The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-01-25
THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE.
The Letter Of the Constitution Fol-
lowed, but the Method Changed.
mi ia in Cd Hnrna Io1ir-

The Letter OF the Constitution Fol-
lowed, but the Method Changed.
Benjamin Harrison. in Ladies' Home Jour-
nal.
The provisions Of the Constitution re-
lating to the manner of choosing the Presi-
dent are of peculiar interest for the reason
that while We still follow the letter of the
Constitution We have practically adopted
new, and to the trainers of the Constitution,
an unthought-of method. Various methods
Of choosing the President were proposed in
the convention. Mr. Wilson, of Pennsyl-
vania, one of the most learned and useful
members of the convention, stood for an
election by the people. and proposed that
the States be divided into a certain number
of election districts, and that in each the
people choose electors of the executive
magistracy. Mr. Roger Sherman was for
an election by Congress. Mr. Rutledge sug-
gested an election by the Senate. Mr.. Gerry
proposed that the President should be
chosen CHI by the Governors of the states 1;.o or
proposed an election by electors to be
chosen by lot from the National Legisla-
ture. He did not move this as the best
mode, but still thought the people should
elect. AS a member of the Pennsylvania
convention he said THE convention were
perplexed with no part of this so much as
with the mode of choosing the President of
the United States" 1t was finally deter
mined that electors should be chosen in each
State, and that they should meet and elect
the President and Vice President. How the
electors should be chosen. and how many
each State should have. was next a sub
ject Of debate and division. 1t was finally
determined that each State shall appoint
in such manner as the Legislature thereof
may direct, a number of electors equal TO
the whole number of Senators and Repre-
sentatives TO which the State may be en-
titled in Congress-" Indiana has thirteen
Representatives in Congress and two Sen
ators, and chooses fifteen electors OF Presi-
dent and Vice President. Rhode Island has
two Representatives in Congress and two
Senators, and chooses four electors OF Presi-
dent and Vice President. and so OF the other
al.nr of - n M a
a State has in Congress is determined by Its
population, and the population Is determined
by a census taken every ten years. me
unit of representation-that is. the number
of people that shall be entitled to a Repre-
sentative in Congress-is not, however, per-
manently fixed: but is fixed by law every
tenth year. after the census returns OF
population are in. The Constitution pro-
vides that the number of Representatives
shall not be greater than one Tor every
thirty thousand people. and upon that basis
the House of Representatives would consist
of 1888 members, estimating our total popu-
lation at seventy millions. The Electoral
College would, of course, have the same
number of electors. plus eignty-eight,the
whole number of the Senators. 1t has been
found necessary. In order to preserve Ca, a
to increase the unit of representation; anu
under the law of Feb Z, 1881, the whole
number of Representatives is fixed at 3S6-
one for each 1895 of population. The
whole number of electors of President and
Vice President is 444-356 plus So.
The manner of choosing the electors is left
by the Constitution TO the legislatures OF
the respective States. The method most
used has been to choose the electors by
popular vote in the whole State-each voter
voting for the whole number OF electors
TO which the State Is entitled. The prac-
tice of the political parties is to allow
each congressional district to nominate an
elector, who is designated district elector.
and i'm a State convention to nominate the
two electors given for the Senator'S, usually
called electors-at-large or senatorial e.ec-
fh<acA ora n
ticket and are voted for throughout the
whole State, and usually are all elected,
or none. though In few instances some
one elector on a party ticket has been
chosen and the others defeated. But this
method Of choosing electors has not been
universal. In some States the electors have
been chosen by a vote OF the legislature.
and in Michigan, in 1891, the Democratic
party being in the ascendency in the Legis-
lature and the Republicans probably having
a majority on the popular vote In the whole
congressional district the right to choose
an elector and TO the State the right to
choose the two electors-at-large. By this
method those congressional districts that
had a Democratic majority could choose
electors of that party and thus divide the
in the power of State Legislature already
chosen to take the choosing of the electors
into it's own hands. / think IL Is greatly to
ing presidential electors should be adopted.
so as to free the selection as much as pos
sible from partisan juggling. The purpose
of the convention was to provide for the
selection of body of well-informed patri-
otto men, who should elect as President
the man whom they should think the best
fitted for the high office. Their choice was
not to be constrained by pledges nor linn
tied by nominating conventions. But while
we still use the letter, the spirit OF the Con-
stitution has been subverted. Presidential
candidates are nominated in national party
conventions, and the electors are regarded
as honorably bound to vote for the nominee.
whatever may be their individual opinion
as TO his comparative fitness. An elector
who failed to vote for the nominee would be
very high excitement might be the subject
of a lynching.