The Electoral College was a great idea at the time created by the founding fathers to balance the influence of people living in large and small states. Unfortunately, now that people have learned how to game the system, it needs to be scrapped and replaced with something better.
Actually, we are more than a simple republic. We are a democratic republic. The term “democratic” is a modifier of the subject “republic” as used in the constitution. Thus we are a representative government of the people, by the people and for the people.
The presidential election is what it is, to change the result now just because you don’t like it would be anarchy. Get rid of the electoral college it’s time of usefulness has passed but using it to mess with the result, heck no.
Clinton’s nationwide margin of victory came entirely from California, a state everyone knew was going to vote for her and one where there was no Republican up for the Senate election (they had two Democrats going at it), both of which had the effect of depressing Republican turnout.
Do you really want the nation’s course dictated by a single anomalous state?
@jilectin. You are correct. And there is no better system. Pres-Elect Trump is already beginning to improve this country; i.e. Stock market and jobs staying in this country. What is good for the LEFT is usually bad for the country. I don’t come to these pages to get leftist whining. I am dropping this strip.
We should go back to the old system, where the royal oligarch monarchy dwells in the major metropolitan areas and commands all the areas around, owning them outright and appointing familial groups to oversee them and manage their serfs.
It is a proven system that worked for hundreds of years!
Progressives may never, ever be accused of anything other than adjusting the facts/history to fit their Collectivist Agenda. How this will shake out, as you have said, is anyone’s guess though I am not confident. Professor Sowell’s “A Conflict of Visions” is a pretty good guide.
So 33 out of California’s 59 counties gave Hillary a 4.5 million advantage but she won the national total by a little of 2 million. That means Wiley and the Democrats would just a soon the rest of us not vote and let about half of California decide who should be President. Maybe Wiley should do some rationalization.
We could use the Canadian parliamentary system. Justin Trudeau is the Prime Minister. He got only 39% of the vote but his party has the most seats in Parliament so he is the Prime Minister. Since the Republicans control the Senate and the House Trump would still be president. Or we could go to a 50%+1 system where there would be a run-off if no one reached that %. Since over 90 million eligible voters didn’t vote maybe a law that makes it illegal to not vote. Take your pick. The EC still seems to be the best of the bunch.
Get over it, Dems. You only whine about things when they do not go your way. You know very well that if we did not have an electoral college, that the 7 major urban centers, which, amazingly enough, vote overwhelmingly Democratic, would always determine the winner of the elections, leaving 3\4 of the country with no voice. I have never seen so many adults throw temper tantrums & act like thugs because they did not win. Which is why Trump won. The USA is a business, not the world’s welfare center. Let us take care of our own. We are tired of being the world’s piggybank & dumping spot.
In this past election, it seems to me, both parties put forward extremes that most people couldn’t really get on board with. Most people are willing to make reasonable compromises, yet were not given that option.
*
As for what kind of government the US really is: Democratic Republic is the best “technical” description, but the oligarchy one also fits the reality we currently live with. To think a billionaire and their pals will work for the 99% is delusional at best. Trickle down economics only works in the absence of greed.
*
The system gets broken when any of the major elements don’t do their job, and I include the eligible voters in that statement. For the last 8 years Congress has been a gridlocked mess, usually over partisanship, and often refuses to do its job. For the next four, Trump will do everything in his power to not do his job, because he never really wanted it in the first place. This was little more than a publicity stunt for him, but now he has a new reality along with the rest of us.
*
Solution? Got nothing. It is what it is, and here is the time when heroes rise. If there aren’t any of them left (RIP John Glenn), then well . . .
An interesting tidbit about the Electoral College: there have been five times the Electoral College has overruled the popular vote. Four of these five times were Republicans who got fewer votes being elected over Democrats who got more votes. Zero times were Democrats being chosen over Republicans who got fewer votes. It’s pretty easy to see why Republicans like the Electoral College – it’s biased in their favor.
The Electoral College, like the U.S. Senate, was a means to keep a check on the huddled masses, ignorant and unwashed, who might not support the wishes and desires of the rich and powerful.
Wiley is a good cartoonist, but not a very scholarly or knowledgeable one. Thee framers considered two things to be paramount threats to the republic: Tyranny by the government, and tyranny of the masses. The first is checked by the second amendment, the second is checked by the electoral college.
It’s too bad there wasn’t a “Thou shalt not lie” commandment. That would have saved the country a lot of grief many times. Now we are fighting the War on Truth.
The original system for choosing Senators was obsolete long before it was changed by an amendment more than a hundred years ago. The Electoral College was also obsolete back then. Just saying……….
