Evening capital. [volume] (Annapolis, Md.) 1922-1981, 1922-12-12

plRElv ELECTION

The pTogrc iVe bloc in Con-
gress has won favorable com
mittee report in the senate upon
two proposed "re.oims" in the
machinery of national govern
mcnt. One would abolish the
electoral college and provide for
the direct election OF the presi-
dent by popular vote. while the
other would abolish the long in
tcrim between a presidents cleo
ton and induction and between a
congressional election and the
summoning of a new congress.
The FIRST suggestion Is irtendcd,
apparently, to make Enc cxecu-
tive more completely responsible
to all the people; tho second
would make the congress more
responsible to public command.
There is mech to commend the
plan 70 con me congress soon
after its ele, on, and dismiss q
congress thai has been repudiat-
ed An outstanding illustration
IS afforded at Washington at this
hear, as the sixty-scvcnth con-
gfe8s TT repudiated laat month at
the polls - proceeds to consider
pending legislation OF grave inn
port 10 the people. The sixty
eighth congress. representative OF
tho present public temper, viii
not convene for a full year I'M
less it be called into a special ses-
sion, and it cannot be convened
At all until March, four months
after its election.
The proposal to elect the presi-
dent by direct popular vote is
mere open t. objection. il an
pears. The president is elected
by tho states throagh the cleo
toral college, and in that college
each state has as many votes as
it has representative and sena-
tors combined. I'hus thc smaller
states exert greater influence in
the election Of a president than
they would by 9 c.r>ct vote.
1t is obvious tht coastitu~
tioual amendment Iaolishing the
electoral college and providing
rfor direct election would elim-
mate an important vestige OF
state sovereignty. and would
transform the appearance OF the
government from that OF union
OF states to that OF one great
commonwealth, conscious only in
the senate OF the traditional
equality. in certain phases OF gov
crnment. of the component units
of statehood,
Had we direct election of the
president in comparatively recent
years, history would have been
differently written ia America.
Iilden Would have defeated
Hayes clearly in ls,6. and Cleve-
land would have defeated Harri-
son in lSSS and succeeded himself.
Tilden pollcd 100000 more votes
than his opponent ard Cleveland.
IN his frs, campaign against Har-
rison. had q psn0lar lead OF
nearly 100000, bu Harrison beat
him in the electoral college. 23S
10 los. There IS l',tlc room to
doubt that il the electoral college
le continued that other minority
candidates viii 90 80 the White
House, as Hayes and Harrison
did. Wilson defeated Hughes BIZ
more than 600.00O votes in 1916.
but a change in 1900 votes in
California would have made
Hughes president
Politically. Tic question Isl
fraught with many conflicting
considerations, thc old Guard
az the RepubScaa nsrty NAV bc
expected 10 q pos the PROPOSE
ton vigorously as illc Demo
cratic party prol aly woald gain
greatly BY TIC Charge. Rock
ribbed Democratic states can roll
up popular niajeFities Far larger
proportionately than can the
rock-ribbed fortrcsses OF Repub-
licanism.