Evening star., 1922-12-10
REFORMS TO BE PUSHED
BY PROGRESSIVE BLOC
Plan to Abolish Electoral COLLEGE and
Bring Government Closer
to People.

l e"o pidtIOrmS as would any other
group.
Borah Saved Primary.
Senator Borah of Idaho. republican
and one Of the leaders among the
progressives. found not long ago that
| his enemies in his state had planned
his political funeral by seeking to
! abolish the state primary law for the
nomination of candidates for the Sem
| ate and having the old convention
set up again. In a convention, tho
party leaders felt sure that they
could handle the situation. and when
Mr. Borah came Up for denomination
two years hence select another man.
Mr.. Borah jumped into the fight last
| fall and succeeded in bring about the
election of majority in both
branches of the state legislature in
: favor of the primary syscem. So the
party bosses in Idaho appear to have
/ had their trouble for no purpose.
! This. by the way. is considered
| significant victory for the supporters
| of the primary system.
There are many members of Con-
gress outside OF the so-called pro-
E! gressive bloc who favor some Of the
| steps proposed, for instance, the
| earlier meetings OF newly elected
Congresses and the Inauguration OF
| the newly elected Presidents and Vice
Presidents as soon as 1t IL feasible.
Others approve the plan to do away
| with the electoral college and provide
| for the direct election of the Presi-
dents and Vice Presidents by the peo-
pie.
J Hesltate to Open Door.
i There are also those who fear that
! to tamper with the existing condi-
tions might be to open the door to
\ changes more drastice than they
would care to support. They are will
ing to admit, for example, that the
electoral college aocomplishes no
good purpose at present, but they fear
| that II the presidential and vice
presidential electors are done away
with. some day It may be proposed
to have nationwide election for the
chief executive without state lines
| being taken into consideration.
The proposal now is to eliminate the
electoral college and retain the cleo
toral vote of the states for President
and Vice President. so that each state
would have the same say in deciding
the presidential contest as at present
That Is the provision OF the Norris
resolution proposing to amend the
Constitution, which was recently re-
ported favorably to the Senate from
the committee on agriculture.
Electoral College q Myth.
The electoral college, as things
stand today. is in measure a myth.
1t does not really select the President
and Vice President. using its own
Judgment, as was intended by the
trainers of the Constitution. Each OF
the electors is considered pledged to
vote for the party candidate on whose
ticket his name was placed. Nor docs
the electoral college ever meet. The
electors chosen in the various states
! do meet on a certain day following
their selection, and cast the ballots
for President and Vice President,
which. in turn. are duly forwarded to
Washington to be canvassed by Con-
gress. No mention of an electoral
| college 10 made in the Constitution,
: though provision is made for presi-
Dental and vice presidential electors.
Suppose that the electors. after be-
ing chosen at the polls. should take
the bit In their teeth and nominate
for President some other man than
the candidate nominated by the party
on whose ticket they had run. They
have q perfect right under the Con-
stitution to do this very thing. Mere
iy because 1t has never been done, is
no reason to declare that II never will
be done. There IL little doubt but
what such action would cause revolu-
tion. This Is one Of the reasons, for
instance. that men like Senator Cum
minis Of Iowa favor the abolition of
the electoral college.
Change From Early Days.
Prior to 1904 the eiectors-the MEM
bers Of the electoral college-cast
their ballots for President and the
man who received the highest num-
Der was elected. while the man who
received the second highest number
1
this system it was possible for a
President to belong to one party and
4 Vice President to another. But now
1 they cast their ballots for both Of
fees, and vote for their party ticket"
The demand that the electoral col
lege be eliminated has been made q
number Of times before. Former Sem
ator Shaffroth Of Colorado. democrat.
/! in 1917 offered a resolution propos-
ing a constitutional amendment for
| this purpose. 1t was very like the
| Norris resolution of today, except
that it coupled with the proposal to
| eliminate the electoral college and
advance the Inauguration day of the
President and the meeting of Con-
| gress a proviso that a President
| should be allowed only one term. and
that term for six years instead of the
four-year term.
| There is q growing belief that the
| Limitation Of a President to q single
| term, whether OF four or six years,
would result in a better administra-
tion Of the government for the peo-
pie. The desire Of a President to sue
| coed himself. it is contended. leads
him to steps which he otherwise
would not take. The democratic plat
form OF 1912 declared for the princi-
pie OF single term. At that time. the
/ late Col. Theodore Roosevelt was "A
| likely contender for the presidency.
4 -rAl a.