this violent
pr ogramme implies; aud 10 part,
was ever before brought to such an
extremity as This avowed fear OF thu
people exhibits. l; is u cleaI giving
up the contest.