Show 41 1 PRESIDENTIAL r ELECTIONS I If f II Origin U-Origin Origin of or Our Electoral System r w TO NAME PRESIDENT WAS VAS ARD PROBLEM i I ders of Republic Con Con- rented by Serious TasK 1 in Devising System 4 I i ANY Y WE WERE E AFRAID AFRAID TO TRUST T ELECTORS ELECTO S 11 II j any Suggestions Suggestions' Rejected Before Iee Present resent Scheme I 4 Was Adopted I. I s B BY J. J i When the the constitutional ional convention J 1787 1787 committed itself to the task of r Maine ns a a. plan plin for tor choosing the na- na a aI I d t s j. j chief hief magistrate it made mado some some- Mae Lh- Lh of a record for the tho number of h ii i fit it changed its mind and also fo for 1 D b r of ot plans pIans that wore er b brought ou hl ward and considered d. d The Thc one thin thing p te t l tor foremost most in the tho minds of i j be majority of the members members' of the w eDt n was as the necessity of keeping c choice boic OJ o out of the hands bands Of con congress t MM the one one hand and out of ot time the han hands s sf f I tb people on the other OI of f Virginia said that it would bg fOlly to trust the people to toES rt e president as ES as it would bo be to J jk-alin jk 1 man match h color colors Madison a tJ he be felt that k the to Jet let con con- choice would be to make mako k It er f de absolutely l creature of its will and ne in h i dOlt e y lacking ack n ig in back back- t 1 op fled hat the 0 with h It J. J Some Somo one ono and Ui the e olee be bo left to con eon miter e to tD ot of 3 a President dont term j orris 1 replied d that erm t it if To Governor Go the lory y be he ht t th 5 roa road 1 to civil 1 l to 0 seek seck night feel fecI e renown by V 1 4 he Z i n was oo OPposed POsed why the was choice that the b y d' d il e 2 F HOW TO NAME PRESIDENT WAS A HARD PROBLEM Continued ed from pa page e 1 influence i of tho the Society of ot the Cincinnati Cincin Cincin- nati pail wa was wall fear feared feard d One member asserted that if it the choice were left with tho the people tho the dominating influence of the members of this thie organization in every overy community would line up the voters oters as the shepherd herds berds his hie flock and that the country would de degenerate into a Cincinnati bossed institution This argument fi seemed emed t to carr carry conviction with the majority of the tho members for after it was was was made the tho convention seemed unwilling to trust anything in inI inthe I the hands of the people themselves One member proposed that the dent should be chosen choson by a small body of mon men composed of ot three members from each lar large c state two members from each medium sized state and one ono member from each small state When members member proposed that the choice should be reposed in congress Madison opposed it it saying it was highly import important ant to keep tho the president free treo from l legislative entanglements He said that while he be rC regarded tho th R as the tho fittest source of presidential power if I proper safeguards could he be thrown around their choice ho saw but little chance to provide such safeguards arid and that therefore he ho favored the tho f b by electors Gerry wanted a a t t chosen by electors eJector 1 but he thou thought ht the electors in turn should be chosen l by h the governors governor of the tho states When the question finally came up whether the choice hoice should be bo b by electors North Carolina South Carolina and Georgia GeorJia all voted against it Electoral System Opposed There was much fear oo on the part of some members members- of the con convention U thi thit t I electors eJectors would not measure up to the best standards of citizenship One Orie of them announced his belief that they would not bo first or oven even second rate iato citizens and that consequently no one ono need expect wise choices to bo be made under such circumstances Elbridge e Gerry proposed that as as' electors seemed to b be objectionable the legislatures of the several states should ballot on OD the question of ot who should be tho the next neat president and that out of tb the four leading leading lead lead- ing candidates thus d disclosed ed the United States senate enato should make tho the choice of th the next chief executive Still sun another member that fifteen m members of th senate the should be chosen bv by lot and that they should immedi withdraw and make their selection selection elec tion of a president Madison admitted that tho the real reason reason reason rea son wh why tho the south could not bo boo brou brought ht to the tho point of favoring a popular of president was that tho slaves of ot tho south could not be bA allowed to vote and that based od on oa the white population the south would have havo a comparatively com corn small email say in the thc choice of a I. I president Ho stated that speaking for tor himself alone ho would bo he willing to give up whatever advantage o the south louth would have havo to forego o if ii that could make possible tho the election of tho the president dent by the people directly Dickinson of Delaware proposed that each state should select its best man and Put nut him forward a as as- its candidate for tho presidency and that then the from this h list t should be he marle mado h by some other body either by bv congress or by electors appointed by con congress Think what a happy time wo would have electing a president today if the Dickinson plan had gone through h. h We Se would ouId havo baro had forty eight states each choosing a presidential candidate and then con congress me meeting tin and balloting to determine which should bo be elected eJected Many Plans Proposed When the tho convention tion got fot down to a consideration of the question it at would adopt ono one pan A little l later lator ter some someone ono one would suggest c t a new now objection to that plan and move move a re reconsideration This Thil motion would prevail prE and then another plan would bo be adopted Again J I objections would bo be forthcoming and I again tho the question reopened On Juno JUDO 2 2 by a vote voto of S to 2 states it