Wichita eagle., 1888-01-14
TO ABOLISH THE ELECTORAL COL
LEGE.

Globe Democrat
Mr.. Townshend. of Illinois, has intro
duced a bill in the house of representa-
tives to change the system by which
presidents and vice-presidents are elect
ed. The measure abolishes the electoral
college, and makes the choice of these
officials depend upon the direct vote of
the electors, instead of upon the vote of
members of the electoral college as has
thus far been the case. Laws similar in
scope to that proposed by the Illinois
congressman have often suggested. and
no doubt this scheme will meet with
some favor.
One of the strongest objections to the
present method of electing a president
and vice-president is the fact that under
its operation the candidate receiving a
majority of the popular vote is sometimes
beaten by the minority nominee. This
has already occurred twice in our history.
In 1882 Andrew jackson received 154. So
votes against 105,32l for John Quincy
Adams. Adams, however. was chosen
president. The choice. to be sure, was
made by the house of representatives.
There were two other candidates in the
field-W. 81. Crawford and Henry Clay
and these two obtained enough electoral
votes to deprive either jackson or Adams
of the majority. This sent the election
to the house. which chose Adams. The
other case in which the majority candi.
date was defeated in 1876, when Ruther-
ford B. Hayes secured majority of the
electoral votes, although the popular
votes which he received was exceeded TO
the extent of go. 935 by that given to his
opponent. Samuel j. Tilden.
Some of the presidential contests re-
veal a striking difference between the
ratio of the popular vote and that of the
electoral obtained by the candidates. In
1882 Andrew jackson received 6l7 .23l
popular votes, to 509.097 for Henry
Clay, but jackson had nearly five
times as many electoral votes
as Adams in the same contest,
the numbers respectively being 2i9 and
40. William Henry Harrison, in 1910.
received 1900 votes at the polls. as
compared with 1 ,12S, 702 for Martin Van
Buren,, but in the electoral college Har-
rison had pa to only 60 for his opponent.
The most extreme instance of this kind
however. was that which occurred in
1864. when Abraham Lincoln received
2.216.061 votes and George B. Mcclellan,
his antagonist. sos, 125, and yet Lin
coin obtained 212 electoral votes. or two
more than ten times as many as McClel-
Ian.
These are some of the anomalies and
absurdities of the present scheme which
such law as Mr.. Townshend proposes
would remedy. 1t is not certain, how
ever. that the majority of the thinking,
conservative people of the country are
ready foI the change. While being an
improvement. in some particulars, on
the present plan of choosing the presi-
dent and vice president, it might pro-
long the existence of abuses which pa
triotic citizens of all parties desire &c
eliminate. True. it would lessen the in
furious preponderance Of the so-called
doubtful state in national canvasses
but it would at the same time offer &
premium for the wholesale suppression
of the votes OF the minority party in the
south, and this is species of iniquity
which that region is materially as well
DIS morally interested iii eradicating.