Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-02
Sight Unseen.

What hes become CT the devotion OF
tae Prosrezs!ves to the direct primsry?
It seems incredible that cny group CT
liberal minded Republican Insurgents lii
the Wect should propose tAct the rco-
pr, instead OF vot.ng t.lcir own cAo.ca
for President OF the United Gates.
should vote for presidential e.eGtoTs I'M
pledged to eny candidate, with the pur-
pose of throwing the election Of Prcsi-
dent into either the electoral college or
tire House of Representatives. Yet
that is the report now coming from the
West. Buying pig in poke has been
always hailed as a piece OF folly, even
In conservative circles. But now 1t is
proposed to obtain a Chief Executive of
the United States lin a poke" so far as
the voters themselves are concerned.
The plan does not appear likely to sur
vive long.
The proponents OF the suggestion that
presidential electors be placed in the
field are seeking, If the reports be true,
to throw the election into tho House of
Representatives. This could be accom-
plished by the failure Of any candidate
fo- President to receiTe a majority of
the votes OF the electoral college. But
whist good reason is there to believe
b that The House of Representatives
would make a better selection Of a
Chief Executive than the people them
selves? The choice would be made by
the Seventv-second Congress, elected in
1890 This Congress Is almost evenly
divided between the Republicans and
the Democrats. In the event of the
election being thrown into the House,
however, the vote must be taken by
States, each State having one vote, and
a majority of all the States is necessary
to a choice
In 1924, when a three-cornered race
for President was on with Calvin Cool
idge, Republican; John w. Davis Demo-
crat, and the late Robert M. La Fol-
lette, independent Progressive, in the
contest, the suggestion made in some
quarters was that the election be thrown
into the House by preventing any one
of the three candidates from obtaining
TIE necessary majority of the votes of
the electoral college. The proposal
made no Roadway in the country. how
ever. Indeed, it added strength to the
on election day.
There is no good reason now why
the people should undertake to dele
gate to the House of Representatives
a job which they should rejoice in
performing themselves Nor will the
people of the United States, or of
any group of States, fall in with such
an idea. The major political parties
will nominate their candidates. Up to
the present time there has been no
party OF considerable strength, as in
1912 and 1924, will be organized for the
campaign next year. The people in the
end will have to decide whether they
prefer the Republican nominee or the
Democratic. The probabilities are that
the choice will lie between President
Hoover and Gov. Franklin D. Roose-
welt Of New York. If the matter were
thrown into the House of Representa-
ttves the choice might still lie between
these two men. The constitutional
provision is that the House shall vote
for the three persons having the high
est number Of votes in the electoral
college The likelihood that the in
dependent presidential electors could
unite on candidate who could COM
mand the support of a majority of
the House seems so inf1nitesimal as to
be negligible