was nas I decided that congress should tho the power of choice That action adien was reaffirmed July 37 17 7 but two days later tater th the tho convention seemed to 1050 o o faith in this method of b because it rescinded the tIre f former m r action and decI decided cd that tho the choice should bo mado mace by ny tho LUO legisla legisla- legisla tures turcs o i days later it switched back to an elo election tion by eon congress again About a a. month later hater another switch was made and this time timo the election was WM to bo be mado by a body of oC f electors to bo ho chosen by bJ the people of the several icy sev eral oral states but this was lost Jost on tho next motion bv by a a. majority of one Finally tho whole matter was referred t to a committee of eleven cleven and in in a afew fow few days das that committee reported a aplan aplan aplan plan which with a few ew modifications was finally accepted I It provided that each state should appoint in any manner the legislature thereof should direct direct-a a number of electors electors elect elect- ors equal to w the whole number of senators sen and representatives tho the might have in congress cong s. s These electors electors electors elect elect- ors however appointed appoint oro to meet in their respective e states and vote by ballot fot two pcr persons for president ono one of whom t least leat should not be bean bean bean an inhabitant bitant of tho same state as themselves cs Tho The lists list of all these ballots to be bo sent to the tho president of tho son son- ate to be bo opened by br him hint in the tho presence pres pros coos ence of both botti houses house of congress Tho person in ha having tho the greatest number of votes bein being a majority should be president and tho the person having the next greatest number of votes being being- a majority should bo vice vico president nt In the event of no one havin having a majority the house of representatives was immediately im Ira- mediately to choose choos ono one pi persons voted for for president and if no one I. I I I I then had a majority th the house should mako make tho the choi choice o from the hl highest on the list hIt the vote vote being taken by states elates In overy ovary case after tho the choice of the pre president the person having tho the greatest number of votes otes of the tho electors electors elect eJect ors orr was to bo be boico vice vico president but in inca in inease ca ease cue e of a a. tio tie tho the senate wn was to choo choose 1 by 7 ballot between tho two men tied This 1 his plan remained In force until unpleasant un un- pleasant incidents of of- the Burr Jefferson contest t in in 1800 brou brought ht about the tho ratification rat of tho twelfth t amendment Fatal Flaws Found When the question came up n as to how tho the president should be chosen in tho event that the tho electors could coult make no choice it was first lint proposed that tho the electors should choo choose two members from each state to constitute a single Ie electoral college e. e which should hould assemble nf in Washington and being boing- presided pre pro si sided ed over o by tho the chief justice j of the supreme court choose by plurality vote front from the tho candidates receiving the hi highest hest vote veto in the electoral colleges the tho next chief chic magistrate Tho The country did not have bave to wait wai Ion long until tho the f fatal tal weakness of the tho electoral clause of the constitution as finally adopted was demonstrated When nen in 1800 Jefferson and Burr were the Republican candidates for tor president aud and vice vico president respect respectively voly am and they tied under unde tho letter Jetter of the constitution constitution con con- Burr was Vas entitled to claim as much right to go o into tho the white house houseas ouse as Jefferson on had But no one bad had over evor thou thought ht of Burr as a candidate for tho the presidency And Arid vet yet his ambition caused him to insist upon his poun pound of flesh That forced tho the twelfth amendment which mado made it possible for presidential and ice vico presidential candidates can can- to bo be voted for tor separately When it was framed John Adams had just come como to congress ant I I no ho was one ono of those who th thought ht tha that if tho the electoral colleges should fail to tomake tomake tomako make mako a it choice the tho house of tives should make mako its choice from the five lending leading candidates instead of front from the tho three leading candidates Tad Had hi bri bis view prevailed he would have havo f failed to be elected president in in 1825 for that tha would have left Clay in tho the contest in in tho the house bouse and as liS ho Ito was speaker a athe at the time he be probably would have boon been elected himself When the cOD constitutional convention gave o a tho the state legislatures power t to appoint electors it little knew that in in less than half a century from that tha d date te every state in the union except except ono one would bo be choos choosing ing electo electors eJectors s by pop popular ular vote When the popular method meho came canle first into uso use it was the idea that tho electors electora should be chosen jusas just jus justas as senators and aDd representatives cs ar are cho chosen en tire tho two electors at lar large larg e eI I b by tho the vote ote of the whole slite Ite ru rd ItjI I trio tire others one by each district distrct tho ho lar largo large o states g seeing that they could better dominate things b by electing al an all their electors as a state w wide bod body proceeded pro uro to choose them that W way Thi This Jt gave VO thorn thom such predominance that th the smaller states tat in order to their votes from bein being split spIlt up and arid neutral followed suit And that is why the tho fifteen million voters oters of the United United Unit Unit- ed States will vote for the whole num mini her ber of electors eJectors in their respective states state in November instead of for only onty three thre two two at large Jar and one ono for the voters voter own ow-n district |