The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-05-13

The democratic legislature of Michi-
gan has passed the bill, which has been
pending for some time, changing the
mode of choosing presidential electors
Under the new law they will be chosen
by congressional districts instead of by
the state at large. 1t is a scheme to
give the democrats a portion of the
electoral votes of Michigan, and to all
appearances it will be successful. 1t is
characteristic of the democratic party
that ii never hesitates to abandon or to
adopt any principle or policy that holds
out promise of success. Its most
cherished principles are promptly re-
pudiated and those it has most bitterly
denounced are as promptly adopted if
such course promises to be success
full in the way of vote getting. The ac-
ton of the Michigan legislature is a
distinct abandonment of the tradi-
tional democratic idea of state SOW
ereignty. Under the time-honored
plan of choosing presidential electors
by the state at large they became, in a
sense, representatives of state SOW
ereignty. Their votes for president
and vice-president were the votes of
the state. The voice of the people is
the voice of the state, and the vote of
each state for president and vice. resi-
dent is cast solidly for the candidates
of one party or the other, as decided by
a majority of all its people. The new
plan does away with the idea of state
solidarity. Each elector no longer
represents the people of all the states,
but those of one congressional district
only. Neither in their individual nor
in their collective capacity do they
represent the state as a political SOW
ereignty. Each one represents only a
small part of it. The people in each
district only vote for one elector. Thus
a presidential election is brought down
to the level of an election for congress
man. This is complete abandonment
OF the idea of state sovereignty as rep
resented by the ordinary mode of
choosing electors. 1t shows how read
lily the democratic party will abandon
any dogma, doctrine or principle in Or
der to win. The constitution provides
that each state shall appoint, in such
manner as the legislature thereof may
direct, a number of electors equal to
the whole number of senators and rep
resentatives to which the state may be
entitled in the congress" This seems
to imply that presidential electors shall
be appointed or elected by the state as
an entirety. For many years after the
establishment of the government presi-
dental electors in nearly all the states
were chosen by the respective legisla-
lures, these bodies representing the
sovereignty of the entire state. Grad
ually, however, this method of choos-
ing electors gave way to that of cleo
ton by the people of the state at large,
and for long time this has been the
practice in all the states. That it was
the intention of the constitution to
make presidential electors representa-
tives of the state rather than of the peo-
pie would appear from the fact that it
provides that when there is no choice
by popular vote the president and vice.
president shall be elected by the house
of representatives, where "the votes
shall be taken by states, the representa-
ton from each state having one vote, -
and the way that vote shall be cast
being settled by majority of the rep
resentatives from each state This dis
tinctly recognizes the idea that in the
election of president and vice presi-
dent each state is to vote as unit,
whether through its presidential elect
ors or by vote in the house of repre-
sentatiyes. The object of the new de-
parture in Michigan is to give the dem
ocrats some of the electoral votes of
that state in 1892. If they had any
hope of carrying the entire state and
getting all the electoral votes they
would not have made this change.
They would not do it in any democratic
state. AS the state is now districted,
they expect to carry five or six of the
districts and one of the two large dis
tricts into which the whole state is to
divided for the choice of two electors at
large. In other words, they expect to
get six or seven of the thirteen electors
to which the state is entitled. 1t is a
dirty, contemplate, outrageous and
revolutionary scheme, but thoroughly
characteristic of the democratic party
Indianapolis Journal.
- DuaI, :, m Daoi,rncitu .y;tb, Canada