Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1884-10-17
THE ELECTORAL COLLEGES,

HE ELECTOkAL GULLEUES,
The evening Post has studied the
constitution of the United States too
much under the instruction of Mr..
Thomas Jefferson. who had nothing to
do with framing it, and who was I'M
blbing notions Of what constitutes re-
publican liberty from the wild theorists
of the first French republic, while his
fellow countrymen at home, in the ma
tive land Of republican liberty, were
formulating its true doctrines into a
government designed to perpetuate
them. The Post, in telling an inquir-
ing correspondent that presidential
elector has the right to vote for any
person he pleases, whether such per.
son is party nominee or not, says
that 1t is because it was the original
design of the electoral college TO
choose the president upon the Ham
llton doctrine that the people were
incompetent" Now it is true that
the idea Of choosing the president by
electors was contained in the draft OF
contitution which Hamilton submit
ted to the convention and explained in
speech, which speech and draft, as
DR.. Johnson of Connecticut said. sew
erybody approved and nobody sup.
ported";; and it is true, too, that many
of the provisions and much of the iden-
teal language of Hamllton's draft
were embodied In the constitution as
It stands to-day, but it is mere anti.
quated Jeffersonian partisanship to
say that any doctrine of the incompe-
tency Of the people advanced by Ham
ilton was the cause Of the establish
ment of the electoral colleges. Ham
il,on's constitution conhded the bulk
of the Legislative power to the house Of
representatives, elected by popular
suffrage, and provided that the ques'
ton Of Its adoption should be submit
ted to conventions chosen by the peo
Iple in the several states. His plan o
government was based on the compe'
tency and intelligence and votes of the
people.
The proposition to elect the presi
dent through electoral colleges, instead
of by direct vote of the states. wa!
finally inserted into the constitution by
the persistence OF the small states, who
thereby retained the advantage of thel
senatorial vote and of the slave states
who thereby retained the advantage
of having three-ftths of their negroe'
represented. The great champions o
a direct election of president by TIT
people were Wilson of Pennsylvania
supported by Gouverneur Morris
Charles Pinckney of South Carolin;
opposed, because it would surrende
the choice of president to combina
ton of the populous states, led by a
few designing men; George Mason o
Virginia said, ''to refer the choice Of a
proper character for chief magistrate
to the people would be as unnatural a
to refer a trial of colors to a blint
man.; can election by the people il
an appointment by lot" said William
son of North Carolina. By these men
and not by Hamilton, is the doctrine
of popular ipcompetency" set forth
Madison of Virginia frankly opposed
election by the people on the groune
that "the right of suffrage was mucl
more diffuslve in the Northern State
than in the Southern, and that TIT
latter would have no influence in tht
election on the score of the negroes.
The idea that the voting force of thu
negro population should be used to IN
crease the power of the whites in tht
government, which is 50 general in th'
South to day. is thus seen to have or
ignated in the very birth theorie!
of the constitution. Mr.. Madison &C
cepted the electoral system as meeting
the objections he urged to an election
by direct popular vote, and, "as Oh
the whole, liable to furnish objec
TONS"
While it is tue that Mr.. Hamilton
Grst suggested an electoral system, /
was not owing to any doctrine of hi:
about popular Incompetence" or tc
any argument OF advocacy on his part
that the choice of the president by cleo
tors instead of by direct popular vote
was finally determined on. AS VT
said before the electoral system wa!
preferred because the small states ant
the slave states both found advantage
in it. The objections to popular in
competency came from the .slave-hold
ing states.