Democracy ends when the takers outnumber the makers. We are getting close to that point already. If the electoral college were discarded in favor of of the popular vote, NY, LA, SanFran, Chicago and the rest of the welfare / sanctuary cities would rule in perpetuity until the whole shooting match collapses around our collective ankles. Read up on the Democracy of Pericles and the Roman Republic to better understand how the model works.
For those of you here trying to dismiss this electoral college issue as a liberal position, and one I’ve taken up in the wake of this election and being a “sore loser”, you are all sadly mistaken. Getting rid of the electoral college had always been a conservative issue, one with which I have been touting for over 30 years, going back to my days as the editorial cartoonist for the (conservative) San Francisco Examiner. Newt Gingrich wanted to get rid of it back when he was the House Speaker and still does to this day. And then there was this take by Donald Trump in 2012 when he thought Romney had won the popular vote:
“@realDonaldTrumpThe electoral college is a disaster for a democracy.11:45 PM – 6 Nov 2012”
“@realDonaldTrumpThis election is a total sham and a travesty. We are not a democracy!11:33 PM – 6 Nov 2012”
The fact is, if the election had turned out the polar opposite, where Trump won the popular vote and Clinton the electoral vote, I would have done the exact same cartoon. I wonder how many of you would be saying the same thing under those circumstances.
Yes, I do understand why the electoral college was instituted, but those reason had been rendered obsolete decades ago. That is the beauty of the Constitution. it’s a living document that is meant to evolve with changing times. The original Constitution also allowed for slavery to exist. Times change and the time to get rid of the electoral college has been long overdue…just as Mr. Gingrich said many years ago.
Primary elections with low voter turn-out, allowing concentration of extreme factions, have replaced “smoke-filled rooms” of argumentative party regulars in selecting nominees. Good or bad?
If there was no electoral college and the vote was close, there would have to be recounts of the ballets in all 50 states. That would be 50 times worse than when Florida had to recount the votes. What we have now works. The liberal crybabies only complain when they have lost the election.
Whether the Trumpettes realize it or not, it’s not about if a conservative won. It’s about the psychological nature of the president elect. I am not the only one concerned that he may be a psychopath (clinically speaking, psychopath and sociopath are the same terms). I believe the constitution is stronger than the actions of one person, but I am concerned that the leaders of his party may be too weak and afraid to rein him in when he gets out of line, which he will.When I joined the Air Force in 1970, I remember giving my oath to defend the constitution, not the government. That is because while the constitution is fluid (it can and does change), the government is much more so because it consists of people who put their personal gains over the responsibilities of their positions. For once I hope that if the incoming president goes overboard and demands the missiles fly, that somewhere along the line he gets stopped.
PROgressivism is REgressivism…We were established to get away from a State-oriented system and create an individual-oriented system. “Progressive” Ideology is hellbent on returning us to a State-oriented system. Abolishing or reforming the Electoral College will be the next step.
I suppose the self-determination required for Liberty just requires too much responsibility and accountability.
Well, let’s get ready for those padded chains! Tyranny of the Majority looms ahead!
And if the Electoral College comes to its senses and says it can’t vote for an infantile blowhard, all you cons will be just fine with that, of course. Remember, your vote doesn’t matter, only theirs. It’s the Constitution.
Excellent cartoon and excellent post. (I wonder if the people who defend the Electoral College so vociferously also think that instituting direct election of the Senate was a mistake…..)What really bugs me is how people seem to think that any criticism of Trump must necessarily be from liberals or progressives. I mean, have they not heard of George Will and others too numerous to mention?
I would like to point out that the Electoral College is no longer constitutional. I referenced the two Supreme Court Decisions Baker v. Carr and Reynolds v Sims which established the principal of one person, on vote. These decisions put the question of how can a person have equal rights and equal protection without having a vote equal to everyone else in the country. Yet an Electoral Vote from California 705,500 or Texas 709,394 as opposed to Wyoming 194,718 or Vermont 208,670. This is not fair nor should it be legal. I will point on other item about the 14th Amendment. I was passed unanimously. The last State to approve it was Kentucky in 1976. One other point, this would make the Senate, the processes of which we amend our Constitution and to a lesser degree the House of Representatives are also unconstitutional. The 14th Amendment Section 1.All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
@Douglas Haire & @tmbolhman Amen to that my friends, Amen to that: IT’S OVER.
@Night-Gaunt49 Don’t you have anything else to do? By my count 18 postings. I wish I had as much free time as you. Don’t answer, I’m off to not complain any more.
