Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-01-11
THOSE USELESS ELECTORS

THE electors met yesterday in the capitals
i Of the several states to go through the
form of choosing the next President Of the
United States.
but, as every one knows, they did not
choose the Pres ident. They simply carried
out the instruction of the voters and voted
for the candidate of their party. This vote
will be canvassed in Washington and the
result announced. Then the legal formal
tiles will have been completed and the title
of Mr.. Harding to the Office will be es-
tablished.
This roundabout way of choosing Pres
ident has come about because the constitu-
tonal method failed to work to the salts
faction of the politicians. The theory Of
the constitution is that the electors shall
vote for the presidential candidates who seem
to them best qualified and that they shall
exercise their own best judgment in the mat
ter. The initiative has been taken from
them and II now rests in the party conven-
tions, so that all the electors do now is to
vote as they have been instructed. Of course.
they have the right and the power to dis
regard those instructions. II the man nomi
mated by convention should die after his
party electors had received majority vote,
the electors doubtless would actually choose
the President. but they would not do SO
without consultation with the party man
ayers They are under moral obligations
now to do no more than ratify the action
of their party convention.
Vice President Marshall is not pleased
with the system. On the day before the
electors met he gave out an interview in
which he urged return to the original
practice. He would have the electoral COL
lege perform the functions of both a nomi
mating and electing convention. We elect
delegates to the party conventions with au-
thority to choose n candidate. Mr.. Marshall
apparently thinks that it would be more sat
isfactory IL the voters should abolish the
party conventions entirely and nominate as
presidential electors men in whom they had
confidence and allow them to decide who
should be President.
The plan would eliminate personalities
from the campaign and the issue would be
between parties rather than between men.
The country would be asked to consider
questions Of policy separated from the men
who would carry out the policy. If the
Democratic party had failed, the country
would be asked to turn the government over
to the Republican party with confidence that
the Republican electors would select cap
able man to represent it in the White House.
But there are certain obvious disadvan- =
tages in the plan. If there were no agree
ment among the electors in the majority II
would be possible to make deals with mi =
nority electors to bring about the selection
of President whom the majority would not
have chosen II left to themselves. Something
of this kind happened in the House Of Rep
rescntatives when John Quincy Adams was
chosen. Adams had eighty four electoral
votes, Andrew Jackson had ninety nine
Henry Clay had thirty seven and William
II. Crawford had forty one. The supporters
of Adams were able to make combination
with the friends of Clay in the House and
secured the election of their candidate.
1t Is strange that Mr.. Marshall did moi
suggest that we adopt the French system
under which the members Of the Chamber
| Of Deputies and the Senate meet in ma :
tional assembly and choose the President
| This would do away with the nominating
conventions and the superhuous electora
college and it would leave no excuse fol-
raising a large campaign fund every foul
years, for Congress would do the electinl
| and would be as well fitted for the duty as
| specially chosen electoral college could be.
But If there is to be any change 1t |!
! likely to be in the direction Of the abolition
of the electors altogether. Many politica
leaders have been urging the choice of tn,
| President by direct vote Of the people. The!
| are the same men who advocated the elec
| tion of United States senator's in the sam,
| way. They have secured the adoption o
part Of their program and they will not stoI
| till they have got it all adopted.