Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-01-29

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usnsral fit&huah Less Substitute
The election az Tinted Stafes senators
by the legislatures Of The several States
end ths election Of elsotors OF President
and vice-P President Of the United States IN
whatever msnner the several States may
provide. each State acting for itself, are
two examples Of the survival Of The thso-
| rics Of ths trainers Of the Constitution. and
serve to remind N whenever United
States senator or President Of the United
States r. 10 be elected that 20 fer Is other
| rights of the States are concssaed We sre
not walking ssp~ 6sfinsos pjas, but have
departed from the ways Of tue fsthsrs Of
the republic.
We suggested recently that The psopls
had become ~ accustomed snd attached
TO the present systsm Of choosing the
President Of the Unised States that they
would probably no. DO willing 10 allow any
OF the States TO be districted for the
choice OF presidential electors unless AL
the States were districted for the same
purpose; or. in other words. that it would
strike the people ~ wrong and unfair for
one State entitled to ten electoral votes to
cast eli Of them for given candidate un.
der the general ticket system At the same
time that another Ststs entitled to the
same number Of electoral votes was dis
tricted 30 a. to allow or almost compel her
10 divide her electoral votes between two
candidates for President. For example.
under the general ticket system Of voting
Virgins casts twelve votes for her fsvorite
and Wisconsin casts twelve for her favor
| lite. But If Virginia were districted for the
election of President. and Wisconsin not
distrioted, the two States. instead of cast
| ing each twelve votes for her favorite.
might cast sixteen votes for Wisconsin's
| fayorite and only eight for Virginis's fa-
vorite, and yet the popular vote be almost
equally divided between the two COM
peting candidates.
General FITzHuoH LrB, always practical.
| has suggested. as we informed our readers
some time ago. that instead Of favoring
President HAsR1soN's proposed amendment
providing for the election of electors for
President on Q general ticket he was rather
| inclined to hold that the district plan
should be made general. The adoption OF
| this plan would, he thought, transfer the
presidential contest from two or three
pivotal States to the great body OF the peo-
| pie themselves.
If that result, and no bad ones, would
follow its adoption, the people would GER
tainly rstify an amendment intended to
secure so desirable reform in our election
methods. But would such result follow
| We do not know. but we can judge from
what we see gong on in the several States
that tho gerrymandering which would fol-
low the adoption OF such an amendment
would throw all the gerrymandering here
tofore done into the shade. Ohio, Re-
| publican State, is now 30 gerrymandered
as to be able to elect almost twice as many
! Democrats as Republicans to the national
House of Representatives. CIhe new
Legislature of Ohio will gerrymander that
State 10 suit themselves.) On the other
| hand, numbers Of States are 80 eerryman-
dered as to render it impossible for the
Democrats in those States TO elect as many
members as they are entitled to elect.
Nobody expects Republican or Demo-
cratic Legislature to district State fairly.
Even the southern State legislatures are
sometimes charged with gerrymandering--
legislatures which represent people OF
whose congressman distinguished north
erner has recently said that all of them are
above suspicion.
Imagine, then. the gerrymandering that
would be resorted to In districting the
several States for the election Of presi-
Dental electors The pretended district
ing would soon degenerate into farce.
Cities-nay counties would be put part OF
them into one electoral district and part OF
them into another. Unblushing unfair
ness and unconcealed efforts TO stife the
voice of the people would characterize the
conduct of the majority In each State.
Look at the Republican gerrymandering in
New York. We should witness more and
more gerrymandering there II that State
had to be districted for the choice Of
electors of President of the United States
But We need not specify States. Gerry
Wandering is already the rule, and fair ap.
portionmeuts the exception. Fair appor
tionment would become thing unknown
under the new condition of things.
But might not the proposed amendment
be so framed as to empower Congress to
district the several States for the purpose
! in question: Angels and ministers Of
grace defend usl !" This would be jump.
| ing from the frying-psn into the fire.
Who would be willingtt to entrust such 4
power to Republican Congress? Think
| OF what, under the operation OF such an
amendment, Beast BUTLER, THAD. STEVENS
| CHARLES SUMNER. ZACH. CHANDLER. and
! their associates would have done in recon
struction days. We need not dwell upon
| this point.
| But if neither Congress nor the State
legislatures can be entrusted with the
power to district the States for the election
| of presidential electors. and the present
system is liable TO the objections which
President HARalsox makes against 1t. what
| Is TO be done? "Where there is q wrong
there Is remedy" More anon.
The Court Of Appeals has granted re