The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-02-06

and many other states, and adopted
not bind anybody. A member Of the
legislature may vote as he pleases. re.
gardless Of what verdict the people
may have rendered at the polls. In
most cases that verdict will he re-
spected. But It is easy TO imagine
conditions under which it would be
disregarded. Suppose that With tire.
mendous issues at stake the complex
ion Of the senate depended on a single
vote. suppose THAT, the issue were the
passage OF a law SO manifes,ly in the
public interest that all the powers Of
corruption were marshaled against it,
and that it lacked but one vote Of
passage. Suppose that with this Sit
ua,ioa existing in the senate there
should he in n state a series o.
complications which had aroused
strong feeling on both sides Of the
state contest, and that the man named
at the polls ty the people for the SEN
ate were the one man needed to pass
the desired bill. Is there any doubt
that advantage would be taken Of ev-
cry possibility to defeat than man.
Does anyone douh, that there would
be a REPETITION Of the Lorimer scanda!
on an even larger scale. and that ev.
cry approaehable members Of the leg.
islature would be approached and in.
duced. if possible TO violate tina, which
he knows to be his duty. and vote
for a man who would oppose the fed
eral senate bill? This is but one Of
many situations which could arise.
Tho mere fact that the instructions
given by the people in such cases are
usually followed is nc evidence that
they will invariably be followed. and
the time when they are not followed
is exactly the time when it is most
important that they should he. It has
been realized practically from the be-
ginning that DUR electoral college was
merely a rather clumsy bit Of nee
sary machinery. but We have been so
long accustomed to seeing the cleo
tors do as they were instructed and
expected to do that We have assumed
that under no circumstances would
they ever do otherwise. Yet last sum-
mer in a dozen states men who had
been nominated for presidential cleo
tors by the voters or the conventions
OF one party declared with all serious
ness that II they were elected they.
would not vote for the candidate of
the party whose nominees they were.
Obviously to follow, such a course as
was proposed would have thrown the
whole system into inextricable con-
fusion. Better counsels prevailed. and
some degree Of order was restored.
But what was threatened last year may
actually be done in any presidential,
year.
The simple way to remedy the diff
Guilty in the case of presidential cleo
tons is to abolish the electoral coll
lege. assign to each state its proper
quota of presidential votes as at pres.
ent, and let the people Of the state saw
by their ballots for whom those votes
shall he cast. The c%ertifcation o. the
vote by the secretary Of state would
be the only thing necessary. instead
Of the sending Of the vote to Wash
tngton by messengers, some of whom
stop on the way to see the sights, and
get lost. as happened a little over a
week ago.
To make it certain that the will Of
the people is t" be followed in sena-
|%torial elections a constitutional amend
ment is necessary. and without that
the whole situation is left in a state
Of uncertainty. The legislatures
should lose no time in ratifying the
amendment which has been submitted
to them.