| Show THE MICHIGAN presidential ELECTION BILL ABOUT two years ago the legislature of michigan preyed a law providing for the choice of presidential electors by congressional districts that is the law provides that one elector shall be chosen in each congressional district and one from each half of the state which is divided by a north and south line for the purpose these theme two classes of electors are COM commonly known as representative and senatorial electors respectively this bill was passed by a democratic legislature Legi lature and signed by a democratic governor its constitutionality has been questioned by republican party leaders and jurists and it is said that it will foe be taken into the courts general alger said eaid in this city yesterday that it was the intention of hie bis party to test the validity of the law in phd supreme court of the united states the constitution says each state shall appoint in such manner as the legislature thereof may di recta number ot of el ejectors ectore equal to the whole number of senators senators and represents representatives to which the state may be entitled in congress republican and democratic journals alike admit that this clause gives the state full power over the manner of appointing its ite quota of electors and it is a historical fact that as late as 1824 delaware georgia vermont and other states chose their electors by the legislatures several states also had then the general ticket system others the single district system and still others a double and triple district system that is dividing the state into districts irrespective spec tive of the congressional districting and choosing two or three electors in a di district it is contended by a number of constitutional jurists that the state legislature has the power to authorize the governor we tb 6 supreme court or any agent it pleases to choose presidential electors but what glies gives the democrats renewed interest in the michigan plan is ie the fact that a similar scheme was wae outlined during the forty third congress by senator morton the great war governor of indiana matt carpenter of wisconsin general logan of illinois and half a dozen others equally stalwart in republican party principles the republicans look upon the michigan plan as a piece of party strategy on the part of democrats the latter would not they say adopt such a scheme in kentucky west virginia or tennessee where the republicans public ans have a possibility of carrying the districts in fact this quest question loh entered somewhat into the issues of thib the a in guine northern states beatea it was understood tood that to in the event of ohio going democratic last fall the michigan plan W would be adopted if we ve remember correctly governor boles boies had to pledge himself that in the event elent of his reelection election re in iowa he be would oppose or veto a michigan scheme for choosing cho presidential electors there was some talk recently that nebraska intended introducing some innovation in this regard michigan is ie entitled to 14 electors ectore el in t the h e next college it is supposed that about six of these at least will be democrats democrat one report to is that the michigan state republican committee has decided to ignore the district law of 1890 and nominated dominated electors at large in the usual way assuming that the new law jaw is unconstitutional this of course would bring the matter into the courts but conservative aud and sober minded republicans are of the opinion that their party in michigan would risk too much in this project if the case went against them they would lose all whereas now they are sure of 8 electors selectors at least and there is a fighting ing chance for tw |
