The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1891-12-03
1mpENDINa POLITICAL EpooH.

IOre Jne OnlO society Oh NEW OIk. III
a previous article we referred to the
constitutional amendments advised by
Gov. Ashley. They are as follows:
First-The nomination and election
Of the President by direct vote of all
the duly qualified voters of the nation,
by ballot.
Second-The nomination and cleo
tion of United States Senators by a
direct vote of the national electors, In
each State, by ballot.
Third-The nomination and election
of all Representatives in Congress from
the several States in such manner
as to secure to the majority and to the
minority, equitable or proportional
representation in the national Con-
gress.
Fourth-The abolition of the author
ity now conferred upon the House of
Representative to select the President
when there has been no election by the
college of electors, as when Adams was
chosen in 1925.
Fifth--The abolition of the Office of
Vice President.
d While Gov. Ashley is Republican
he discusses freely and boldly the
wrongs and abuses that have grown up
in tnis country under the present sys-
tenn of electing a President by the elec-
toral college. He calls attention to the
fact that majority of the electors of
the United States have been defrauded
of their choice for President at sew
eral recent natioLal elections, through
the machinery of the electoral college.
Here let us quote some of the good and
true things that Gov. Ashley states:
"The pivotal States, as they are called,
like New York, whose vote has more than
once decided the election of President,
is one Of the most dangerous and corrupt
ing powers in our system, The incentive
to bribing, illegal voting and ballot box
stulllnR, is but one of the dangers inseper-
able from the election Of thirty-six PreSi-
dental electors on one ballot for the
State at large"
Gov. Ashley calls attention to the
fact that the present Chief Executive
was not elected by the popular vote,
anu tuoJ III lo-o, MlSu tuS hOuSS VI
Representatives elected a President,
and chose John Quincy Adams, he had
carried neither the popular vote, nor
the electoral college. In brief news
paper editorial it is not possible to
adequately discuss all the reforms pro-
posed by Gov. Ashley. But we must
not omit to give some of his reasons
why the Office of Vice-President should
be abolished.
Here let us again quote some inter
estlng matter from Gov. AshleV's
address,
In 1S4l, when boy, visited Washing
ton to see Gen. VIM. Henry Harrison
inaugurated President. Before returning
home, President Harrison died, and l saw
John Tyler, the first Vice-President in our
history, inaugurated President, as pro-
vided in the Constitution. Within year
it was generally suspected that Tyler had
formed some kind of a secret alliance
with the Calhoun wing Of the Democratic
party, and this proved to be true, as is
evidenced by the history of his administra-
tion. was q looker-on in the Democratic
National Convention which met at
Baltimore in 1874. By the favor
Of Col. Richard NJ. johnson, of
Kentucky, ex-Vice-President, l had
a seat on the floor of that Convention with
the Kentucky delegation. More than two
thirds of all the delegates elected TO that
Convention had been, when appointed,
instructed to vote for the denomination of
the old ticket, which had been defeated by
Harrison and Tyler in 1910. By intrigue,
| betrayal of trust, and deliberate violation
of instructions on the part of delegates to
| that Convention, Mr.. Van Buren, was de
nd Ian nf Tnnnaaann
was nominated and elected President, de-
| feating Henry Clay. Afterwards | saw
| the Electoral College for Ohio meet at
| Columbus and go through the nImmery
! Of voting by ballot for President and Vice.
President.
In connection with these HISTORICAL
recitals it must not be forgotten that
Gov. Ashley recommends the entire alb
clifton of all National conventions, so
that intrigues that often defeat the
popular will in the selection of candi-
dates will all be avoided. But in con-
nection with the discussion on the alb
clifton of Vice-President Gov. Ashley
claims the assassination of two Presi-
dents Nincoln and Garfield) would not
have happened, had IL not been suppos
ed that the party of the assassination
would gain by having the Vice-Presi-
dent promoted. Here again we quote
from Gov. Ashley's address:
"His very existence and presence is a
menace and peril to any man in the
| office of President. The peace of our
country has been imperiled during our
| history more than once, because of the
existence of the office of Vice-President.
| We would have escaped the ordeal
| through which the nation passed in 1901,
when jefferson and Burr we're candidates,
If there had been no Vice Presidential
| Office. And here l may appropriately
| quote from from n speech which l made
| in Congress on this subject in 1868, when
| l said that had there been no such Office
| as Vice-President, we should have been
spared the perfldy of a Tyler, the betrayal
OF Fillmore, aud the baseness and in
fanny of a Johnson After drawing a
| picture of the conspiracy which ultimated
| in Mr.. Lincoln's assassination, l said in
the same speech, that Il present this
| panoramic view of what is now history TO
illustrate how weak and indefensible in
| this particular Is the Presidential office,
| so that / may appeal to the nation to
fortify it against this danger by removing
the temptation now presented to con-
| spirators and assassins, and thus make
| the Presidential office citadel against
which they may hurl themselves in
! vain.'n
| We shall refer to this subject again