The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1893-02-28
THE ELECTORAL SYSTEM.
Idea of the Founders of the Gov
ernment.
views of Alexander Hamilton-State
Sovereignty-The Popular VIII AL
ways Preyails-The Twelfth Amend
meut,

Chancellor Kent wrote: eff ever the
tranquility of this nation is to be dis
turbed and its liberties endangered by a
struggle for power it will be upon this
very subject of the choice of President.
I his is question that is eventually to
test the goodness and try the strength of
the Constitution, and if we shall be able
for half a century hereafter to continue
to elect the Chief Magistrate of the Union
with discretion, moderation and integrity
We shall undoubtedly stamp the highest
value on our national character and
recommend our Republican institutions,
II not to the imitation, yet certainly to
Inc esteem and admiration of the more
enlightened part of mankind"
ORIGIN OF THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE.
OF the constitutional method of select
ing the President the learned commenta-
tor spoke with enthusiasm. sit would
seem to be-" he said, ''as wise a provision
as the wisdom of man could have de-
Vlsed. There is no other method under
all the circumstances peculiar to our
political situation which appears to unite
IN itself so many unalloyed advantages"
And yet one of the principal reasons
which Influenced the trainers of the Con-
stltution to adopt the electoral system has
been discovered to be without foundation.
There was no subject which came be-
lore the great federal convention upon
which the members differed more widely
than upon the executive. Under the old
articles of confederation under which the
people had lived since the close of the
war, there was no President. The ques-
ton now was, if there should be an exec
utlve, whether it should consist of one or
more men, how long he should serve,
what he should be called, and finally how
he should be elected. All these were pro-
ductlve of long and, in some cases, acri-
moniouS debates. Some favored an cleo
ton by the Congress, some by popular
vote. But when the question of electing
the executive by popular vote was put
only one State voted for it. Then it was
decided by the vote of all the States that
the election should be by the Congress
and that he should serve seven years.
Then this was reconsidered and the syS-
tenn of election by electoral colleges was
agreed upon.
ALEXANDER HAMILToN'S IDEA.
Notwithstanding all this division of
opinion, when the instrument. as COM
pleted, was laid before the public, strange
10 say, this electoral system was almost
the only teatureof the Constitution which
escaped censure in the bitter debates and
discussions upon it. And strangest of
all 1t was that the people should have con-
coded that the diStruSt of their own
capacity 10 select a proper person for so
high an office should have been valid
reason for its adoption. The Federal
Farmer, which was one of the strongest
opponents of the Constitution, conceded
that the election of the President was
pretty well guarded. 1T was desirable"
wrote Alexander Hamilton, THAT the inn
mediate election should be made by men
most capable Of Analysing the qualities
adapted to the station and acting under
circumstances favorable to elaboration
and to a judicious combination of all the
reasons and inducements that were proper
TO govern their choice. y small number
ofpersons selected by their fellow-citizens
from the general mass will be most likely
to possess the information and discern
ment requisite to so complicated an in
veStgation. The choice of several to
form an intermediate body of electors will
be much less apt to convulSe the COM
munity with any extraordinary or violent
movements than the choice of one who
was himself to be the final object of the
public wishes.'
STATE SOVEREIGNTY.
But the reason which influenced many
in advocating the selection of Electors
rather than by the people was the i1ea of
State sovereignty. 1t was the design that
the election should be by the States and
that the majority received in one State
should not go to swell the vote in an
other State. For the same reason, when
the election of President goes into the
House of Representatives the vote there
Is also by States, Rhode Island and Della
ware having as much voice as New York
or Pennsylvania.
Hamilton's idea that the Electors
should, in making there selection for
President, analyZe the qualities adapted
to the station have never once been at
tempted. No Elector since the beginning
OF the Government has ever ventured to
oppose his private opinion to the views of
the people who elected him. There is an
implied pledge of honor and this has
never been violated.
THE FIRST COLLEGE.
When the Electors were chosen on the
first Wednesday,in January, 1889, it was
well understood that George Washington
was the choice of the country, except in
Maryland and Virginia; in all the ten
States which then, with New York,
which made no choice. constituted the
United States of America, the Electors
were chosen by the Legislatures. In
New York there was a deadlock and no
Electors nor Senators were chosen. The
Massachusetts Legislature as body
selected the two Electors at large and
eight more were selected from twenty
four names sent from the Congressional
Districts. In Maryland and Virginia
alone was the election by the people.
Maryland was an anti-Eederal State. The
campaign was warm one, but the
Federal party succeeded, because it was
known to be favorable to Washington.
There were siXty-four Electors and all
voted for Washington, but for the Vice
Presidency there was a contest between
George Clinton and Adams. The vote
was divided, and Adams, receiving the
next highest vote for President, was the
Vice-President. Hamilton and others
endeavored to defeat Adams by repre-
senting in some States that there was dam
ger OF a tie, and advising some of the
Electors to vote for Washington alone.
At the second election the vote for Wash
ington was also unanimous, and there was
s contest for the Vice-Presidency.
AN EXCITING INCIDENT.
IT will be remembered that the Consti-
tuition as originally adopted provided that
s'the person having the greatest mum Der
of votes shall be the President, if such a
number be Il majority of the whole num-
Der of Electors appointed. After the
choice of the President the person having
the greatest number of votes of the Elect
ors shall be Nice-President." This would
have the effect of having the President
and Vice President of different politics.
This provision was repealed by the
Twelfth Amendment to the Constitution,
which was submitted to the States in 1903
and which provides that the President
aud Vice-President shall be voted for
senaratelv. 1t is under this amendment
that elections are now held. The incident
which brought about the adoption of the
Twelfth Amendment was one OF the most
evcitinp and momentouS in the history of
The country. When the choice of Electors
cameuD in 1900 the Democratic or Repub-
lean candidates, as they were then called,
1vere Jefferson and Burr; the Federalist
candidates were John Adams and Z. c.