Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-12-10

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS.
Some Suggestions Made Upon Methpds -
OHIO .sinf. Imam

The method Of appointment = the states Of
electors Of president and vice p "sidcltt has
Gently attracted renewed interest 10y reason Of
q dpIar.tIru by the state of Mi higan from the
method which ha,i become Uniform in all the
| states and even by the same state. In some
| the choice was made by the legislature, in
others electors were chosen b. districts. but
moro generally hy the voters of the whole state
upon a general ticket The movement toward
| the adoption Of the last named method had an
early beginning and went STEADILY forward
among the states. until III lSR there remained
but single state. South CaroliT "A, that had not
adopted 1t. That state, until the civil war,
continued to choose It's electors a vote of the
| legislature, but after the changed its meth
cd and conformcd to the practice of the other
states For nearly sixty years all the states
save one have appointed thei- electors 10y IL
popular vote upon a general ticket and for
nearly thirty years this mothOd was universal
After full test of other methottS, without inn
portaut division or dissent in any state and
without any purpose of party &c vantage, as
must believe. but solely upon the consdcra-
tiOns that uniformity was desirable and that
general election in territorial divisions not sub
| lect to change was most consistent with the
popular character of our insttu ions. best pre-
served the equality of the voter and perfectly
removed the choice Of president rom the bane-
full influence Of the 'gerrymauter, the prac-
tice of all the states was brought into har-
mony.
Minority Rule Established.
That this concurrence should now be broken
is, | think. an unfortunate auU even threat
ening episode and one that may well suggest
whether states that still give tn ir approval to
the old and prevailing method Cnght not to
cure, by a constitutional amfnen tment prstc-
tice which mas the approval of al The recent
Michigan legislation provides for choosing
what are popularity known as the congressional
electors for president by congressional dis
tricts, and two senatorial electors by districts
created for that purpose. This IL gislation was,
of course, accompanied by new congressional
apportIonment and the two statE ties bring the
electoral vote of the state under the influence
of the ''gerrymander,' These lserrymanders
for congressional purposes are most cases
buttressed by gerrymander of the legislative
dictTicts. thus making il impossi Die for ma
iorty of the legal voters of the 81 ate to correct
the apportionment and equalize the congress
sional districts. AminOrity rule Is established
that only political convulsion en- overthrow.
have recently been advised that in one
county of a certain state three districts for the
election Ofmembers of the legislature are con-
stituted as follows: One has 500 population,
one l5,AD. and one 10OG. while in another
county detached non-cOntiguOus sections have
been united 10 make legisla tive district
These methods have already TO md effective
application to the choice of senate rs and repre-
sentatives in congress and now an evil start
has been made in the direction of applying them
10 the choice the states of elet tors of presi-
dent and vice-presideut.
what Election Implies
If this is accomplished We shall hen have the
three great departments of the government IN
grasp OF the ''gerryInandcr," the gislatiye and
executive directly and the judiciary indirectly
through the power OF appointment An cleo
ton implies body of electors hay ing preScrib
ed qualification, each one Of whom has an equal