Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1892-04-29
4 POPLAR VOTE.

Whenever 4 new Pres dental yea
comes round, says the New York Press
there is a revival of the old question
"Why not do away with the cumbroa
machinery OF the electoral college ant
choose the Presidents by majority o
the popular vote in the whole Unitct
States? - This year the question is beinl
put seemingly with more emphasis thar
ever. Along with it is similar suggcs
ton that United States Senator's shall b,
elected by the people of the Several State,
and not by tht Leg slaturcS thereof. Ar
guments for and against these two ideas
arc at bottom the same rs applied to the
Presidency and the Scnatorship.
In favor of the proposed changes it is
urged chat a republican form of govern
mcnt IS Il government by maioritics, or
! else II IS false to itsnamc. Hence, if more
than onc-half the people want a certain
man Tor President aud vote tor him, and
another man, who is supported bv less
than halEthc votes cast IS declared elected
the Will of the people is thwartcd and a
great wrong done, notwithstanding that
1t S done under the Constitution and the
laws of the land That the Constitution
and the laws ought to be changed so as
to preclude such possibility is what
many people are earnestly declaring.
\ glance at our country's history will
show that if this is indeed a wrong it is
one that has been frequently inflicted and
suffered. John Quincy Adams, James X.
Polk, General Zachary Taylor, lanes
Buchanan, Abraham Lincoln flor his first
clect!on), Rutherford b. Hayes, James A.
Garfield, Grover Cleveland and BENJAMIN
Harrison each received less than onc-halt
the popular vote, yet all became Prcsi
dent o: the United States. Whatcverma,
be thought about the right or wrong of
the question, these facts help to show its
gravity and the sweeping nature of the
proposed change
Whether we think them wise or uuwisc
i'll the decision which they reached we
must not forget that the fathers and
founders of the Republic considered this
question very carefully. that the pros
and cons which are now urged were
urged then, and fully discussed. The
nj FIN lI,, 81.
suit OF long elaboration and profound
belief in it as the best possible under all
the circumstances.
II we examine closely into the assertion
that a majority Of all the votes cast
should in every case determine nclection
or decide political contest, it NAV seem
rather less 4 sell evident truth than has
been often assumed. Suppose that a
majority OF the people in every State OF
the Union, except one, cast their votes
for certain candidate, but his opponent
by receiving a tremendous popular ma
JorIty III that one State, is enabled to
Show for himself a total of 50.OO1 per
cent. of the whole number of votes cast
III the country. 1t is perfectly plain that
the wishes of the majority in fortv.three
States should count for absolutely moth
ing in clecting President of the United
States? Yet that very thing might hap
pen on the popular vote plan. The idea
OF the Constitution is that the rule of the
majority is more fairly carried out by
making it depend on n majority of ma
Jorltles than on majority of individual
ballots.
1t the principle advocated by the friends
OF the proposed change be sound then it
is fair to suggest that it shall be univers.
ally applied. 1t is indeed proposed to
elect United States Senators by the peo.
pie OF the States, but why not by the
people of the United States? The same
idea applies to members of the House of
Representatives. They are all officers of
the general government as much as the
President. They legislate for the whole
country and they are paid out of the
treasury of the whole country. Then
why, on the principle OF majority rule as
urged by direct vote" advocates should
notthe majority ofthe voters ofthis whole
elect them?
The same line of argument would 20 to
prove that all the members of a State
Legislature should be chosen bv all the
people of the State on one general ticket
II 1t is violation of the right of self
government to have President who
represents less than halfthe popular vote
It is no less violation of that right to
have majority of either or both houses
OF Congress, or of a State Legislature, or
OF municipal Board of Aldermen. that
represents less than half the voters of the
country, the State or the city. Yet under
existing conditions either of the latter
things is aslikelyt to happen as the former
The subject is a great one, and it is
well to look at it from all SIDES before
Mt conclusions. !