Arizona silver belt., 1888-06-30
THE Flxcrosa, sYsrIm,


 ond tern) is one of tho most wise pre-. i visions of our Constitution, and one of tue indirect banttS resulting Is in the l periodical agitation and discussion, through the prese and on the hustings, of questions of vital import to the peo- pie. The records of parties, and the issues dividing them are thoroughly discussed, and the abuses and mistakes of our form of government, as well as the advantages arising from It, re- ceiye thoughtful attention, and expo sition by competent mlnds
 The electoral system has its disad- vantagos which have been recognized m the past by many of our leading statesmen, and that it has so long sur yived IS because it has the advantage of expeditlously determiuIng the re- suit of a presidential election, which is highly important, and not offered hy any other system that has yet been devised.
 But the dofect-and vital one of the electoral system IS tbatlt does not, as admitted It should truthfully rep resent the choice of the people, mak- ing it posslble-and indeed such an anamolous result has occurred for candidate to receive majority of the electoral votes when an opposing can. didate has received a larger popular vote than he. Tho ease cited to illus. trate thls incongruity IS the presiden- tial election of 1876, in winch Hayes and Wheeler, tho Republican candi- dates, received the requisite number of electoral votes, 1S5, and were de. clar5d elected. The popular vote cast for them, however was only 4,033, $50, while the popular vote for their Dem ocratie opponents, TiIden and Hen dricks, was 4,2SI,S55, a majority for the latter of 25O, ,735,
 In several other instances the dis. crepaucy between the electoral vote and the popular vote is apparent, notioably in 1852, when Franklin Pierce, Democratic candidate. received the electoral votes of 27 States (254
  yotes), while Scott, the Whig eandi- date, received the votes of but i States (42 yotes), yet the popular vote for them respectively was 1,601 A74 ana l 1SS6,57S, demonstrating the fact that the popular majority for Pierce was nothing like what his electoral vote indicated, In fact it was SC mlslead- ing that tue Democrats were carried away by their supposed incontestible supremacy, and their oyer-eonfaence and aggressiyeness made possible the formidable opposition winch took shape within a month after the lnaug. uration of President Pierce, and which within four years gained control of eleven free States, and was hotly con- testing for supremacy in the others, Pierces popular majority, counting the l55,825 votes of Hale, the Free soil candidate, was only 5S,Sq6, and four years lator, Buchanan, although elected, failed to receive majority of the votes cast by the people.
 The framers of the Constitution deemed it safer to leave tho selection of a President to a small body of emi- nsnt men, rather than to tue direct and unhampered cbmce of the people and the electoral system was further designed to act as a check on party . spirit, and was expected to serve useful purpose. The choice was de- signed to be left to the electors who were to be free to east their rotss for whom they chose. but the people, who asserted thair competence to choose for themselves, have imposed their will upon the electors. Their success in making their own choice authorita- tive has caused them to overlook the incOngruity of the system, and to tol- crate it's continuance, However, it is not in harmony with other parts of our system of government, which aims at simplicity and practical use fitness, and should be abolished