Bisbee daily review., 1912-07-06
WHAT IS AN gLgcroRp

thS hduefs ot tne fSuefai COn- stitutiOn had conception of the du- ties and responsibilities of presiden- ual electors widely different in one sense and vastly broader in another then the conception of today: and tke difference is brought into strong contrast by the discussion growing out of the conditions which may pc created by the advent of a new party. powerful enough to be reckoned with.
 The modern conception Of an eIector is that of a vehicle of the popurar ex pression-the instrument of the popu lar will. In the past quarter century, it would haze been sinconceivabIe that an elector, chosen on a ticket headed by 8 presidential candidate, could vote otherwise than for the candidate, unless his death should SupSiNeHt. lue eieC'oT WAS pUL lht intelligent agent of the state major ity or plurality, sentiment and his in di"idaal views were negligible. All that was expected of him was his vote for the head of the ticket on which he was chosen, deposited as the  law provides. says the St. Paul Dis patch.
 The fathers of the repub;ic--a pop. ular phrase in these political times had in mind college to choose the. president and vice president of the United States; had in mind the se- lection by each state, in the manner its legislature might provide. of it's quota of intelligent and pat -iotic men, who should select-not merely vote for after others had selected-the chief magistrate of the nation. TEey were expected to exercise their own judgment The proceedings of tnn first constitutional convention set down this expression of the senti- ment of the f-amers, touching presi- dential electors:
 'It is the theory of the constitution that electors shall assemble and choose for president one whom in their wisdom and discretion they shall deem best fitted"
 There is no suggestion there Of par, ty nominations. or convention faror- ties or even fthe popular choice. Out of the college Of electors should come the head of the republic accord ing to the framers of the organic law.
 The changes made to the coustitr,- .i9n. eontsined in The Tselfth amend ment. in no way afect=oT= after tais expression. The provision that fl the election shall be thrown into the house only tke three leading candidates shall be baftoted for carries the cer tainty that the framers expected a wide diversity oi view among the electors, in the exercise of their in. terigent and patriotic judgment and that a multiplicity of selections would appear. The reliance Of the framers reposed in The electors is further shown in the provision which limits the choice of the house to the can didates bsIloted for by the electoral college and prevents the selection of a president vho was not among the three highest presented by the col lege Thes house might choose only among those the electors had deemed best fitted
 IT is of interest, in this connection, to recall that when the house is called upon to elect. it must vote by states and. not otherwise. each state having one vote and a majority Of the ststes being necessary to, an election New Yorts and Nevada are equal in voting power and sectional strength is en- tireIy eliminated
 Tine point Of interest at this moment is the fact that electors are absolute Iy uninstructed and untrammeled by law Long precedent has established