Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-04-14
The Electoral System.

A
o. not wholly evil. Virginia bsd as able.
rs wise. and rs patriotic legislators when
WILLIAMSBURG and Richmond city each
elected one member Of the House OF Dele
gates as she has ever had since. IL vas
conservative system.
The Supreme Court OF the United states
a. q conservative body; but its existence 10
not consistent with free government, or
ysther With the night OF tho majority TO
yule, seeing that the niue justices OF that
court have II IN their power TO pronounce
any act OF Congress unconstitutional, and
thus TO undo the work OF the Senate. the
House OF Representatives, and the Presi-
dent. The so-cslled "wisdom OF the
nation" has to yield TO the DEGREES OF the
courts OF blind justice. Whist sort OF demo-
crazy with a small d. IS this!
So the United States Senate is conserva-
tive body. II nsures the perpetuity OF the
nation. II does not represent the right OF
tbe majority to rule Is does not represent
The people at all. ltrepreseDts States. One
senstor represents 10000 people. Another
The election OF United States senators by
the state Legislatures is not recognition OF
The right OF the majority TO rule; but it Is
q conservative feature OF our fee institu-
tions. 1t has wrought out good results.
1t has produced q legislative body which
Is the foremost one IN the world, as
The Supreme Court OF the United State il the
most august judicial tribunal in the world.
Blu, there IS no democracy in the constitu-
ton OF the Senate, and none in court whose
Justices are appointed for lie by and with
the advice and consent OF the pristocratic
Senate.
The electoral system Of choosing the Presi-
dent and Vice-President OF the United States
has been subjected to much criticism during
the last four months, growing out OF the fact
that, though Mr.. CLEVELAND received ma
FORTY OF nearly hundred thousand Of the
popular vote, Mr.. HARRISON received ms
FORTY OF the electoral votes.
1t was not the intention OF the trainers OF
Che Constitution that the people should be
directly consulted in the election OF Presi.
dent. The fathers disirusted the populace,
and tried to provide for the election OF the
President 10y the electoral colleges, each
member or electOr voting for the man OF bis
choice without reference to the wishes OF his
constituents. And the wisdom OF the fathers
has been fully vIudicated. We suppose that
no one doubts that ~ the electoral system
had had fair play in 1S0)-had been carried
out IS the fathers OF the republic intended it
10 be carried out-and each elector had been
free to vote as he pleased.-hr. LINCOLN
would have been defeated for Presi~
dent and war between the States would
have been prevented. Indeed, we might
10 further and say that II the electoral sys-
tenn had been allowed TO operate as 1t was
designed to operate, neither LINCOLN nor
DOUGLAS would ever have been candidate
for President. The war; the emancipation
oil the negroes; the wrongs and expressions
visited upon the South; carDet,baggerism;
scalawagism; the ouuaees attendant upon
what was called Reconstruction y; all, all
resulted from the mistake OF calling upon the
people to elect the President instead Of limit
sng their part 10 the election TO the choice OF
ELECTORS.
Instead, then, OF srraigning the electoral
system as the cause Of all our troubles, we
might possibly do better to return to the
manner OF choosing the President which the
wise men OF the last century had in mind
when they framed the Federal Constitution.
In the convention that framed the CoDsti-
tuition, EDMUND RANDOLPH proposed that
Congress should elect the President. ROGER
SHERMAN favored that plan. The vote first
taken on this proposition resuted-yeas, s
States; nays, 9 States. Tbs question was
afterwards reconSdered. GEORGE MASON, a
great VirgiDisn. the author OF the Virginia
Bill Of Rights, said that it would be as un-
natural 10 refer the choice OF President 10
the people as to refer a trial OF colors to
blind man. Aud when the convention
voted upon the question OF an election by
the people instead OF by Congress. the result
was aye l, nays o. Mr.. MADISON spoke in
favor OF TIE present plan. which was adopt.
ed by vote OF states aye, 2 States no.
The convention voted three times (once
unanimously by States to make the Presi-
dent elective by the two houses OF Congress;
once to make his election by electors chosen
by the state Legislatures; and finally to
make him elective by electors chosen as the
IStste legislatures might ordsin--that Is, the
lpsn as It now stands In words and theory
but not in fact. Each State Legislature still
has It in It's power to choose itself the cleo
tors Of President and Vice-Presdent.