We have a Republic which is a representative democracy that has an electoral college system protecting the several thousand counties from being overwhelmed by just a handful in California and New York alone. If the electoral system were replaced by the popular vote, Democrats would rule in perpetuity until the whole shebang collapses around our collective ankles.
Well, if you want LA, New York City, Chicago, Boston, and a couple of other large cities to control National Presidential elections from now on, go ahead.
I would like to apologize if my response to Nate yesterday got him kicked out of Go Comics. It was not my intention. Generally I enjoy reading both sides of the political debate that is still raging but I couldn’t take any more of his uneducated comments. Who knows, maybe I’ll be proven wrong and Trump will turn out to be a wonderful president. I hope so. But right now all I’ve seen of him is a petty liar who wants to make a racist the Attorney General and a woman who is anti-public education in charge of our children’s schools. Oh yea, and the governor of Kansas in charge of the money since he did such an awesome job of breaking my state by taking us from a 800 million dollar surplus to almost 300 million dollar deficit. Makes me understand how Trump failed so badly at business that he bankrupted his father’s empire five times.
Apparently Wiley doesn’t have a clue as to how and why the Electoral College came to be and remains a valid idea today. Regardless of viewpoint, a few more political strips like this and I’m FIRING him from my staff of “comics I read.” After all, if enough people do that, he’s out of a job—when you don’t get enough customers, you have to close the store, So, Wiley, let’s see if you can actually be funny instead of using cheap, emotion-laden political jabs just because it’s easy.
Darsan54 Premium Member over 7 years ago
Oh, a theme bar !! How quaint.
dadoctah over 7 years ago
The Electoral College was a great idea at the time created by the founding fathers to balance the influence of people living in large and small states. Unfortunately, now that people have learned how to game the system, it needs to be scrapped and replaced with something better.
Superfrog over 7 years ago
You just never know when a good buggy whip might come in handy
Sir Naps-a-Lot over 7 years ago
Actually, we are more than a simple republic. We are a democratic republic. The term “democratic” is a modifier of the subject “republic” as used in the constitution. Thus we are a representative government of the people, by the people and for the people.
Walrus Gumbo Premium Member over 7 years ago
Will they rebind encyclopedias?
bexwhitt over 7 years ago
The presidential election is what it is, to change the result now just because you don’t like it would be anarchy. Get rid of the electoral college it’s time of usefulness has passed but using it to mess with the result, heck no.
scpandich over 7 years ago
Clinton’s nationwide margin of victory came entirely from California, a state everyone knew was going to vote for her and one where there was no Republican up for the Senate election (they had two Democrats going at it), both of which had the effect of depressing Republican turnout.
Do you really want the nation’s course dictated by a single anomalous state?
Varnes over 7 years ago
Anybody seen my musket?
gmartin997 over 7 years ago
I wonder how long Wiley intends to complain about the election. What a sore loser!
ljcjr over 7 years ago
@jilectin. You are correct. And there is no better system. Pres-Elect Trump is already beginning to improve this country; i.e. Stock market and jobs staying in this country. What is good for the LEFT is usually bad for the country. I don’t come to these pages to get leftist whining. I am dropping this strip.
Brass Orchid Premium Member over 7 years ago
We should go back to the old system, where the royal oligarch monarchy dwells in the major metropolitan areas and commands all the areas around, owning them outright and appointing familial groups to oversee them and manage their serfs.
It is a proven system that worked for hundreds of years!
DLF3275 over 7 years ago
Gotta love conservatives who insist “we are not a democracy” like that’s a good thing. At least they’re honest (about this one thing, that is).
Cozmik Cowboy over 7 years ago
For the first time in a long time, the electoral college served it’s original purpose: protecting the power of white supremacists .
tripwire45 over 7 years ago
Oh my, Wiley really is wallowing in the liberal angst.
nagmashdriver over 7 years ago
I echo James’ comment above; Wiley needs to don a safety pin and go to his safe space to play with his playdough and hug his blanket.
Get over it, Leftists everywhere. You had your eight years to ruin America, or as you put it: “fundamentally transform” America. Now it’s our turn.
Douglas Haire over 7 years ago
Get over it, PLEASE. It was over on November 9th when Hillary failed to win enough states!
Athelstane over 7 years ago
Progressives may never, ever be accused of anything other than adjusting the facts/history to fit their Collectivist Agenda. How this will shake out, as you have said, is anyone’s guess though I am not confident. Professor Sowell’s “A Conflict of Visions” is a pretty good guide.
