The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-10-03
no TIL MAJORITY RULEs
,,4erson Davis Disputes the Theory
That the People Govern.

r,oa Belford's Magazine for October.
where j. the supreme power OF the
Ind s. ates of America A common but
-. untenable assumption Is that which
IS that the government Of the United
S.ts, was derived from the people as
-ho;a and is ruled by majority of them;
osexu-essed by one more distinguished
.rns than in craftsmanship, "the will OF
,aio,itT is tine law of the land" In
,,1ntioaary sense, all governments may
.s1niect to the mu titude they represent
nth recognized by the Emperor Napoleon
in his address on the Champ de Mars; out,
Thin the limits Of the organism, the
araI government OF the United States
.as little as any other agovernment Of the
h combating a fallacy generated in ig-
.,rarce and nurtured by corruption it is
ssedful to be specific in refutation.
II requires neither argument nor his
.r,cal reference to prove that the United
s,atas is a union of states, not single COM
nunity; and that under past ana existing
constitutions there never was nor could
Sova bean an assemblage Of the people in
naass 10 establish and endow government
Cor themselves as body polite The mode
~ ,UL{ch the union was formed and sue
oaada3 the confederation is SO generally
/ Lnovn that it is deemed unnecessary t.
recite the proceedings here, or to say more
than that the union was the voluntary and
seD.rate action of each state to constitute a
oa,1or,l agent. with expressly enumerated
bowers and functions, and then to consider
frrbot manner of government was estab-
Lshed.
coordinate departments, executive, legisa-
live judicial, Instead of concentrating all
functions in the congress.
The executive department consisted of
President and Vice President of the United
States In the election of the chief execu-
tive of the union one would expect, if any
where. TO find provisions for the will of the
majority: but who so seeks will search there
i'm vain for such recognition. Indeed, espe-
cial care is perceptb.e in removing that
election as far as possible from contact with
the multitude and placing the result beyond
the control of a majority. In the first place,
II was provided that each state should ap
point, in SUCH manner as the legislature there
Of might direct. electors. who should cast
4 the vote of the state and transmit the same
4 10 the President of the United STATES SEN
4 ate If, upon counting the votes OF all the
states, it should appear that no one had
majority Of the electoral votes, the cleo
ton passed to the House OF Representatives.
Each state having one vote only, aud ma
cnOce, and if such ma ority of states should
not be obtained before the ensuing March
4, the Inauguration dav, then the Vice
President should be the President. But had
he been chosen by a majority of all the
people1 Not at all. Probably, like the head
Of the ticket, he had failed TO get majority
of the electoral votes, and had been CHOSEN
by the senators, who represent states, not
population.
rfs IoEA
majority Of the electoral votes, and is,
therefore, declared To have boon electe
President Of the United States, does it fol-
low that he was elected by a majority of
the people! Not necessarily. For example,
the state having ten electoral districts may
have chosen electors by majority of
$4,000 Another state having twenty dis
tricts may have chosen them by majority
Of 1900 Yet so little would the voice Of
the people be heard that the last named
state. with popular majority of one-tenth
the former, would have double the weight
IN the final court.
it is further to be noticed that, as the
states fix the qualification of voters, it de-
ponds on the polity Of each how nearly the
number of voters may approach to the num-
Der of the people, and whether they are
always or usually ma jor1ty of the whole.
Having disposed of the election of the
executive, as n matter of fact, it may b.
proper to inquire whether the fact, as it
stands, is as it should be. The original pur-
pose of the present mode Of the election of
President was to avoid the CONFUSION
which it was feared presidential election
might create. Has the Intervention of the
electoral college secured exemption from
the evils which have ATTENDED elections of
chief magistrates in other countries! Has
the Intervention of the electoral college
substituted calm, intelligent Judgment for
partisan zeal and personal ambition!
Have the electors been intru3tod
with the high responsibility of ex-
aiming the merits aud dement's of rival
candidates and selecting whose would best
promote the general welfare; or, when
elected, are they ciphers to enhance the
value OF him whose banner they have
bornes No elector, as his position is now
understood, could honorably vote for any
other than the candidates whose names
formed the head Of the ticket on which his
own name was enrolled. He has no disc e.
ton, and would seem to be effective chiefly
as an obstacle to the voters expression of
his choice. Sectional and party interests
are the great impedments to united eff )rt
for the public good; and it may be safely
assumed that the mass of the voters. not
looking to political preferment, are safer
depository OF power to choose a chief
magistrate than the leading poll
tlclan, whose hopes are proportionate
TO the attention he attracts in
canvass. Another reason for setting aside,
as far as practicable, all disturbers of the
voters unbiased selection of the men to
whom he prefers to intrust the destinies of
ms country, when the day arrives on which
ne may deposit his ballot, is the corruption
winch rewards for campaign services nat
urally engender. Without seeking to draw
Illustrations or to make application of re-
cent presidential elections, it may be we'll
20 u, nolce that the people of the United
ot!teS have shown more forbearance under
Irritating circumstances than the trainers
VI Tie constitution gave them credit for, as
appears III their debate on the provision for
eiecClng President and Vice President, and
from 1t to draw the comforting assurance
Onat the election of the chief executive is
future. 40 'Ao
IL has been successfully shown that the
oAecutlVe department does not represent a
majority OF the people-iadeed, is not di-
t tey chosen by the people-it is in order
=. ~ inquire how the case stands in regard to
'ue legislative department.
me House of Representatives is most
nea ~ derived from aad res oasible TO the
people, The members are chosen for 40
Years by the votes of geographical districts
HHhln the state, being in number equal to
tne number OF representatives appcrtioned
" each state; these members are chosen by