Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-12-20
the bars.'' He is certainly entitled to
good deal of what has passed as frst-ciass
society in Republican circles.
pREsIDEN.IAL ELECTORAL COUNT

Oclety IN hepuOlicdA C1IC1os'
ELECTORAL COUNT.
The GLOBE has already alluded to !
he pedantic Mr.. Springer's joint !
resolution which he has IN
PRODUCED into the House of Repre-
sentatives proposing amendments to the
constitution. to simplify the mode of elect
ING the President and Vice President OF
the United States. His prop
osition provides that the hrst
election under the amendments shall be
held Oh Tuesday after the first Monday III
November in 1884. and that the Governor
and Secretary of State and the Chief JUS
tice of each State shall meet at their re-
spectiye State capitals on the second We'd
nesday of December after the Presidential
election and canvass the vote, but are TO
have only ministerial powers. The man
ner in which these functionarles are to
count the votes is described in Washing
ton special as follows:
They are to aggregate all of the votes cast for
president and vice president, and divide the ag-
gfegate popular vote by the number OF the pfesl,
DENTAL votes to which the state is entitled, and
that shall be the ratio os 4 presidential vote in
that state at that election. The whole number
Of votes received by each candidate for llessi-
dent must be divided by the presidential ratio,
and the quotient will represent the number OF
votes to which the presidential candidate Will be
entitled in that state. If there are fractions the
candidate receiving the largest number of votes
Will be entitled to the odd presidential votes.
The votes cast for vice president are to be dis
posed Of in similar manner. The canvassers In
each state to certify the result Of their cam
of the votes cast to the judge OF the district
court in whose district the canvass is made and
the president OF the senate and speaker of the
house Of representatives.
vengeance. The author of such jargon
of absurdities is himself simple The
proposed plan would lead to greater prac-
teal COMPLICATIONS than the old one.
There are loopholes for varying and
antagonistic constructions fatal to har-
mony and safety. The proverbial "Phila-
delphia lawyer" with all his acuteness
would find it impossible to unravel and
elucidate this mysterious and far-fetched
| plan. He would lose himself in this LADY
rinth of absurdities and Etterly
fail to tell what it
meant. The jaunty, lively Mr.
Springer cannot himself tell easily and in
telligibly what it means. It is like the two
contradictory metaphysicians, where one
did not know what the other meant, and
finally did not know what he meant himself
| There are inherent defects in the pro-
posed new plan as far as it can be under
stood. The state canvassing officers have
only ministerial authority, but wher
| the votes come before congress
the joint convention of both Houses have
power to exercise judicial authority, ano
may declare man President who was not
elected by the people.
| The proposition is not an honest one
certainly not statesmsnlike one, to solve
the difficulties incident to count of the
| electoral vote for President. 1t cover:
a trick to give the party having majority
in joint convention power to elect Presi
dent who has not received majority Of
the popular vote.
Of course the old way. the ey visiting mode
cumbersome and defective as it is, is fa,
better ard safer than this crude p,a,
of the superficial representative from Hi
nois. plan so difficult and defective ca,
never pass through congress. And shoult
this, or any other plan be submitted, as
constitutional amendment, to change tn,
mode of electing President. and to detin'
the mode of counting the popular vote a
this session of congress; that such a,
amendment would be ratified by three
fourths of the legislatures of the states, i
ratified at all, in time to hold an electio,
under it in 1884, cannot be expected.
We shall have to take our chances
as in former elections, under tn
constitution as it is, and it is to be hoped
as in the last election, some one of the
candidates may receive so decided ma
jority as to render cavil and dispute i'm
possible.
It is still to be hoped that at sometime
we'll considered constitutional amend
ment may be submitted and ratified, ant
that the time of congress will not b.
taken up in considering any such jejun.
crudities as that of the charlatan from
Illinois. What need of this great circum
stantial, circumlocutory pother il
electing Presidents Why not vote direc
for the candidates in nomination. and hav
the votes cast by the people counted an,
certified as in State elections? Until
simplifed mode of voting and countin,
like this is adopted, complications will b.
likely to arise-complications that ma,
defeat the will of the people and wrecl
the Government.
/ Earthquake in New Hampshire.