Show Should the President be E ted by Popular Popular lar Vote ote P THE question of reform in our electoral electoral electoral elec elec- toral college system though not at present so active before the minds of the nation as some others like the silver problem tariff or or- orI I might add locally womans woman's suffrage yet it is of greatest moment inasmuch as it deals with one of the most potent dangers to our constitutional stability Let us take a hurried glance at the President Let us see who and what he is and what relation he holds to to- the citizens and nation Of all men in the Union the President President President dent is most conspicuous is most universally universally universally uni uni- known carries c the most weighty responsibility is vested with I the greatest power He holds the bonds of prosperity of the citizen citizen- and the nation is the helmsman of our national existence is the executive head of our government He is the in commander-in- chief of the army and navy in times of war and the militia also He appoints ambassadors judges and a host of pub public public public lic officers suspends the action of the thela la laws ws against crimin criminals als by pardons calls congress at his will and instructs it as to the needs of the people makes treaties and wields an almost absolute veto More responsibility is placed in him by Americans than rests with the Queen of England or the Emperor of Germany Even the pupil of the city school seemed to recognize this when when- he defined Washington It The place where the government lives and there is good fishing there because Mr Cleveland often goes goes goes' fishing He thought what is nearly true that Mr Cleveland is the government By the statute powers delegated to him and by the patronage extended him himas as an officer we have before us the spectacle of a a president calling a special session expressly for a purpose he hedefin definitely tely stated I 1 I. I refer to i the the repeal- repeal irig of irig f the Sherman law But farther than this we s see see e him addressing open letters to Con Congressmen instructing them themas as to his desires and planning out the c course course urse they must pursue M Mr Wilson proved a faithful servant and now sits under the political plumb tree eating his post-office post pie But more than this As President Jefferson completed the Lousiana purchase with without ut consent and as Lincoln struck the shackles from the slaves through his own strong per personality personality per per- so w we we have today another of f these hero executives overstepping all precedent and taking the dest destiny of sixty-four sixty million of human souls into his own hands But unfortunately a aless aless aless less commendable purpose inspired his action than that of f his illustrious com com- peers To throw the solution of ofa a weighty question on on other shoulders our hero of today without com compunction bonded the bonded the nation and yielded his trust an easy prey to the gold Ask a Western miner or an Eastern merchant a Western stockman or an Eastern broker if the President figures in his livelihood or his domestic happiness Without exception all an will tell you yes All from the poorest beggar up to the grandest statesman and down again from the millionaire to the meanest thief all wIthin the boundaries of the commonwealth and all without who seek for justice under the stars and stripes come in contact close or distant distant distant dis dis- tant with the President whoever he may be To all his acts bear positive connection and to him in part is tied the happiness and well-being well alike of all Holding in his hands as he does the prosperity the happiness yes even the lives of the citizens it is isto to them that he is responsible for the honorable use of the instruments instruments' and the power they gave him In this government of the people for the people by th the people in which the people make the nation and the state the people ar are supreme and land 4 U 1 ct not the state It is to to tomen men and not not notto to states that the president is responsible to human souls and not to dust a whirl a-whirl- whirl whirlwind wind gathers or to artificial divisi divisions ot of the soil marked off w with h and boundary stakes Every Every- citizen has equal rights rights' and justice at at at- athis his hands is is equally qually dependent t On n his honor and his his' labor risks his life his all the same and hence as s far as human endeavor can procure it should have equal representation in his choice and sh should uld not have the weight of th that t choice raised or lowered according to the chances of his dwelling here or over there The fundamental principle of every Democratic government is to replace at once systems though they be good by others carrying greater and more nearly equal rights ts Hence it is but duty on the part of the federal government to change the electoral college system to amend the constitution and that at once provided any other method could be be found to offer greater personal ju justice jus justice jus- jus tice or less social or poli political demerits ts' ts Then let letus us look at the electoral college college college col col- lege let us turn back to the days when our constitution was framed and with Hamilton and Madison as guides read the ideas those framers tried to cate From these we find first that the President was to be be- bea a a- aman man of highest integrity and loyalty of surpassing surpassing surpassing surpass surpass- ing executive ability and unity of purpose purpose purpose pur pur- pose of wisest judgment and most in intimate intimate intimate in- in knowledge with the social system and needs of the nation 2nd That el electors of President and Vice-President Vice were to be chosen by the people of the states in their own way these electors being the best most solid business me mea meu best acquainted with the affairs of the country and its leading characters and better prepared than than- the ordinary man to select a candidate possessing the qualities essential to a a. a good dent 3rd These electors were to I meet meet meet-in in in a a common place discuss the merits of all the leading men of the nation and select that only man preeminently preeminently preeminently pre pre- eminently eminently- fitted for the chair an and j elect him to the Presidency In this