Year: 1877

Our present electoral system Ia
clumsy, complicated mRke-shift. /
does not do the work for which it wa


designed Instead of securing an ex
preston OF the viii Of the majority il


slecting a president, it has repeatedly


defeated that will and given Us minor


ity president Il is full Of imperfections


which amount to dangers, an / in the


last contest would have IanIed the


country IN civil war but for the good
sense OF the people. 1t stands con


demned by experience and nothing eau


ever again gslvanize it into public favor.


IL must be either modified in important


respects or given up altogether for a


new method There is much more To


i'e said in favor of the plan Of electing


president by popular vote than is
conceded 10y the friends of the present


system. 1t is democratic. it is fair. II


puts the choice Of president in the


iands Of the people of the whole coun>


try. 1t carries ont the idea of the


threefold division Of the government.


me senate represents the autonomy
OF the different states Delaware


counts just as much in that cham.


her as New York. The house


represents local interests and constitu-


ences. Its members are chosen by
small districts in order that each sub


DIVISION OF the union may have Voice


IN the government. The president
ought TO represent the mind and the
majesty of the whole people. without


regard TO districts or state lines. He
should be the president of the people
OF the nation and should be chosen by
the majority by popular vote This
plan gives ideal completeness to the
structure Of our government and obvi


ates all the difficulties that -inhsre in
and would grow out of any other plan.


Il would give the nation majority
president It would add new interest
to the election were it known that ev.
cry vote would tell directly OF the re.
suit All the essential features of the
present cumbrous method of electing
president were adopted by men who had
very little faith in the people and dared
not trust them with power. In the
convention that framed the constitution
there was strong preppnderanee
oi federal influence The aristocratic
element was pronounced Men after,
wards distinguished rs democrats. like
Madison for ins tance, shrunk from
placing much power in tI.e peoples
hands, while Hamilton and Washing,
ton leaned strongly towards the British
system Universal suffrage was thing
then hardly thought of Almost every
state bad property qualification for
voting The strong federalists of the
body feared that too much power had
been given the people by the eonstitu
tion and predicted that the 1vernment
wonid fail unless shored up by addi.
tionai conservative props and restric-
tions. The success of the government
was surprise to its founders and every-
body, and was traced directly to the
popular rights it gave the people in
public affairs. The democratic party of
Jefferson grew directly out Of the life of
the new nation and was strengthened
ny every years experience. The whole
political history of the country sets in
the direction of increased popular ponf-
er. We have reached universal suf,
frage and now the negro has been en-.
franehised The proposed change ih the
methed ofetecting president is in the
direct line Of progress, of our historic
deveiopment--the last step from feder-
alism to democracy.