The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1889-10-03
DOES. THE MAJORITY RULE?
HONE. 7EF'F,EESON DA WIS., STRONG PAPER ONA
GREAT QUESTION:
From Beyord's Magazine for October.]

w here Is the supreme power OF the
United States of America? A com
mon but most untenable assumption
is that which asserts that the govern
ment Of the United States was deriv
ed from the people as whole, and Is
ruled by the majority of them; or, as
expressed by one more distinguished
in arms than in craftsmanship, "tht
will Of the majority is the law of the
land" In revolutionary sense, al
governments may be subject to the
multitude they represent-a truth
recognized by the Emperor Napoleon
/, in his address on the Champ de
Mars; but, within the limits Of its or
ganism, the general government of ths
United States is as little as any other
a government of the majority.
In combating a fallacy generated
by ignorance and nurtured by cor
ruption, it is needful to be specific in
| refutation.
1t requires neither argument mol
historical reference to prove that the
| United States is Union of states
not a single community; and that un
der past and existing constitutions
there never was nor could have beer
an assemblage of the people in mass
| to establish and endow a government
for themselves as body polite. The
and succeeded the Confederation il
SO generally known that it is deemed
unnecessary to recite the proceeding
here, or to say more than that the
Union was the voluntary and separate
action of each State to constitute 8
, General Agent, with expressly emu
merated powers and functions, and
then to consider what manner of gov
ernment was established.
It differed from its predecessor in
having coordinate departments, exec
utive, legislative and judicial, instead
Of concentrating all all functions in
the Congress.
The executive department consisted
of a President and Vice-President O.
the United States. In the election O
| the Chief Executive of the Union, one
would expect, if anywhere, to fine
| provisions for the will of the majority
but whose seeks will search there il
vain for such recognition. Indeed
especial care is perceptible in romov'
ing that election as far as possible
from contact with the multitude, ano
| placing the result beyond the contro
Of majority. In the first place, i
was provided that each State shoulC
appoint, in such manner as the legis
lature thereof might direct, electors
who should cast the vote Of the Stat'
and transmit the same to the Presi
dent of the United State Senate. II
upon counting the votes of all thu
States, it should appear that no ont
had a majority of the electoral votes
the election passed to the House o
Representatives Each State having
one vote only, and a majority of al
the States being necessary to choice
and if such majority of States shoult
not be obtained before the ensuing 4tl
of March, the Inauguration day, theI
the Vice President should be the Pres
ident. But had he been chosen by
majority Of all the people =? Not a
all. Probably, like the head of tn
ticket, he had failed to get majorit,
of the electoral votes, and had beef
chosen by the Senators, who represen
States, not population.
When a particular candidae has a
majority of the electoral votes, and
therefore declared to have been elect
ed President of the United States
does it follow that he was elected by
majority of the people Not necess
arily. For example, the State havin
ten electoral districts may have cho
sen electors by majority of 10000
! Another State having twenty district
may have chosen them by majorit
of 5000. Yet so little would tn
voice Of the people be heard that tn
last named State with a popular ma
jority of one-tenth the former, woul
have double the weight in the fina
court.
1t is further to be noticed that, 1
the States fix the qualification of v,
ters, it depends on the policy Of eac
how nearly the number Of voters ma
approach to the number Of the peopl
and whether they are always rrusua
ly majority OF the whole.
Having disposed of the election
the Executive, as matter of fact,
may be proper to inquire whether tt
fact. as it stands, is as ii should o
The original purpose of the presel
mooe IF the election -,f a PresideI
was to avoid the convulsion which
WAS feared that Presidential. elActie
might create. Has the interventi,
of the electoral college secured e
emption from the evils which have a
tended elections of chief magistrat
in other countries? Has the interve
tion of the electoral college substit
ted calm, Intelligent Judgment for pa
tisan zeal and personal ambition
. Have the electors been intrusted wi
the high responsibility of examiniI
the merits and dement's Of rival ca
didates and selecting those who ;wou
best promote the general welfare !;
when elected, are they ciphers to e
hance the value of him whose bann
they have borne No elector, as
position is now understood, could he
orably vote for any other than t
candidates whose names formed t
head of the tickets On which his o,