way the best brains and strongest ability according according according accord accord- ing to Hamilton could be sleeted forthe for forthe forthe the Presidency I But this method existed only in the world of things that are always going to tobe tobe be and in the manuscript of speakers never for an hour in the world of fact Presidents are made by machin machinery ry now by political machinery so says Brice and from the first they have always been made so It is do done e in inthis inthis inthis this way The party managing committee committee com committee com com- summons the primaries in which the people directly p participate for the purpose of choosing local officers and delegates to the different conventions conventions conventions conven conven- one of of- which is the state or territorial terri terr territorial terri terri- convention At Atthe the state convention convention convention conven conven- tion a selection is i's s made of the party electoral candidates the state platform is is' adopted and delegates to the national convention are chosen The party can candidates candidates candidates can can- for elector are voted upon by bythe bythe bythe the people and of course the electors el elected The numbers being equal to the number numb r of senators and representatives representatives representatives' tives tives' to which the state is is' entitled represent the dominant political p party dy of the district from which they come giving the no representation whatever to minority and putting it in t the Cie e power of five states to elect the President nt in the face of the other four forty-four states com combined combined combined com com- an overwhelming popular ob ob- The national convention convenes in one of the populous centres and proceeds proceeds proceeds pro pro- to draft the party platform and select the select the party presidential candidates The electors meet reet in their respective states states state's entertain friends spend public funds and c cast st stag ag again in inthe the vote of t the e people but under such circumstances that the peoples people's s c choice may may be secured or may be defeated The electoral college col cola lege made up of sound men butof but butof of politicians It does not consider the merits of candidates nor does it even meet in a It a common place doesn't even make the candidates but each each- separate elector promises elector promises on his his honor to tp cast his vote for the choice of his constituents tuen ts and the nominee of of- his party t i What of the original plan is left for forthe the electors to carry out Nothing The original plan plan- says Story has been wholly defeated by the practices of political parties arrayed against each each- other The Tribune says The electoral college is an old carcass that long ago go outlived its usefulness and Benton declares that every reason which induced the convention to to institute institute tute electors has failed They are areno no nOt longer of any use use and may be dangerous dangerous dangerous dan dan- to the liberties of the people while J James ames Scholer goes a step further and concludes that our our anomalous anomalous' method of choosing the chief executive by electoral college has become in the course of a century not only a senseless but dilatory and dangerous duplication There is no reason in the world why the old system should continue except that it has borne good fruits in inthe v the past But so did tribal jurisdiction and chivalry and so did British control of our colonies But where are all these good old systems now They have all given place to better ones and lie on the dusty shelves of history They lie stored up in our memories ast as good things superceded They lie where the electoral college reposes in fact as it should in letter lending enchantment to the past and soul to the historic novelist and poet But it still exists in letter and consequent dangers multiply In the default of election by bythe the college the duty devolves upon one branch of the legislature legislature- nor noris isit it tot to- to t an incoming an-incoming incoming but to a retiring and often to a defeated and dishonored one that the momentous duty is Blaine Elaine said on one oC occasion Let us not cling to old methods because they suited our ancestors but establish our reforms now and remove all dangers to our social system as fast as existing conditions bring them out The present electoral system is a dangerous duplication so let us abandon it and establish in its place one more nearly a l perfect pe Let Letus us rely upon upon primary results let each voter at the polls cast his ballot directly for his party candidate and remove remove I that useless duplication and therewith all ail its attendant evils and dangers Instead of transmitting the certified sheets of the electors to the ret retiring ri g congress let each state send its certified count to the incoming incoming- congress or a national canvassing board and have each voter assert his equal manhood manhood manhood man man- hood give his vote equal weight with every other reduce the chances of political crime ff remove move gerrymandering altogether and abolish every chance of the defeat of popular choice A popular vote embodies all the sensible and just in our present system It It will increase the responsibility on the voter thus forcing him to greater self It will in every case decide decide decide de de- cide finally the election and rings and bosses and political bribery will b be swept away The complexity of the system will be simplified and the political political political ical schemer preying preying- on the present looseness and complexity will vill be thwarted of his object o. o It It is almost marvelous that any any nation should have preserved political unity under such a loose and decentralized decentralized system says bays Burgess It has hassU sU succeeded in prolonging its existence under these disadvantages but but- this this' is no rio reason that the federal machinery should still creak on in the same old rust when all has else has been made bright and modern The local contention for female the sectional struggle for silver silver silver sil sil- ver nor the national war stirred by tariff and populists should not be be allowed to blind our eyes to this this' federal weakness or crowd it out from a pl place ce in our minds r |