The Mineral argus., 1884-09-18
Voting for President.

This year. although soiie 'eu iuliiiOl
.voters will express a preference by theil
votes who shall be President, only foul
hundred and one persons in the United
States will actually vote for one.
That is the number of the Electors,
,f whom each State chooses one fol
oocb Senator and one for each Repre-
sentative. to which it is entitled. The
noople at present choose these electors
in each State, but the Legislature of q
State may at any time direct that they
he appointed in any other way.
Probably a great many men are
ignorant of the reason why the people
do not vote directly for a President.
The Convention which formed the
Constitution under which we live, in
1887. spent more time and thought
on the question how President should
be elected than on any other part of the
Constitution.
An immense number of propositions
was submitted. Some of them were re-
iected one day, to be accepted the next
others would be accepted one day, and
rejected the next. There was one sug.
gestion that the Governors of all the
States shonld meet and choose the Pres
ident; another that he should be elected
by Congress.
Among those which were offered
many times and always rejected, was
the proposition that the people should
make the choice. OF the two parties
then in the country,-if the thirteen
colonies under the Confederation could
be called a country,-one was in mortal
terror lest the rights of the States should
be overthrow; the other had not lit.
tie distrust of the people.
The first of these parties afterward
became the Democratic party, which
from time to time to the present has
usually been the champion of State
rights. 1t opposed the proposition to
elect President by a popular vote,
because of fear that the large States
would overpower the small ones.
The Federalists opposed it because
they did not believe the people could be
fully trusted to make good choice. Out
of this agreement, for different reasons,
sprung the scheme of an indirect cleo
tion by electors not proportioned in
number to the population. Each State
was to have as many electors as it had
senators and representatives in Con-
gress.
Several objects were accomplished by
this scheme. The electors were chosen
by States. The influence of the smaller
States would not be overcome by mere
fOrQp nf 4
ones be able to dictate arrogantly to the
smaller. Moreover, it was thought that
a chosen body of electors would act in
and would make a better
selection than could the people as a
whole.
In this latter expectation there has
been disappointment from the begin
ming. An intrigue, secretly carried on,
defeated John Adams for vice-president |
1t the very first election under the con-
Itiution in 1889.
But that part of the plan which gives
electors to the state and not in propor-
ion to their population, will continue
10 be wise as long as there are state
ines and local government by states.
The time might come when New
ANOW Il VI n, Il anu
Ohio, as many votes as the
whole south, except Missouri, would
De able, by their unanimity, to decide
IL elections. This is not at all desira-
lie. The larger states may wish for it,
nut were the election to be decided by
'opulur votes, the independence of the
mailer states weuld suffer severely.
When any one remarks that John
quincy Adams was wrongly chosen
resident, because Jackson had more
opular votes than he; that Polk was a
President, and that Lincoln
'as elected by minority of votes and
y minority of States, he speaks fool
lilly.
The Constitution does not provide for
popular vote at all, nor did the faith
rs who framed it intend to leave any
art of the election to the mercy of a
opular vote. Though they did not
all they intended, they have
'ft us a system which, if not perfect,
ecures the country against the dicta-
on of the great States, and gives us
lode of election which is popular
nough for all practical purposes.