Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1882-04-27
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Wine II Ont.

The bill reported by the House COM
mittee on the law respecting the election
of president and vice-president brings
once more into prominence that curious
relic the electoral college So far as the
committee are concerned they deal
gently with this strange anomaly on free
government. The bill as reported
changes the time of meeting of the cleo
tors to the third Tuesday of December
and the time Of counting the vote by
Congress to the second Wednesday in
January. In the event of contest rs
to the appointment or eligibility of cleo
tors in any state the decision of the high
est judicial tribunal of such state shall
| be held as conclusive in the matter, but
in case there is more than one judicial
decision "the two houses shall deter
mine which shall be received" When
no certified decision has been transmit
ted or when tW or more decisions have
been submitted the concurrence of both
houses is made necessary to admit the
vote of such state.
This leaves the chances for party con-
tests as numerous as ever for in case Of
dispute the two houses are left to settle
the matter as they have done heretofore
For years congress has wrestled with
this perplexing stumbling block and in
every instance has come out worsted in
the encounter
1t would be hard to explain why such
an obstruction to the Will of the people
is left to undo and endanger their will
as expressed at the polls outside of a
desire on the part of congress to retain
the ultimate power within its own hands.
The college was originally designed
as drag upon popular excitement which
might be engendered by the election of
so importan. an officer as president. So
far from fulfilling the end desired by the
constitution builders it has been at times
a greater source of danger than could
have been dreamed of by those worthless.
The intention of the founders of the
constitution was that these electors
chosen by the people should themselves
chose the president yet CHANGERS Eng
lish is not more obsolete than such sup
position so far as electoral colleges for
the past fifty years have been concerned.
The present college is machine which
registers the will of the party managers
for the state in which it meets. Its
members having no more individual will
power than counting machine.
Efforts have been made at times to
throw it overheard or at least so modify
its workings as to bring it into more.
strict conformity with the will of the
people. Such efforts have so far not
met with any great degree of success,
the fault being divided about equally be-
tween the lack of pertinacity on the part
of the originators of the different plans
and that feeling of reverence for ancient
institutions which prevails to a greater
or less extent in every country. 1t still
remains to vex practical Legislators.
Continual tinkering has resulted i'll
nothing but making bad matter worse.
Until the decree of adjustment has been
passed, however, it will continue one of
the most dangerous distractions that
could have been devised by human in
genuity in the road of peacable presi
dental elections.
Annually or bienially in every state in
the Union governors are chosen directly
by the popular vote of the people.
The choice of the people is registered by
the state officials and that person receiv-
ing the highest number of votes is seated
in the gubernatoral chair with no fur
Their trouble There exists no valid
reason why the election of president and
president of the nation should not
be just as simple. The vote of each
state could be returned to the secretary
Of state or to the President of the senate
if it was wished to retain rs much as
possible of the present form, and the res
ult declared in conformity with the re-
turns. 1t would seem rs if the very
Simpleness of the plan prevented its
being accepted yet it embodies the true
principle of republican government
which the electoral college does not.
The latter infers that the people are
not capable of choosing president
and SO long as ii is allowed to remain is
standing insult to the intelligence of a
free people.