e 2 University Daily Kansan Friday, April 13. 1956.
Direct Election Amendment Shelved
One of the many proposed amendments and s that was placed on the "unfinished business" if after the 1955 session of Congress, was an amendment to the Constitution providing for direction of the president and vice president.
The amendment, introduced by Sen. Hubert mphrey (D-Minn) in March, 1955, is one of oral such plans that have appeared before Conss in recent years. The Senate Judiciary Comtee is holding hearings on the plans and one of may be submitted to the states for ratification re time in the near future.
Supporters of these constitutional substitutes see that there is a defect in the present system. all contend that it is neither a truly popular ice nor is it in the republican pattern intended the founders of our government.
Sen. Humphrey's proposal would provide for the direct election of the president and vice president by the masses of the nation's voters, another plan, which passed the Senate in the st Congress, would give each candidate the oportion of the electoral vote of a state which could be determined by the exact proportion the popular vote received. Thus, in each site with 10 electoral votes in which one candidate recevied 40 per cent of the popular vote, he would get four votes. Under the present law, would get none.
The third proposal before Congress is the udert-Mundt amendment. This plan would preve the electoral college. It would keep in the losing of a president the federal principle of a vice for each of the basic units of the nation—the tribes and the states. Its key sentence is this: which state shall choose a number of electors of president and vice president equal to the whole number of senators and representatives to which state may be entitled in the Congress, in the manner as its senators and representatives nominated and elected."
Thus each congressional district would select elector pledged to one of the candidates for the sidency. Each state would elect two electors addition, likewise pledged to one of the candies.
The most serious opposition to Sen. Humrey's plan is that of President Eisenhower. In press conference a week after the senator's proposal, the President indicated that he saw no reason to abolish the electoral college and that it feared that under a straight popular vote might spring up numerous small parties in many European nations. But history books show the President three reasons why a new system is needed.
In the 1824 presidential race, John Q. Adams and Andrew Jackson were the leading candidates, the election Jackson received the greatest number of popular votes, but lacked the majorityeded to be elected. The House of Representatives is called on to decide on the two candidates.
Henry Clay, who was the speaker of the house and an unsuccessful candidate in the election, made a deal with Adams whereby he would give Adams his support if Adams would name him secretary of state. The House elected Adams. Thus Jackson, who was the people's choice, was defeated.
Previous to the 1825 election another dispute had arisen in a presidential election. In the 1800 election, Aaron Burr and Thomas Jefferson were the two main candidates. Burr received the most popular votes but the electoral votes ended in a tie between the two candidates. This threw the election into the House of Representatives, where the Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, dictated the result. On the 36th ballot Jefferson was elected president, and Burr, who had received the most popular votes, was named vice president.
The most famous election dispute in history was that of 1876 when Samuel Tilden and Rutherford B. Hayes were the leading candidates. Tilden received the most votes but there was a dispute over the returns from Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina and one Oregon elector. Congress created an electoral commission of five senators, five representatives, and five Supreme Court justices. Eight were Republicans and seven were Democrats. The commission awarded the Republican candidate, Hayes, all of the disputed votes, making his total a majority of one vote, 185-184.
It is common knowledge that some form of amendment should be made to the electoral college type of electing, but members of both major parties seem fearful of a new plan. They fear that they would lose control of sure votes in their key states under a new plan. For example, the Republican party has Kansas under its thumb and can rely on all of the state's electoral votes. But if the electoral college were abolished, the Democratic party probably would be able to control some of Kansas' votes. Abolishing the electoral college would give the entire voting population a voice in elections. Under the present form of elections, Kansas' Democratic vote is lost.
Under the electoral college system of elections, only the more powerful mas of people in each state has a voice in the nation's government. A direct popular election of the president would assume that this is a single, unitary national government.
Nikita S. Krushchev and Nikolai Bulganin have decided to slick back their hair and visit Queen Elizabeth, thus adding England to their list of countries visited. One begins to wonder if what Americans say about "join the Navy and see the world" isn't true about the Russian foreign ministry.
Daryl Hall
A sure bet for next year's Academy Award for the best picture would be another version of "Little Boy Lost" starring Gov. Fred Hall (R-Kan.).
TTLE MAN ON CAMPUS by Dick Bibler
"NO-NO! TH'NEXT ONE —THAT ONE'S FULL O' BEER!"
. . Short Ones . .
This week's mail brought a letter from Dr. John D. Davies of Alamosa, Colo., commenting on Time Magazine's recent comment on Dr. Allen, Dr. Davies says it takes considerable "guts" for KU alums to ask M.D.'s for funds to buy a Cadillac for a "loudmouthed osteopath."
We hope all the little dolls on the campus are taking advantage of the photo-journalism short course as an opportune time to show off their best berumda shorts and other spring finery. We're no photographer, but we'll take a look just the same.
Most students interviewed reacted favorably to the Western Civ trial examination but a similar interview held after the final test would undoubtedly bring more interesting comments, though probably unprintable.
Sometimes we wonder what this newspaper did to fill up front page space before the campus election season rolled around.
Kansas was organized as a territory May 30, 1854 and was the 34th state to enter the Union, January 29, 1861.
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