Electing The President

[From the Springfleld Kepublican.] A reader asks us to explain all about the Electoral College - a heroic request in view of the popular weariness of the whole subject. But there is a large class at every Presidential election to whorn it raust be a new thing to vote or to take an interest in the vote, and for such the subject is always new, and a proper theme for instruction. When the constitution of the United States was framed, the faith in the capacity of the comraon people to decide upon their destinies was much less strong than it is now. Henee, in the election of President, the fathers sought to place the choice in the haüds of a body of men who should themselves be the chosen, so that the President should be the picked of the picked. For the same reason, tile choice of Senators was devolved not directly upon the people but upon the Legislaturas of the several States. In the Presidential election, the constitution therefore provided a body of electors, of whom each State should choose as many as it had members of Songress and Senators. Every State aas two Senators, and adding to thera the number of its representatives gives the number of electors to whioh it is entitled. Vlassachusetts, therefore, has 13. How ;hese electora should be chosen, or " appointed," to use he constitutional word, is left to'the Legislature thereof, and if the Massachusetts Legislature were to authorize the Governor to appoint thera, or should proeeed to elect them itself, there would be no objection under the Federal constitution. In fact, in many States the Legislatures have elected the electors, though only Colorado did so this year. The original idea was, flrst, to provide an intermedíate electing body - a buffer between the direct will of the people and the highest office - and, second, to magnify tne sovereignty of the States as takmg part in their individual capaoities in the eleotion. It is necesaary to a clear understanding of the subject to say here that, as a matter of history, the eïectors did not meet these anticipations. From the first there was a strong tendency to regard them as so many ciphers, merely representing the will of the people who chose them ; they have been compelled to give up all pretensions to a delibérate and free choice, and are simply set up to vote as the people have disiinotly voted. On the seeond point, State boundaries seem to have vanished also, and the people never do a more deeidedly national act than when they elect the President. Nbw, then, the electors, having been chosen in eaoh State in November on a general ticket, to represent the whole State, and, according as tríe whole State has gone for one party or the other, meet in each State and ballot for President and Vice President, one of whom must not be a resident of that State. That is, if both of one party were residents of one State, the vote of that State could not be cast for those candidates. This voting is fixed on the same day in all the States by Peder ü law, and will take place, this year, Dec. 6. Lists of the votes are made out and transmitted to the President of the Senate at Washington, who opens them in the presence of both houses of Congress on the seeond Wednesday of February. The votes shall then be counted, and those two having majorities of the Electoral Ooilege (as the electors all together are called),are choeen President and Vice President. As there are 293 members of Congress and 76 Senators, the Electoral College numbers 309, a majority of which would be 185. Henee, Tilden or Huyes must receive, to be elected, at least 185 votes. If two men are thus chosen, they are inaugurated, according to law, on the 4th of March following. If no one receives a majority for President, the House of Kepresentatives immediately proceeds to elect one, from the three highest candidates. Each State has one vote. If no one receives a majority for Vice President, the Senate must immediately ballot for that officer, two-thirds being xre sent and a majority deciding. If the House should not choose a Presi dent by March 4, the Vice President chosen shall act as President. And if neither should be chosen, the President pi-o tem. of the Senate would act as President and order a new election. This last procedure is a matter of federal law and not of the constitution. It is proposed to do away with the whole system of the electoral college and sustitute for it an election bj a direct popular vote, and this seems to be the tendency of opinión and of destiny. Private Detectives. About three years ago a clerk, who had only been in the pay of the bank about six months, was sent for by the President. " Last Friday night week," said the President to the elerk, " you spent the evening in such and such a billiard saloon, did you not?" "Yes, sir," stammered the astonished clerk. "You took during he course of the evening, with your companions, six rounds of drinks, of which you paid for four - is it not so f" " It is," murrnured the clerk, after a moment's wondering reflection. "Then," continued the President, " you went to such and such a gambling-house, and lost $18 at faro. Nay, don't pretend to deny it," said the President; "I know it all. In f act, I know everything about you." And to prove that he did, the President thereupon told the young man where he lived, what board he paid, how many sisters he had, what lady friends he visited, what male companions he associated with, and a en where he had bought his last suit of clothes, and how much he had paid for it. The young clerk waa fllled with amazement, and from that moment has regarde d his every movement as wacched, and has regulaited himself accordingly. There is not a moro trustworthy bank officer in the world than this young man since that interview. Yet, in reality, he has not been " shadowed" at all since that period, and the closeness of his espionage was only of a temporary duration, just designed to oonvey the idea to him of how he would be watched if the bank wanted to watch him. The best point in the whole matter is, that about six months ago this very bank President vas notiüed at a meeting of the Directors that he, too, had been "shadowed," and that it had been ascertained by these very detectives that he was specuiating in certaiu doubtful stocks. - New York Sun. Chicago Tribune : " Snails lie furled" for "saus lie furled," in a piece of poetrj printed in the Tribune of yesterday, was an error of the compositor. So was the sentence : " We . . . even dare to say that he [Mr. Gladstone] is losh-g hismind." The word " ve " shomld have been printed "they."