The Ottawa free trader., 1885-01-31
HOW TO ELECT THE PREsIDEPr.

lc iHdl lne CONSTITUTION Ol tne united Sthte
le In the machinery it has provided for eleC
W ting the president is glaringly and absurd,
defective, is so generally conceded as L
need no argument A method under which
" the people were so shamefuliy robbed o.
.e their choice rs when old fraud HAYES wa,
G. declared elected over Samuel J. Tilden
and under which like outrage was so mar
rowly escaped in the last presidential e!ec
:, ton on account Of the closeness Of the vote
- in New York, is incapable of defence and
as each recurring danger is passed only
- cries the louder for chang and reform
The subject has been brought into news
. paper prominence again by having been
. made the theme Of a Symposium" in The
;, North american Rerielo, in which no less
= than five eminent political doctors yentllste
their views on the subject These are D-s.
, +. A. p. Barnard, William Purcell, II. L..
Dawes, Roger A. Pryor and zebulon T.
Vance. OF course there Is nothing surrrl.
sing In the fact that in their proposed rem.
edy for the assumed constitutional ailment
no two of these eminent political doctors
agree. DR.. Barnard proposes the election
OF the president by the house Of represen-
tatves; Dr. Purcell would have tho presi.
dent elected by the aggregate sf the popu
lar majorites in the several states, the vote
OF each state corresponding 70 the number
OF its representatives; DR.. Dawes wonld
still more Complicate the electoral mach;n. |
cry by tho addition of an electoral tibu !
nal' In each state; DR. Pryor woul elect the !
president be direct vote of all the people
and DR. Vance thinks the electoral system
is right as il is and would let il alone.
What does surprise US Is, that nc. one Of
these learned Thebans" gives the lest
thought to or appears ever 10 have heard of
the plan to remedy the evils of our electOr.
al system proposed year OF two ago ia
congress in the form of o constitutional!
amendment by Representative William NJ
Springer, of this state. The plan isl oge.
~ way so far superior to tho crude quacxery
above referred TO- and has so much indeed
to recommend it on the score Of practica!
good sense, that we are prompted to give
an outline of II in this connection and 10
add few suggestions why it should NEE. .
with general favor and be adopted.
The plan of Mr.. Springer in brief Is sub. [
stsntlally this: That each state shall retain B
Its present number of electors, (excep, that $
states having but one congressman are tol
have but two electors) At elections for Q
president and vice president, the voter shall
cast his ballot directly for the candidate OF |,
his choice, and not for electors, as o. pres \
ent After the election Is over the official
returns are - be sent to the secretary OF 0
state who, with the governor, state auditor
and such other persons as may bs ieslgnat- Il
I'd by Law, shall constitute board Of can. lS
'assers In each state, 70 NEE. or a given
lay and count the votes The whole mum. Z
Der of votes returned are then to be diyid. q
ID by the number of electoral votes 70
which the state Is entitled, which viii gige v
he number OF votes necessary 70 constitute.
me electoral vote. Then the electoral votes oi
" the state arc to be appoitlooed smong d
he candidates In exact proportion to the IN
number Of votes each received. The I'D
'ortionment having been made, a return of yt
Is TO be forwarded TO the president Of the -
}. 8. Senate. Both houses of congress shal!
hen meet on given day and make a ina, VI,
anvass Of the electoral votes and declare III
be result ",
The first feature about this plan tia. hs
aust strike the reader favorably is, ths, /,
nvo!ves in reality an election by the popu. p!
n vote, and yet by retaining the electoral nj
eature, II prevents the Objectionable ad. of
antage which large and populous states Ii
ave over smaller ones, or the bsletul effect
one section of the country combining IT
gainst another II gives each vote cast at AZ,
le polls IN equal weight in the final result, or
nd renders the placing of a minority can, CO.
idate in the presidential chair over y ma
rity candidate IN impossibility las
Further, the plan furnishes strong safe co,
lard sgains, election frauds. II would Of
'cvent the importation of voters from one do
ate into another, for every vote would ne,
ave exactly the same weight in either ca,
ate. II would thus put stop to the vii. VIII
inous practice of colonizing, and would s
rgely do away with the use for vas, cor ma
phon funds TO influence the vote la close br,
ates. There would be no excuse for po in
ical assessments or levylng blood mo SO
y" on government employees. In sh ort |
@ expenditure of large sums by either ma
rty would be measurably useless, because rea
e advantages from purchasing votes or the
ibcry, would BE- SO remote and uncertain !
at neither party would be likely to resort two
IT, The plan of Mr.. Springer is thus tow
in the interest of purity in "on
r national elections, striking at the root ,sr
the gian. evils the presen. system has ,