Warren Wubker over 7 years ago
So 33 out of California’s 59 counties gave Hillary a 4.5 million advantage but she won the national total by a little of 2 million. That means Wiley and the Democrats would just a soon the rest of us not vote and let about half of California decide who should be President. Maybe Wiley should do some rationalization.
Linguist over 7 years ago
I wonder if that Antique Repair shop could repair my blue baby buggy bumper ?
Amra Leo over 7 years ago
It really doesn’t matter any more. The tRumpsters are overjoyed their “man” won. I hope they’re still tickled pink when this is a radioactive cinder…
usafmsgt over 7 years ago
We could use the Canadian parliamentary system. Justin Trudeau is the Prime Minister. He got only 39% of the vote but his party has the most seats in Parliament so he is the Prime Minister. Since the Republicans control the Senate and the House Trump would still be president. Or we could go to a 50%+1 system where there would be a run-off if no one reached that %. Since over 90 million eligible voters didn’t vote maybe a law that makes it illegal to not vote. Take your pick. The EC still seems to be the best of the bunch.
HaveFun over 7 years ago
Election is over in real life. Would like it to be over in this strip, too.
starcandles Premium Member over 7 years ago
Get over it, Dems. You only whine about things when they do not go your way. You know very well that if we did not have an electoral college, that the 7 major urban centers, which, amazingly enough, vote overwhelmingly Democratic, would always determine the winner of the elections, leaving 3\4 of the country with no voice. I have never seen so many adults throw temper tantrums & act like thugs because they did not win. Which is why Trump won. The USA is a business, not the world’s welfare center. Let us take care of our own. We are tired of being the world’s piggybank & dumping spot.
Vonne Anton over 7 years ago
In this past election, it seems to me, both parties put forward extremes that most people couldn’t really get on board with. Most people are willing to make reasonable compromises, yet were not given that option.
*
As for what kind of government the US really is: Democratic Republic is the best “technical” description, but the oligarchy one also fits the reality we currently live with. To think a billionaire and their pals will work for the 99% is delusional at best. Trickle down economics only works in the absence of greed.
*
The system gets broken when any of the major elements don’t do their job, and I include the eligible voters in that statement. For the last 8 years Congress has been a gridlocked mess, usually over partisanship, and often refuses to do its job. For the next four, Trump will do everything in his power to not do his job, because he never really wanted it in the first place. This was little more than a publicity stunt for him, but now he has a new reality along with the rest of us.
*
Solution? Got nothing. It is what it is, and here is the time when heroes rise. If there aren’t any of them left (RIP John Glenn), then well . . .
mommadillo over 7 years ago
An interesting tidbit about the Electoral College: there have been five times the Electoral College has overruled the popular vote. Four of these five times were Republicans who got fewer votes being elected over Democrats who got more votes. Zero times were Democrats being chosen over Republicans who got fewer votes. It’s pretty easy to see why Republicans like the Electoral College – it’s biased in their favor.
mourdac Premium Member over 7 years ago
The Electoral College, like the U.S. Senate, was a means to keep a check on the huddled masses, ignorant and unwashed, who might not support the wishes and desires of the rich and powerful.
didereaux over 7 years ago
Wiley is a good cartoonist, but not a very scholarly or knowledgeable one. Thee framers considered two things to be paramount threats to the republic: Tyranny by the government, and tyranny of the masses. The first is checked by the second amendment, the second is checked by the electoral college.
Zoogster over 7 years ago
You know the rules going in. Get on with your life.
steve1001 over 7 years ago
BOO HOO HOO……STILL ANOTHER SOCIALIST CRYING OVER THE ELECTION…….
dabugger over 7 years ago
Yes EC is archaic. Procedural ‘shove it down their throats’.
grainpaw over 7 years ago
It’s too bad there wasn’t a “Thou shalt not lie” commandment. That would have saved the country a lot of grief many times. Now we are fighting the War on Truth.
kaffekup over 7 years ago
“Newspaper Reading Room”?
Godfreydaniel over 7 years ago
The original system for choosing Senators was obsolete long before it was changed by an amendment more than a hundred years ago. The Electoral College was also obsolete back then. Just saying……….
watashi73 over 7 years ago
Democracy ends when the takers outnumber the makers. We are getting close to that point already. If the electoral college were discarded in favor of of the popular vote, NY, LA, SanFran, Chicago and the rest of the welfare / sanctuary cities would rule in perpetuity until the whole shooting match collapses around our collective ankles. Read up on the Democracy of Pericles and the Roman Republic to better understand how the model works.
Germanshepherds4ever over 7 years ago
OMG That is soooo spot on!!! Love it!!!
