Year: 1873

every State Of the Union. Hence tho law OF
one and the same day now in force. The
various other laws of Congress and Of most
of the States passed for the regulation OF the
right of suffrage and of our elections since our
late civil war we need not here reproduce
They have contributed, in many things, TO
purify our elections; but, nevertheless, In the
continuance of the Electoral Colleges, our
Presidential contests have been little better
than game of cards between two or three
gambling party conventions


In the constitutional amendment proposed
by Mr.. Morton and his Senatorial committee
it is believed that this evil will be checked
and that several much-desired reforms will be
gained in the abolition of the Elec-
toral Colleges and in the substitution of di-
rect popular vote by Congressional districts,
and next in providing that by plurality vote
the President and Vice President may be
elected 1t is held that these elections will
be SO far simplified as to be substantially
under the control Of the people, and yet so far
complicated as to be absolutely beyond the
grasp of party conventions or chques OF
juggling politicians. Again, it is thought that
q satisfactory concession of respect to State
ines State rights and State pride is
submitted in the proposition that the
two Senatorial votes Of each State for President
and Vice President shall be determined by the
majority or plurality of the popular vote OF the
State. We apprehend, however, that between
this proposed compromise and the alternative
of massing the electoral vote of the State in its
aggregate popular vote there will be lengthy
discussion in the two houses OF Congress,
though, for the purpose of thwarting the de-
signs OF scheming politicians and of giving the
minority party in each State its Congressional
representative vote, if any, for President, the
proposed district system is q reform which,
in default of anything better, should be
adopted


We presume that Senator Morton and his
committee have duly considered the simple
proposition of the election of our President
and Vice President by q majority or plurality
of the aggregate popular vote of the United
States, States and Territories included; for
why, it may be asked, should the people Of
the Territories be denied the privilege Of
voice in these national elections? We pre-
sumo that the committee, looking to the in
dividuality and the rights of the States and
to the subordinate apprenticeship condition
of the Territories have found this French
system of national plfbiscite centralizing
idea utterly impracticable We infer from
their protracted labors that the results
reported are deemed by the committee
as embodying the constitutional changes in the
matter of electing our President and Vice
President, which, as far as practicable, are
most to be desired. We suppose that the
committee intend to urge the earliest con-
sideration of their report upon the Senate, in
view of the adoption of the amendment pro-
posed in season for our national centennial
year, 1876, and that the President will call the
attention of the two houses to the Importance
of the subject in his annual Message to
Congress in December next. We are satisfied
that three-fourths of the States are prepared
to ratify the abolition of the Electoral Colleges
and the election of our President and Vice
President directly by the people.


The task of constitutional amendment,
however, in this direction, which can be
passed, and which will shut the door against
frauds and corruptions, is difficult one. If
we abolish the Electoral Colleges and substi-
tute the Congressional district system of elect
ing our President we only transfer to each
party in Congress the king-making power now
exercised by our party Presidential conven-
tions. If, to avoid an appeal to the House Of
Representatives for the election of q Presi-
dent, we adopt the plurality rule in the elec-
toral vote by Congressional districts we may
have, in scrub race, President elected by
less than one-ffth of the popular vote of the
country. To avoid all these and other COM
plicatons and embarrassments, notwithstand-
ing the objections and difficulties suggested
against the proposition OF an election of the
President and Vice President by majority or
plurality of the people Of the Union voting
en- masse States and Territories included, we
cannot believe that the rights of the States, or
the individuality of the States, would be dis
turbed by this grand national reunion of the
people of the United States once in four or six
years. But, in any event, the Incidents acci-
dents and developments OF our last Presi-
Dental election imperiously call for the
abolition Of the Electoral Colleges and for the
election of our Chief Magistrate and his alter
nate in some way directly by the vote of the
people. In this view their attention cannot be
too soon or too closely directed to the propo-
sition of Mr. Morton and his Senatorial COM
mittee.


France-The Restoration OF the BOur.