The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-03-10
A NEW ELECTORAL PLAN.
1T WOULD DIVIDE THE ELECTORS
ACCORDING TO THE VOTE.

Springer the Author Of the Bill-The
Measure Favorably Received and an
Effort Being Made to Have Politics
Cast Aside In It's Discussion by Con-
gross. sss
WAsHISGToN, March 9.-Some sweeping
changes in the manner Of elechag the Presi-
dent and in his term Of service are being
carefully examined by the House committee
on the election Of President and Vice Presi-
dent. This is the committee which reported
the force bill last congress. The present
committee believes that its time can be
more proftably occupied upon measures
for the general good. The committee will
probably report soon plan for elsctinR the
President and Vice President, which has all
the fairness OF an election by a popular
vote. without some Of the difficulties and
dangers which would surround that plan II
the attempt were made to take the aggrs-
gate vote of the entire country.
THE PLAN.
The plan which the committee Is oonsid-
ering is substantially the one which Mr.
Springer OF Illinois proposed i'll the last con-
gress and which he proposed again about a
month ago in a House resolution proposing
to amend the constitution. The plan is 10
leave the apportionment Of electors among
the states the same as at present, but to
have the electors for each state divided &C.
c0rding to the popular vote Of the people
in the state. In other words, the voter in
New York or Illinois would vote directly
for President Harrison or ex-President
Cleveland, and the electors would be dis
tributed according to the number of Harri-
son or Cleveland votes in the state.
HOW IT WOULD WORK.
If New York cast $40, 900 votes for CIeve-
land and $4,000 for Harrison, Cleveland
would receive nineteen of the thirty-six
electoral votes and Harrison seventeen.
The party casting the larger fraction where
tine popular vote would not divide exactly
would have the larger number of electoral
votes. The result in the close states would
be to give majority of one to the party
which carried the state, but in such re,
publican state as Vermont or such demo-
cratic state as Texas, the motive to poll the
largest possible vote would be as
strong as In the close states, in order TO win
as many as possible Of the electors.
ADVANTAGES OF THE PLAN.
. The plan has a number of advantages
over the existing system and over the system
OF an aggregate vote. 1t secures a fairer
representation of the popular will than the
present system, and cuts off the possibility
of gerrymanders and political manipulation.
The decision of the contested questions
under the new system will probably be left
to the supreme court in each state. Con-
gress could not, under the existing constitu-
ton, force jurisdiction upon state courts,
but constitutional provision accepted by
three-fourths of the states would be con-
elusive and binding upon them.
NO MORE MINORITY VICTORIES.
1t would hardly be possible under the now
system for President who carried the ag>
gregate vote of the country by any consider
able majority TO fail of a majority of the
electors. Mr.. Springer figured out last year
that the application OF his system to the last
election, when Mr.. Cleveland had nearly a
quarter of million popular majority,
would have given him safe majority in
the electoral college instead of Mr.. Harri-
son. The system is being supported, how
ever, In committee without regard to party
considerations in the belief that 1t will be
fairer in the long run TO all parties.
NOT A PARTY ISSUE.
1t is intended TO free the question from
any personal or partisan elements by pro-
viding that the new system shall not go
into effect until one or two elections have
passed. It Is proposed TO couple with the
new system of election, or to put in a separ-
ate amendment. another change, also pro-
posed by Mr.. Springer. to fix the term of
the President at six years and make him in
eligible for reelection. 1t is not desired to
do this until the next President has been
chosen and given an opportunity to seek re-
election IL he desires it. This would post
pone this part of the proposed reform until
the election of the year 1900.