The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1941-03-06

bribery, since obviously it would be
easier to buy up a few electors than
to bride the great mass of voters. In
deed, after the Adams Jackson cam
paign it was more than openly limited
that Adams election was the result
of conspiracy in which money played
part with both electors and men,
bers of Congress.
1t remained for the political up
heaval following the election of John
Quincy Adams in 1924 to discredit the
Electoral College in so far as its orig
inal purpose and practical usefulness
are concerned. "Old Hickory" al
though he received a substantial plu-
rality of the popular vote, and a
greater number of electoral votes
than any of his rivals, lost the cleo
ton. Immediately he began laying
plans for his candidacy in 1928, in
which year he was triumphantly
elected.
The failure of the College to meet
public expectation made the institu-
ton, then as now, universally unpop-
ular and Jackson found it easy to en-
list the support of the people in any
plan that would prevent a repetition
of the farce of 1924. Accordingly, the
new administration, thirsting for re-
venge, cast about for some means of
making the Electoral College inoper-
ative. In several of his messages to
Congress he advocated an amendment
to the Constitution providing for the
direct election of the President by
popular vote.
Despite Jackson's great popularity
and the general dissatisfaction of the
people with the existing system, his
recommendation met with no active
response from the Congress. There
upon. the method of nominating can
didates by a convention of delegates
from all the states and pledging the
|
by the popular vote, was adopted. The
value of the new system, in the judg-
ment of the political leaders, was the
compulsion it put upon the electors to
recognize the verdict expressed at the
polls as the authoritative voice of the
people which they had no moral right
to disregard.
With the passage of time and the
development of political acumen and
technique the convention system and
the resulting impotence of the Elec-
toral College have been so unques-
toned as to have all the force of pos
tive law. For the College now to dis
regard the result of the popular vote
would be the signal for an immediate
uprising. Now its only use is the per-
functory one of conveying to Wash
ington, weeks after the election, the
results that already are known to the
whole world, and there casting for
NAL vote.
i Not only is the Electoral College an
outworn survival of medievalism, but
it's potentialities for fraud and injus-
tice are incalculable. As has been
noted, its capacity for working injus-
tice was responsible for it's loss of
prestige after the election of 1924
Jackson felt that the will of the peo-
pie had been ignored by both the Col
lege and the House of Representa-
: tives. He dwelt upon his moral right
= to the presidency by virtue of his
popular plurality.
Likewise, Tilden's popular plurality
in 1876 was substantial and undis-
: puted, but he was declared the loser
This result, and the political maneu-
vering Ito use no harsher term) lead
ing up to it, brought the country once
= more to the verge of civil war.
Again, in 1888, the expressed will
: of the people was overridden when,
by reason of the inequitable appor-
= tionment of the electors in the differ
ent states, more Harrison than
Cleveland electors were chosen, al
though the latter received approx
mately 100000 more popular votes
than his opponent.
The foregoing are outstanding ex-
amples of the wrong and injustice,
both to candidates and voters, that
have been fostered and perpetuated
by the Electoral College system. AS
matter of fact, by reason of that
system it is doubtful if there has been
presidential election in the history
of the nation where the will of the
majority has found honest and COM
plete expression. The recent election
furnishes an example of the evils in
herent in the Electoral College. Let
us consider them briefly
| In ordor fo,. tho o1actora1 cUc+aro re