Year: 1873

men could be more safely intrusted with the


election of President and Yice-President than


the whole body of the people. Now that
J Democracy is better understood, and. popular
4 government has been more thoroughly tested
We have learned that large electoral bodies can
\ be more safely trusted Than small ones !; that,
X while it may be possible to corrupt small
bodies. it is impossible to. corrupt large Onee,
and that the danger Of tumuit which was ever
4 present in the minds Of the trainers Of the
i Constitution arises chiefly from the exclusion


of the masses from power and comforting it
tupon few. a -l1ai = a. .tIai.aly p b
| That the candidates for electors should be


pledged in advance to vote for particular per-


sons was not only not contemplated by the
trainers of the Constitution, but was expressly


excluded by their theory. They we're to be in
dependent. not Influenced, BY previous COM
4 initials or, engagemepfs 80 that when they
came together they could deliberate with per-
feet freedom for the best interests Of the Re-


public. How completely this theory has been


overturned IN practice for more than seventy


years it is unnecessary to recite The Electoral
Colleges have turned ont to be wholly useless.
Every reason given for their originsl establish


ment has absolutely failed in practice. But


while they are powerless for good they may be


potent for evil. In their election errors may


easily be committed, and in very many in


stances have been. While nobody would mis-


take the name of Grant and Greeley, changes
| in the names on long list of electors may


occur from errors in printing or fraud sufficient
to reverse the vote of State. aa...H. =
4 l The present electoral system circumscribes


the power and rights of an individual voter,


and prevents him from voting for the men Of
I his choice for President and Vice-President
/ unless there are enough Of his way of thinking


m the same State TO meet in convention to
nominate electors to represent their views. ~
The present requirement. Of the Constitution
| that the electors shall meet on the same day in


their respective States and cast their votes is


liable to accident and interruption, as in Wis


consin in 1861. He would prefer that the
President should be elected by the people as


one community, giving the election to the man
/ who received the highest nAmber of votes,
/ without regard to State lines or municipal


divisions. 30 that the national character should


be fully represented in one department Of the
| Gov ornment. -..


But in assuming that smaller States will not
| consent to amendment by which the Presi-
dent would be elected by the people Of the
United States as one community, he believed
| they could have no objection to such change


as would bring the election Of President di-
trectiy to the people OF the several States, each


Estate to be divided into as many districts as it


has Senators and Representatives, each dis
! trct to have one vote in the election of Presi-
dent and yice-President and the vote of that
district to be counted in favor of the candi-
4 dates for President and yice-President who re-


ceive the largest number of votes in it. This
would still give to each State the same number
/ of votes il now has in the election of President
| and Vice-President; the votes. however, to be


given directly for the candidates by the people,
without the Intervention of electors.


| The speaker then argued the fairness of the
proposed plan, the intrinsic injustice to States
tof the present system its peril to the country,
and the opportunity il affords for corruption
! cabal and intrigue when an election s thrown
! into the House of Representatives. But it
1 will be asked, What is the remedy. He an


swered that he would bs glad if some method
I could be devised by which the nation could


escape the danger of having the House OF
! Representatives TO elect President. But If


such Is TO BE the resort in Candidate for
the Presidency gets majority Of all votes. he


would have both houses OF Congress meet in
| joint convention, and each Senator and Repre-
sentative to have one vote. This would be in


exact harmony with the principles upon which
the election is now to be made by the people
| of the several States. Under the new system
which he proposed the people Of the several
States shall vote directly for President, each
State to have many districts and rs many
votes a. it has Senators and Representatives in
Congress, and why the same rule should not
be preserved when the election Is thrown into


Congress, it is hard to perceive.


HIS object was to point out to the Senate and
country the dangers that lie in the pathway OF
the nation, the contingencies, some Of them
not remote but near and probable. which


threaten the country with revolution and the
Government with destruction, and to urge that


the path of duty is the path of safety; that


now. in the time of peace and political calm
throughout the nation, we should address our


selves to the removal of these perilous obstruc-
tions that were hidden to the eyes OF our


fathers, but We hope have been brought to our


knowledge by observation and experience. And
to sum up in recapitulation. would say that il


the system Of Electoral Colleges is to be con-


tinued some means should be devised by


which the election of these electors in the


States may be contested so that If 1t has been


controlled by fraud or violence or if there be


two sets of electors, each claiming the right to
cast the vote of the State, there may be some


machinery or tribunal provided, by which


fraudulent returns could be set aside or cor


rected and the contending claims of different


sets of electors be settled III advance OF the


time when the vote is to be finally counted,


and by which the President of the Senate may


no longer be left to exercise the dangerous


powers that seem to be placed in his hapds by


the Constitution, nor the two houses OF Con-


gress by the operations OF the twenfy-second


Joint rule,


Patriotic men of all parties must rejoice that
| Gen Grant has been reelected by so large n


majority that the electoral votes of Louisiana


and Arkansas are unimportast to the result


for, without intending here to express any
opinion in regard to those votes, must be


permitted to say that they surrounded by


such circumstances, and attended with 30 much


doubt in the public mind, that the peace OF the
nation would be imperilcd II the result OF the
Presidential election was to be determined by
hem.


The plan of dispensing with Electoral Col
: leges and electing the President directly by
vote of the people OF the whole country as one


community, or by dividing the States up into


districts seems to be remedy for many of the


evils and dangers to which have referred; but
l even then some tribunal should be appointed
TO settle the contested and doubtful results in


the districts or at the disputed points, and tins
tribunal should be removed as far as possible
from the excited parties.
Q This naturally suggests the supreme Court
of the United States, or the Circuit and D1efricf
] Judges of the courts of the United States, for
5 such 8 tribunal. Whatever tribunal might be
Y created would require much consideration IN
: regard to the details and method Of operation,
. into which it is not important that l should
now attempt to enter. The injustice and dan
B ger of another election of President by the
= House of Representatives voting by States are
I 30 glaring that it seems to me Congress should
: never rest until 1t has constitutlonally pre-
: sented to the several States for their adoption
| some plan by which it may hereafter be avert


ed have therefore, proposed that the com
r mittee shall take the whole subject into con
j alteration, with leave to ait during the vsca
q to,, and report to the next session OF Congress
e the result OF their deliberations, and to brint
+ forward such measures AZ may De deemet
Q necessary, whether in the form Of statutes o.
e amendments to the Constitution OF tine ontet
: States.
Q The great seal of the State of Virgins
{ was lost during the capture of Richmond
: in 1865, and a new one afterward adopt