The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1881-01-01

system brought the country close to the
brink of civil war in 1917. Awkward
and indefinite in the first place, this sys-
tenn is outworn, and is wholly out OF
gear with our modern political methods.
The electors are mere voting machines.
There is no provision for settling con
troversy as to who are really entitled to
act as electors in ANY State, 1t is an
open question whether the Nice-Presi-
dent should count the electoral votes. ol
whether he is mere clerk to open the
returns. willie the power of counting OF
rejecting rests in the two Houses. If
the latter position be assumed, it is an
open question whether the concurrence
of the two Houses is necessary to count
return. or whether a rejection can be
effected by the action of one of the
bodies.
After we had got safely over the rocks
in that dangerous Winter OF 1877, al
thoughtful men believed that the cleo
toral system would be changed before
another election came around. A mum.
her of the best minds in Congress at,-
dressed themselves to the task of matur-
ing measures for reforming plan which
everybody saw to be faulty and perilous.
Several valuable bills and constitutional
amendments were drawn. but nothing
came Of them. The reason was that the
( Democrats. who had control of Congress.
for their advantage in the election OF
1880. because. having the count in then
hands. by virtue of their majority in the
Senate and House. they could settle all
disputed points in their own favor. This
is not an unfair statement. Everybody
who is familiar with the recent course OF
events in Washington knows it is true.
And the Democrats cannot be blamed
for being peculiarly selfish and unpatri
| otto. They did what most parties would
have done in like case. They wanted
to win in 1880. and were not disposed to
sacrifice any point in the game. If the
Republican majority in New York had
been twenty-five hundred, instead OF
twenty thousand. they might have
found reasons to satisfy their own con-
sciences for throwing out the returns OF
that State. and declaring General Han
cock elected.
Constitutional changes and Legislative
enactments in the direction of less
complicated, more direct, and less peril
Gus sy stem of electing the Chief Magis-
trate and his possible successor must OF
course originate in Congress, but Presi-
dent who is strongly convinced of the
wisdom of Il change can do much towards
encouraging and moulding such meas
ures. We may take it for granted from
General Garteld's public utterances and
from the experience he gained as a men,
Der of the electoral commission, that he
will do all that he can properly do to
bring about this very important reform.
The times are ripe for it. One House of
the new Congress will be controlled by
the Republicans by narrow majority.
and the other by the Democrats by a
majority still narrower. A measure for
the partisan advantage of either party
will have no chance of getting through.
The question Of changing the method
of electiu% Presidents can therefore be
treated as a non partisan affair, and can
command the attention of the most
statesman-like intellects on both sides.
Leaving the field of speculation about
the measures likely to be favored by the
new administration. let us. in conclusion
look for moment to its probable gen
eral character General Garfield is emf
nently a practical politician, and We
need not fear that he will make vision
airy administration, reaching out after
the impossible, or trying to take ten
steps at once. He knows the politicians
perfectly, understands the temper of the
people, and will neither overleap his
mark nor fall short of it, He is a scholar
who for thoroushness and breadth Of cul-
ture has had no equal in the White House
since the younger Adams. We may
therefore expect a dignitied. scholarly al
minstration, which will command the
cordial assistance and support of the
journalists, men of letters. and institu-
tions of learning He is closer stu
dent of political economy than any
President the country has ever had and
we may expect that the industrial and
commercial interests of the country will
enjoy the advantage of intelligent con-
Sideration at his hands. He is home
man, devoted to his family, and we may
look for continuation of the pleasant,
wholesome, unpretentious home life
which has made the White House Gen.
ter of good social influence during the
Presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes.