Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-12-14
MUST THE STATES SURREN-
DER SUFFRAGE CONTR0L7

LIVERY hish.school boy knows that the
~ attempt to establish national gov.
ornment TO include tho thirteen colonies
would have failed unless tho sovereignty
and Independence OF tho proposed States
had been protected In tho Constitution
Tho States, regardless Of size or popu.
lation, have equal representation IN tho
Senate. In the election OF n President
it is tho State that speaks through It's
electors: but by ono OF those compromises
which distinguish tho Constitution tho
electors are divided among the States in
proportion TO population. The theory that
tho President is tho choice Of tho States
and not merely OF tho voters MS mass
appears also IN tho provisions for cleo
ton in case no candidate has n majority
In the electoral college. In such cnso tho
House OF Representatives chooses n
President by ballot, but tho vote IN taken
by States, with ono voto to n State, tho
representatives from onoh State deciding
among themselves for whom It's vote shall
bo cast.
These elementary facts havo moro than
n curious or academic interest, in Wow
tion OF tho electoral system and tho
choice OF n President by popular vote.
We nre hearing less and less OF tho
rights OF tho States and moro and moro
OF tho powers OF tho nation. Tho dc.
mnnd for tho election OF tho President
by popular vote is based on the theory
that he should bo the choice Of tho people
OF the nation rather than primarily tho
choice of tho people of the sovereign
States. The Civil War destroyed the old
assumption that tho sovereignty OF tho
them to withdraw at will from tho Union.
We now have an indssoluble federation,
with the emphasis on indissolublc wo
are magnlfylng the national iden, even
to the extent OF demanding, as Roosevelt
did, that Congress should exercise tho
powers reserved to the States when tho
States neglect 10 exercise them.
Fhere IS moro involved in the popular
election OF tho President than tho partial
obstruction OF State sovereignty. Tho
fifteenth amendment to tho Constitution
forbids the States to restrict tho right OF
suffrage ION account OF race, color or pre-.
vious condition of servitude" Tho four.
teonth amendment provides that when
the right to voto is abridged tho repre-.
sentntlon OF tho States nbridglng 1t shall
be reduced in tho proportion which the
males without suffrage shall bear to the
whole number OF males twenty.ono years
old In tho State. This is tho provision
which is supposed to protect the negro
voters in tho South Any constitutional
amendment providing for election oaCthe
President by popular vote would have to
fix tho qualifications of voters In ma.
tional elections, or empower Congress
to fix them. II would be necessary
to decide whether women In every
State were to vote for the President,
whether there was to be an educa.
tiOnal or property qualification, and, II
It IN the national win that the negroes
shall vote some way would have to be
found. by the Federal supervision of ma,
tional elections or otherwise. to get the
negro vote into the ballot boxes and then
to get II counted
The race question and woman suffrage
as well as whether this Is n nation or a
federation OF Independent sovereigntles
are at Issue In this new plan, as will ap.
pear as soon as Congress begins to dis.
cuss tho constitutional amendments pro.
posed or about to be proposed.