Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1884-12-06
How 20 Elect the Presidents.

How 90 Elect the President.
Full re urns of the popular vote in
III Of the States at the late election for
fEosident, according TO the Philadel-
Phis Times tabluation, show that n to-
~ vote Of 10, 036, 073 was cast, divided
~ follows amongst the Presidential
candidates -
Cleveland, 4,9l3,9 01 Blaine. 4,s47..
609 st. John, l50, 663, and Butler.
Ia, $50. These figures give Cleveland
. plurality Of 66, 242 over Blaine, while
no falls 2lS, 30l votes short of MAORI.
n of the popular vote cast. The
Every Evening ~ commenting upon
tho vote cast says:
Yet with this com Portable margin
70 20 and come on under our defective
electoral system, a change Of 800 or 700
votes in New York City would have
elected Blaine. The system which
thas makes it possible for few hun
dred men in the metropolis TO override
tho verdict of a hundred thousand OF
their fellow men in other sections
ought not 10 be tolerated any longer.r
We believe We are about ready to
strike hands with our contem porary
upon that basis Of opinion, provided a
full and fair expression of the people
can be honestly obtained by any other
system of voting for President. We
incline to the opinion that the Every
Evening would prefer 10 let the cleo
tioD hinge on the popular vote of all
the States aggregated, and by which
Cleveland election would have been
assured by $4,000 plurality over Blaine
on the vote of all the States, instead of
upon the scanty. scratchy plurality of
less than l, 200 received in New York
Safe.
II the plan Of electing q President by
the popular vote should ever be adopt
ed, there should go with II some other
plan by which full vote of the people
should be- cast, and honest elections
should be held. Without this guaran-
tee there would be 10 man ner of use In
holding elections in the Southern
States.
The civil prov isions for the holding
of elections should consist of q well
matured registry law, under Federal
supervisement, and the election should
be held, and officers appointed by the
Federal Government. IL any of the
States do not like to have their State
Lfficers elected under such a plan they
can separate their State elections from
the national election for President and
congressman, and elect them in what.
ever manner may seem proper.
1t il evidently reasonable and Just
that Federal officers should be elected
under Federal election machinery.
While we admit that at the late cleo
ton Cleveland did have a plurality
over Blaine of over 66, 600 votes in the
aggregate, We by no means admit that
TINS would have been the case had
there been a full vote cast in the
southern Stat As in the Northern
States, and We do not believe that even
the Every Evening would make such
an admission. Had there been as fair
elections h. Id, and AS full a vote cast
an the South as IN the North, the boast
81 plurality of $1,000 for Cleveland
would have been substituted by 5OO, 900
at least OF plurality for Blame, and
instead of Cleveland being Presi-
dent, Blaine would be President. The
Every Evening may make whatever
CON binatiOn of figures that appears
most pleasing to itself, andswhch may
prove more effective in casting a shade
oil fairness over the Southern vote. but
AZ cannot wipe out the blistering, gall
ing TACT that com pared with the vot.. cast
III the Northern States, there has been
nothing heard from about a million
and half of voters in the Southern
States
We do not pretend TO say that all
ibis missing vote would have been cast
Tor Blaine, but we 60 believe that
two-thirds OF 1t would, and that this
would have given Blaine majority Of
at least 100, 900 in the South where over
4oO,0OO majority is returned for Cleve-
land. TO such an unfair system has the
farce OF electing Democrats in many OF
the Southern States been reduced, that
IN someS'ates even thousands Of Demo
Gratis do not think worth while TO lose
rev hours TO go to the election, as
they know very well the result that
has been predetermined upon.
AS an illustration upon this point
let us Tor moment compare the vote
OF south Carolina at two elections,
those Of 1876 and 1884. We know tina,
oouth Carolina is an extreme, bat
whatever has been done in that STATE
10 suppress the Republican vote has
oeeh done IN other States of the south
not possibly 10 the same extent, bur
enough to make them solid for the
democrats. The reason WHY south
carolina shows up NO bad is becaus.
she had larger Republican vote tr
squeich out in proportion TO her popu
lation than any other Southern State
But nov for the figures. In 1876, tn,
famous Hayes Tilden campaign, ther,
were ls2 I66 votes cast, 81 $50 Of then
being for Hayes and 80, s96 being fo
ltlden, The Republican majority wa
only ga, but four years before that tn
Republican majority was 52,5l2. 1877
was the bloody campaign of Soutl
carolina, when the State was an arme,
camp OF Democratic rifle and shot gul
cubs, and when night was mad
hldeous with the depredations of ku
klux and night riders.
Notwithstanding the desperate effor
made at that election to rovnlutioniz
Inc state, the Republicans poiled h
largest vote they ever polied, and cal
ren II by ga majority for Hayes.
Will De noticed that the total vote cas
AT that bloody election was 1872, 7Gf
ms was eight years ago Com parin
the votes Increased in south Carroll q