Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-12-23

At the last session of congress, Hon
William NJ. Springer introduced bill
embodying plan for con stitutiona
amendment electing the president ant
vice president for term of six years ant
of members of congress for three years
The bill is now under consideration b,
one of the house committees, and it is no
improbable will be reported back favor
ably and il passed by congress will bC
submitted to the states for their action
The Springfield Register commends the
proposition. The Chicago Tribune ex
plains the plan ard endorses it editorially
as follows:
Mr.. Springer's plan is that the president
shall hold office for six years ard be in.
eligible for immediate reelection. AS &c
the wisdom Of that change there is prob
ably nov little d ference of opinion. The
reasons for il which have been often given
never have been answered. The only
opposition comes from those hide-bounG
conservatives who are opposed to any
change merely because it is change.
AS regards the method of election, Mr.
Springer proposes 10 throw overheard the
electoral colleges, with their clumsy, dan
gerous machinery, and TO substitute
therefor the idea of proportional repre-
sentation. For instance, the total vote
of Illinois last month was S73 900. AS
Cleveland had a plurality of $1,000, he
OF all the "a electors. Had MIR. Spring.
RS plan been in force q canvassing
board. composed of the governor, secre-
tarY of state, and chief justice, would
have added up the total vote and divided
t by the number of electors, the quotient
being SO 400. They would have found
that that ratio was contained in Hsrri>
sons vote ten times. with a remainder of
35 288; that it was contained in Cleve>
lands vote l l times, with a remainder of
25, 841. They would have found also
that the vote for weaver was 25 $40 and
for Bidwell 22,247. Therefore the board
would have certified that Illinois had cast
twelve votes for Clevela1d, eleven for
Harrison, and one for Weaver.
Such system applying to all the
states would be fair one Il would be
more reprs sentative of the sentiment of
the whole people than the present one
1t would give democratic minori;ies in
Vermont ard republican mlnorities in
Missouri an inducement to go to the
polls. 1t would check the tremendous
efforts now put forth on both sides to
carry great states like New York, for the
stakes TO be played for no longer would
be 26 votes, but one, two or three. The
dangers which inevitably are connected
now with close vote on electors iu
state would disappear. In 1884 the mar
row margin of thousand votes gave the
New YorK electors t. Cleveland and
elected him. A narrower margin, such
as that in California or North Dakota this
year, might have entailed angry and seri.
ious controversies. The Springer plan
mlnimiLes those perils and lessons also
the effectiveness of the fraud. At pres
emit the purchase of thousand votes in
one state may determine the political
complexion of score of electors. By
the Springer method ii might have no eft,
feet whatever as FIR as the presidency
was concerned, or possibly at the most
change one vote.
Mr.. Springer provides further that the
presidential vote shall be canvassed, not
by the outgoing congress, but the ingoing
one. Thus il there is no election by the
people and it is thrown into the house,
that house will be one whose members
will be elected at the same time the pres
ident is voted for and not, as now, one
elected two years prior to that time. II
Mr.. Cleveland had not received, this
year. maj ority of the electoral vote, the
president would have been decided by n
house elected in 1901 manifest absur-
dity.
Another feature of Mr.. Springer's plen
is that the life Of a congress shall end in
December and not in March. as now.
that q new one shall meet in January in,
stead of December, as now; and that The
term of house member shall be three
years instead OF two At present an old
congress hangs on and legslates after the
people may have repudiated it. and one