The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1882-03-23
How to Elect q President.

A number Of our ablest statesmen have
devoted much of their time to the pro-
duction of essays and the preparation OF
measures intended to simplify the cleo
ton of Presidents and Vice Presidents
of the United States; but all of them
have grappled with the subject as if it
was 30 abstruse that only some comph-
Gated machinery could reduce it to prac-
tical and Just results. This has been the
common error of all our statesmen who
have attempted toprovide against the de-
feat of the popular will in the choice OF
a President, either by the legitimate use
or by the perversion of the Electoral
College system.
The Electoral College system is a cum
brous machine that is liable to defeat the
expression of the people even with hon.
est direction, and opens the way for the
successful employment of c~hicanery or
fraud. The Jefferson-Burr contest of
1901, the Jackson-Adams Crawford con-
test of 1926 and the Tilden-H Hayes con-
test of 1877 all stand as fnger-boards to
admonish the American people of the alb
solute failure of the Electoral College
system and the possibility of prevent
ing it to the meanest aims of mean am.
bition. It is not pretended that any Of
the purposes which were intended by the
fathers of the Republic in creating the
Electoral College, have been fulfilled.
Instead of Presidential Electors exercis-
ing a sound and patriotic discretion in
the choice of q President and Vice Pres
ident, our Presidential Electors are the
mere puppets of party, and it would now
cost any one his life if he were to exer-
else his own discretion, however Just
and patriotic, and thereby elect q Presi-
dent against the wishes of his party.
The Electoral College system is, there
fore, a useless and dangerous circum-
locution, and it is the duty of the best
craftsmanship of all parties to unite for
its overthrow.
There is q simple and just method by
which the people could elect Presidents
without more than q 1.-THE of the de-
bauchery and Generalization which are
now common in such contests, and that
is for the people of the whole Union to
vote directlyfor President and Vice Pres
ident, with judicious safeguards for the
determination of the legal vote of each
State, and declare the men elected who
receive the largest number of votes.
There Is no reason why a government
VI tdO pCOplC, w 0ho POOPlO duu iOI bA0
people" should have cumbrous electoral
machinery that can accomplish nothing
beyond the possibility of defeating the
popular choice; and there can be no rea-
son, to forbid a direct vote for
our highest offices or the commission of
those who receive the largest popular
support from the people of the entire ma
ton. Such a system Of electing Presi-
dents and Vice Presidents would end the
corruption and Generalization which run
riot in Ohio, Indiana and other pivotal
States in Presidential contests, and it
would make a Democratic vote in Yer
mont or a Republican vote in Mississippi
as important as any vote in any other
State. The very best system of elect
ing Presidents is the simplest, and the
simplest system is direct vote for the
candidates and the highest popular vote
to eleet.-PhiLadelphia Times.