The Dominion. MONDAY, JUNE 17, 1912. THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1468, 17 June 1912, Page 4

The Dominion. MONDAY, JUNE 17, 1912. THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.

The cable of the past week chronicling the jjght going on in the Republican National Committee have not been very illuminating upon any point save the bitterness and evenness of the conflict, For everybody's peace of mind—since even at this end of the world verj great interest is being taken in _ the contest between the two Republican leaders—it is to be hoped that the Nominating Convention, which is clue to open to-morrow, will settle the business as quickly as possible. The complicated and undemocratic character of the Presidential election machinery is a constant source of wonder to people living under the British flag. But Great Britain would probably have to adopt a similar system it the Monarchy were replaced by a Republic. There are two movements in the election of a President. Actually the President ia elected by an "electoral collcgo" consisting of persons popular vote in the various States—each State being allotted a number of "Presidential electors" equal to the number of its representatives in both Houses of Congress. But all the fighting has been done by then, and every "Presidential elector" knows exactly whom he must vote for, since the organisation of the groat parties', whohave selected their candidates, make impossible the euccess of any outsider on whose behalf any electors may get into the "college." At present, nowevcr, the fighting is internal warfare; the two parties are not concerned with each pther just yet, but only_ with their business of choosing their own men. The National Convention of a party is the coping stone of an elaborate structure. The local meeting of party voters appoints delegates, instructed or uninstructed, to a district convention, and this convention in turn appoints delegates to the State convention. The State conventions all appoint delegates to the National Convention, and this fine fruit of party organisation, a body numbering, now, over 1000 men, selects the Presidential candidate. Each State is represented at this gathering by twice as many delegates as there are "Presidential electors" for that State.

For some considerable time there has been a growing feeling amongst voters of all parties against this time-honoured method of doing business. A writer in thfi American Review of lie.riews points out how the. President, may not only not be the. nmn really desired by the people, but may not even be the man really desired by the voters of the parly to which he belongs. In order that, say, the Republican party should secure its most-desired representative as candidate, it is obvious that every party voter should be equal to every other party voter. But there aro some strange anomalies. The Republicans may be the vast majority in n, given Stal/;, cay t Indiana, and uuv be an.

insigniflcnntmihority in, say, Tnx.as; ■ »Yefc ljccaiis'c-. T.gxn& :li.iis ,2& ■M , prcsen- ; tativcs in .^ipngiicss , Gsj|iOO jicpi!blic;in- yqtci;s .tlipijp, avis tcprOsftiii.eel on Ul3 ;<3pivvq.ni;idn. liy -i.O i\fi\<igates, wliile-.tl'io ,3:19;06d Rc.iiubVica'hs 1 in Indiana fwhich , se.ndi f& mc.|ilbers to .hayiv offly ;S(J. gates at iho , . (JonvoiTKon.. In .Sb'.i|l! Carolina; -tnerij jvrv.u c>n"ly BQQ6.- lie-' iniblicans.in '1.908;. .yet Sb.Utli Carolina (with; .1,8 deiegafes)- has aiipfc , power at the ■Ccinydntiort : jiliiin. t?cjlprado (12. rdelngat-es). "\yhuvu tliti : re \viya 123,700 Rep.ublicah vofWs I : n, j9OS.. Analysing ■the 'figures,, thu wn'tei in. the iifii'ifi/ii.sho.wH ■.th'ilt thirtefin: fi'iuv dred ltepubiioVitryiiters .In. the. ISpuiii are on tltb Axei'agg, jiist; is: povveri-ul : in the coii.ncil's pf. , tlia pai'ty 'tis. 11,000 llepiiblicsuYs. -frt Ihcf NprJthorn States, fes jjbyiQiisjy a- : wider beariiigj.than. '■.& : bearmg: "on: ii single p'iir'ty',; 'IM ij; i)i !bec'a_use. the: present .system., is: ■icaii'sirfg'- internal.' party iliany? cans jtrie;.' idia' o|_a ''riationaL.!..piu.sary' !; 7if:i:lte abp-.. lition of;lthefiElec£p;ral altogether and-itneSleetlbn :df the. Tfcr sident : vpfe. 'pjf 'Xhe people, that-by ing theJpcpple;,to.:elect the .-■ members: 1 of the Gblle'gej. |he "President would^bJ3' ; , : blected -inby tho ■vfreejchbipg; of;'. , HHV'...:bii#: men in aljulihS;: States: was imagiMHit6^hayeyall ; ii : 9f direc^. : pbp^lar.Velectipny. : \withp\it its supposed'.■yisadyantags;' moting : and: encouragin^yiqanHid!vtes;, i iif;<;.iriierely popular Jas-jMn;' BrVce;, points qiitviim-'his"■greafe^^voriri^^ tafcion bas^befenviHisappioiii.ted;:'ntlvef members^pft;ith^Electpral: i: Goll^e: are} mere 'discretibnv' Mr. BRycE;?is : ii:oJ»tHe';?dpinibnv;-tlVat popular ifeleetio'n^-yS'iUi^aif' 'healthier method than'|the^ : present: v fcompjicatv ed machine;;';:'^: ■■X^-'''■.',■]■■ " ''