Iron County register., 1891-05-14
Presidential Electors.


The Michigan Republicans show dis
position TO test in the courts the validity
of the law passed by the Democratic Leg
islature providing for the choice of Presi-
Dental electors by districts next year,
but there is little prospect cf the success
of such movement. The man who is
put forward to make the argument of un-
constitutionality is X-Congressman
| Cutcheou. who has written a long letter
on the subject to the Detroit Tribune. but
| his whole argument is based apon an
ignorance of our political history which is
| as astounding as it is discreditable in one
who is a graduate of the Michigan Uni
versity and of its law school He begins
with this statement:
''The bill is revolutionary ia it's character,
| and if carried out and extended to other
States would effect radical change in our
form of government. Hitherto, in the fifty
five years OF the history of the State of Mich
igan, under whatever political party, Presi-
dental electors have been uniformity chosen
by the State at large. 1 am not dtcdre that
dny State SINCE the foundation Of the Coz
e17ament has ecer departed from this rute.
In some States electors have been appointed
by the Legislature of the State. repre- |entlng
the State at large, but ReUer before, to Tay
knowledge, has it been attempted to confer
up0n Compassionate districts and Uutgdr frac-
ti0ns of a State. 1t remained for the illus
trious Legislature of 1891 to initiate this
great reform and to reconstruct the Constl-
tuition of the United States"
This ignorant statesman Will be inter-
ested to learn that ar the very first Presi-
Dental election, in 1879, the State of
Massachusetts adopted the district sys-
TEN. the people of each Congressional
district bringing in their ballots for two
candidates and the Legislature choosing
one of these, as well as the two electors
at-large; that the system OF choice by
districts continued in Massachusetts, tor
many years: and that several other States
chose Presidential electors by popular
vote in the Congressional districts, exact
ly as is now proposed in Michigan, until
we'll on in the. present century. North
Carolina was so accustomed to the sYs-
TEN of choice by districts that great eX-
element was caused in 1911 when, upon
the excuse that there would probably be
an increase in the number of the State 5
electoral votes by the new appointment
based on the census OF 1910. but fnat IL
would come too late for a redistricting of
the State, the Legislature passed law
that the electors in 1912 should be chosen
by the Legislature. So late as 1923 New
u ork and Maine in the North. ard Mary
land anG Tennessee among the slave
States. clu1g to the system of choosing
electors by districts, with the result OF a
divided vote, except for Tennessee's un-
animity for her ''favori,c son." New
\ Ork choosing 20 jackson electors and LII
for Adams, Maine Jackson and Adams.
and Maryland 5 Jackson and & Adams.
Mary land did not finally abandon the dis
Irict system until after the election OF
1882, in which year she chose three Jack
son electors and five supporters OF Clay,
ner vote having been divided between the
can 'idates also iE 1886, 1900. lS0i, lSOs,
1872, 1924, and 1898. What shall be
thought of man who has been four times
elected TO Congress, and yet VINO con-
fesses that be never even heard of such a
thing as an attempt to confer the power
to appoint Presidential electors upon Con-
gressional districts. when it was COM
mon thing in our early history?
Naturally enough. MIR. Cutheon's con-
stitutiOnal argument is as weak as his
historical one. The constitution provides
that each State shall appoint its Presioen-
tial electors sin such manner as the Leg
great commentor upon the Constitution,
in his remarks upon this clause points
out that it allows the Legislatures to |
''prescribe the mode in which the elect
tors should be chosen whether it should
be by the people at large. or in distric %
Or by the Legislature ltself'' Story /
wrote in 1910, in the light of fifty years |
experience by the nation of all three of
these systems, and after observing the
operation of tn district system. not only |
in his own State of Massachusetts. but in |
several other States. until Maryland at |
lasi gave it up after the election of 1882.
1t is to be remembered that the method
OF choice by Congressional districts was
adopted and maintained while The men
who framed the Constitution We're still
alive and active in in public affairs, and
that nobody ever questioned the fact that
it was justified by the Constitution. The
Michigan Republicans have good argu-
ment against the justice of Democratic
law introducing the district system in
single State tor the avowed purpose of
securing temporary partisan advantage;
but they should not make themselves
ridiculous by ignorant claims that the ac-
ton of the Legislature is without prece-
dent in our history or warrant in the
when it is abundantly sus-
tanned by both.--N. Y Post.