Wiley creator over 7 years ago
For those of you here trying to dismiss this electoral college issue as a liberal position, and one I’ve taken up in the wake of this election and being a “sore loser”, you are all sadly mistaken. Getting rid of the electoral college had always been a conservative issue, one with which I have been touting for over 30 years, going back to my days as the editorial cartoonist for the (conservative) San Francisco Examiner. Newt Gingrich wanted to get rid of it back when he was the House Speaker and still does to this day. And then there was this take by Donald Trump in 2012 when he thought Romney had won the popular vote:
“@realDonaldTrumpThe electoral college is a disaster for a democracy.11:45 PM – 6 Nov 2012”
“@realDonaldTrumpThis election is a total sham and a travesty. We are not a democracy!11:33 PM – 6 Nov 2012”
The fact is, if the election had turned out the polar opposite, where Trump won the popular vote and Clinton the electoral vote, I would have done the exact same cartoon. I wonder how many of you would be saying the same thing under those circumstances.
Yes, I do understand why the electoral college was instituted, but those reason had been rendered obsolete decades ago. That is the beauty of the Constitution. it’s a living document that is meant to evolve with changing times. The original Constitution also allowed for slavery to exist. Times change and the time to get rid of the electoral college has been long overdue…just as Mr. Gingrich said many years ago.
fogey over 7 years ago
Primary elections with low voter turn-out, allowing concentration of extreme factions, have replaced “smoke-filled rooms” of argumentative party regulars in selecting nominees. Good or bad?
BobCu over 7 years ago
If there was no electoral college and the vote was close, there would have to be recounts of the ballets in all 50 states. That would be 50 times worse than when Florida had to recount the votes. What we have now works. The liberal crybabies only complain when they have lost the election.
Ninette over 7 years ago
Ignorance on sale.
mr_sherman Premium Member over 7 years ago
Whether the Trumpettes realize it or not, it’s not about if a conservative won. It’s about the psychological nature of the president elect. I am not the only one concerned that he may be a psychopath (clinically speaking, psychopath and sociopath are the same terms). I believe the constitution is stronger than the actions of one person, but I am concerned that the leaders of his party may be too weak and afraid to rein him in when he gets out of line, which he will.When I joined the Air Force in 1970, I remember giving my oath to defend the constitution, not the government. That is because while the constitution is fluid (it can and does change), the government is much more so because it consists of people who put their personal gains over the responsibilities of their positions. For once I hope that if the incoming president goes overboard and demands the missiles fly, that somewhere along the line he gets stopped.
whiteaj over 7 years ago
Regardless: it’s in the Constitution. And if you want to change it, get busy on the Amendment process. Good luck.
Lenavid over 7 years ago
PROgressivism is REgressivism…We were established to get away from a State-oriented system and create an individual-oriented system. “Progressive” Ideology is hellbent on returning us to a State-oriented system. Abolishing or reforming the Electoral College will be the next step.
I suppose the self-determination required for Liberty just requires too much responsibility and accountability.
Well, let’s get ready for those padded chains! Tyranny of the Majority looms ahead!
kaffekup over 7 years ago
And if the Electoral College comes to its senses and says it can’t vote for an infantile blowhard, all you cons will be just fine with that, of course. Remember, your vote doesn’t matter, only theirs. It’s the Constitution.
floralian over 7 years ago
Wiley: Keep swinging and never let your voice be silenced.
Godfreydaniel over 7 years ago
@Wiley
Excellent cartoon and excellent post. (I wonder if the people who defend the Electoral College so vociferously also think that instituting direct election of the Senate was a mistake…..)What really bugs me is how people seem to think that any criticism of Trump must necessarily be from liberals or progressives. I mean, have they not heard of George Will and others too numerous to mention?
hg6it21 over 7 years ago
I would like to point out that the Electoral College is no longer constitutional. I referenced the two Supreme Court Decisions Baker v. Carr and Reynolds v Sims which established the principal of one person, on vote. These decisions put the question of how can a person have equal rights and equal protection without having a vote equal to everyone else in the country. Yet an Electoral Vote from California 705,500 or Texas 709,394 as opposed to Wyoming 194,718 or Vermont 208,670. This is not fair nor should it be legal. I will point on other item about the 14th Amendment. I was passed unanimously. The last State to approve it was Kentucky in 1976. One other point, this would make the Senate, the processes of which we amend our Constitution and to a lesser degree the House of Representatives are also unconstitutional. The 14th Amendment Section 1.All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
ElGato over 7 years ago
@Douglas Haire & @tmbolhman Amen to that my friends, