Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1881-03-02

. President and Vice President. Th
= power of the State Legislatures to az
point electors themselves, to authorz
. the people TO choose them by ballo
upon general ticket, and also to choos
. them in districts, is given by this pro
vision. In practice and as a result O
t popular opinion, they are now choseI
! by the people in every State upon gen
eral ticket but our history has seel
all three of these modes of choice il
operation at one time. Instability ant
opportunity for chicanc and manage
ment, therefore, exist, which, in sc
grave a matter, are dangerous in th,
extreme, and an uniform system Of uni
versal application, and under whatever
control, is mauiiesllybetter under ex
letting conditions tha~this complex ar
rangement. An uniform system /.
better than triple system, as popular
willis better than eitherelectoral or leg
iSlatiyc will. The power of party anC
the sectional line have made the cleo
toral system an utter failure, and oui
people will not tolerate the choice oI
their rulers by the legislatures. We
are left, then, to but the two systems
the universal direct vote of the whole
people or direct vote of he people
under State control by districts. The
first and greatest difficulty il the way
of an universal direct vote of ,he whole
people Of all the States is tha. it is ut.
ter destruction Of the federatiyo sys
TEN and produces practical cOnsolida.
tion. By 1t, State lines are obiterated
and State independence and equality
are lost sight Of Under it few pop.
ulous States voting for candidate
popular there, would overwhelm the
remainder, or by the division Of their
people small State giving a large
majority for one candidate would out.
weigh the voice OF many larger ones.
In the late election the majority in
Texas for one candidate was greater
than the aggregate maiorties in New
York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio for the
other.
The preservation of the federative
system utterly iorbids the universal
direct vote. 1t would not aid in the
destruction Of sectional feeling, but the
very reverse, for the tendency OF ma.
joritics is always to grow, and when
based upon passion or interest, sectional
majorues invariably increase. Such
n rule would perpetuate bitterness, for
the result would demonstrate that
there was nearly equal division of
the people of one section and decided
preponderance of those Of the other
which would overcome the former. An
universal direct vote can never be had,
except under new compact in which
the smaller States will agree to sur
renderth equality and independence,
and this ia neither desired nor desir.
able.
Under the system Of direct vote by
districts, each State has precisely the
same relative weight as now. Penn.
sylvania would cast twenty votes;
she has now twenty.nlne electors and
twenty members Of Congress.
Rhode Island would cast four votes !;
she has now four electors and four
members of Congress 1t is true that
in the election by the people in dis.
tricts part OF the districts would vote
tor one person and part for another,
so that the result would be to some ex,
tent national more than State but
this is the case with members of the
House of Representatives now, and the
small States have due and full weight
and power in the fact that the large
States are nearly all closely divided in
politics, and the votes of tho districts
will follow in nearly the same proper.
tiOn. A gerrymander is the only ar.
gument against this, but even the worst
of gerrymanders is preferable to the
dangers and evils Of the present system.
1t has been well SAID that
Under the present system, the State voting
solidly there Is great temptation to fraud. Where
The condition Of parties is nearly balanced 10 a
State, successful fraud may determine 'he vote
Of the whole State. This puts the whole votes Of
states in the hands Of the large cities. The ma.
terial with which 70 perpotuate frauds predomi.
mates especially in large cities, such ss New York,
Philadelphia Boston, Baltimore. Cincinnati, St.
Louis and New Orleans Under the district sys.
ten the frauds IL the large cities would only Of
ieoi the vote In the district in which they occur.
rcd, aud could not, 10 their consequences, extend
TO the vote OF the whole State. But under the
present system the successful city fraud may dc.
tefmine the vote Of the whole State.
Where the fraud will only affect the vote Of
single district, the temptations to commit il are
greatly diminished. Men will not take the risks
and incur the expense OF committing a great
fraud " carry the vote Of a single district which
they would do 1t the result Of the fraud was to
determine the vote Of the whole State, and per.
haPs secure the election Of President
The electoral system is an election
by States and not by the people, and
IN effect prevents the voter from ex.
pressing his choice for President unless
he follows party caucus or convention,
aud even then he cannot vote directly
Tor the man of his choice. This rule
works results which are moro aristo.
cratic than republican. Sectional lines
will be broken up by the district sys.
ten, and 80 promiscuous division Of
sentiment extending over the whole
nation and not capable OF being define.
ated by State lines or the course Of
rivers will take the place of solid
North and solid South. Gecgraphi.
cal locality will not 50 completely
identify the political character of the
voter as now, for each candidate will
ind votes IN ovory section.
Mr. Pickens said.in the House In
1914:
BY any mode Of giving an snfirs rofe 10 each
State the will Of the majority Of the pe,pie OF the
Union Is not certain to prevail. A state however
divided will give the sane united vote with
State however unantmou'
reason against any mode Of giving the undi.
vided vote Of the States, Of all Others the most
important, aud most affecting the vital Interests
Of the Union, is It's tendency toward geograpLi
cat 'ererdHcs Of pariiss. By the principle ofself
deienss all the states must adopt such a mode.
unless uniform plan Is established indeed,
they have nearly all % acted al the late election
as 10 give unanimous votes and By this means A
whole section Of the Union, with a email excep.
tioD, voted iorono individual while the opposte
secuon supported hn opponent, aud these sections
are divided By regular Siais tines. Now, does
Chief Magistrate 80 elected appear TO represent
the whole Union and will not small nun ber Of re.
petitions Of such events naturally draw tho oppo.
site parties 10 looking toward their opp ~ ens 10
look directly across this divisional line'
A direct vote of the people for the
candidate of their choice is their right,
and the electoral system was a device
OF those who did not trust the people,
to deprive them of this right. The
electoral plan was regarded with sus-
pioion and aversion by the adheronts
Of Jefferson Alexander Hamilton. the
father of the Federal party, who dc
sired the establishment of strong
national government, aud who favored !
a lite tenure for the President, subject