The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-01


content to abide by This vote, but an effort
to reverse IL. made on Aug. "a, in favor
Of election by the people failed by the
vote OF o States 10 >. As early as
June Wilson had propounded an indirect
method Of choosing the Chief Magistrate
by PRESIDENTIAL electors, but it was re-
iected by a decisive vote. About fort
night later Hamilton advocated an cleo
ton Of the President by electors chosen
by the people from election districts, but
no notice seems to have been taken OF
the suggestion. On July 10 Oliver Els
worth had moved for the election OF the
Executive by electors TO be chosen 10y
the State Legislatures. This plan was
actually adopted at the time but was dis
carded a week later a. we have seen, in
favor OF election by the Legislatures NTH
ont the Intervention OF electors. Prof.
Moran goes on 10 say that -Gouverneur
Morris, the most persistent opponent OF
this method Of election, moved on Aug. "a
that the choice be made by electors chosen
by the people This motion was lost at
the time, but was carried later. and the
Electoral College was established during
the last part Of the session The im-
preston conveyed is that the Constitu-
ton now directs Presidential electors to
be chosen by the people. That, of course
is a slip The Constitution leaves it to the
Legislature OF each State to say in what
mode the Presidential electors allotted
to that state shall be chosen. As a matter
OF fact, for long time after the Constitu-
ton became operative Presidential electors
were chosen in many of the States by the
.sun. N.Naa 4. oil
the plan propose by Ellsworth We ought
10 add that there * no such political
entity a. the Electoral College We
may II we like, assert that seaci state. has
an electoral college Of its own but, as
the Presidential electors representing the
various States never meet and vote to-
gether, they cannot be said to constitute
a corporate body.
Another fact to which Prof. Moran in
yites attention deserves more notice than
1t generally receives in treatises ON the
American Constitution. Presidents
message was provided for in the words
He shall from time TO time give TO the
Congress information on the state Of the
Union, and recommend 10 their considera-
ton such measures az he shall Judge neces-
sary and expedient- The message TO
Congress was evidently intended 10 serve
the same purpose that the Kings speech
TO Parliament was supposed 10 be full
filing at the time. Our author sees. how
ever, that there was vital difference in
the two cases The Presidents message
was to be, and is his own Independent
utterance, while the Kings speech. even
in 1857. was a Cabinet production. and
represented the ideas. not Of the King, but
OF the Cabinet in general and of the Prime
Minister in particular. The Cabinet at
that time was all important in England,
vet no mention OF such a body appears in
the American Constitution The only
dim allusion to anything OF the kind is i'll
the clause which provides that the Presi-
dent may require the opinion in writing
Of the principal officer in each Of the ex-
ecutive departments upon any subject
relating TO the duties Of their respective
Offices This is indeed. as our author
but slight Constitutional var
rant for the evolution Of a body so power
full a. i. the American Cabinet to-day.