The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-01-06
FRIDAY, JANUARY 0. 1soa,


Plans for Eiecting a President.
Much has recently been said in favor
OF electiag a President by the popular
vote of the people, and the project
seams to have been advocated by many
liberal and fair-mindei papers and
leading statesmen without II thought
of the evil results that might low from
1t. Tho views presented appeal strong
ly to the great masses OF the people,
especially in the large cities, but 1t Will
not stand against tlme-honored obiee-
tions unless it is accompanied by
constitutional amendment einbodying
within itself such safeguards against
fraud and prescription as will give to
each and every citizen the right to
vote and to haye his vote fairly count
cd and returned.
The most powerful argument against
. the project that we have yet seen
comes from the Media Amet lean, that
sterling old Republican paper edited
by Col. Thomas V. Cooper, collector
rot the Port of Philadelphia. The
American opposes the project in such
strong language as this:
"Fraud now dominates the elections
in many OF she great cities, New York
gives 1900 Democratic majority, ms
reCarned, Brooklyn $4,000 Jersey City
14,000-in all ll1000-whtch is more
than the usual popular majority re.
ceived by Presidential candidates. Thus
three great importing cities, through
which most of our ocean commerce
Is distributed-all of them welded to
policies more In the interest of for
eign nations than our own, would die.
tate the Presidential choice at every
election. New York city atone would
overcome the opposing mdloritle5 oil
Maine, Vermont, New hampshire
4 Massachusetts,, Rhode lslaud, Miehi-
!. gan and Nebraska, while the three
cities named would Offset the maiori-
Z ties of all the States in the linton
!. which gave Republican maiorities at
the last election, If Pennsylvania is
omitted.
1.-THE policy OF the government would
Then BIZ within the absolute control of
the importing Interest, Tor many years
to come, and this would prove Il con
slant check and menace to our indus.
tries. Party platforms would count
very little against the desire OF the I'M
porting cities fronting New York Lar-
Dor, for they could elect. and every
, candidate would have to bow to their
system of fraud And these systems
of fraud would multiply under the
new temptations offered Until the end
would come in the disruption of IA
government foolish enough to surren.
der forms OF liberty we'll guarded by
law, and political balances. nc wisdom
Aof which many previous contests have
demonstrated
This is strong language, but who
that has watched the progress Of the
times will deny that tits trHe: Look at
the political 20 yer of New York city
1t has almost as many and as lucratiy'
places as tho entire government Of thI
United States. Tammany's great or
is simply and solely one OF
pendents and yet il is the most per.
tt and powerful in all tho land. Re
bring to this power the American
lays,
"Soe the power OF cities. The Dem
Htie majoritles in New York anC
fooklyn control Presidential result
Tor every county in the State save
half dozen; Jersey City controls tbs
' entire State; Chicago controls Illinois
Baltimore Invariably controls Mary
land; San Francisco swings the ponlu
lum of California.
1 "We say to Colonel Mcclure that I
this INSTANCE his reform eye Is LOOKING
In the wrong direction, His propoai
tom is Democratic in the sense that
PROMISES perpetual power to the Dem
Ftic party, SO long as it defends tn
rest OF importers, 1t is not RI
bllcan In principle. since thrOu9
guise OF popular suffrage 1t wi
ing greater frauds aud chain Tia
lin country people of half OF gu
htes."
The only plan by which tho Amer
Jan favors an election by the popuia
vote, is that the vote shall be diret
for q President and vice. President eae
State to have the same electoral 70
as now, then those votes to be divide
in proportion to the number Of pop
= laTvotes cast for each candidate.
By this plan In State casting 500
600 votes 450, 600 for Cleveland, 800
900 for Harrison and 81, 900 for Weaver
4 and that State should have in eleetor5
college sixteen votes the division O
/ the popular vote would be $1,000. 0
In OTHER words Cleveland would 50
nine, Harrison six, and Weaver one
Under this eystem the electoral vol
OF Pennsylvania at the recent ele1tio
Would haye been sixteen for Harrison
nfteen for Cleveland, and one 70
Weaver. Under the came plan th
Electoral vote of the United STATE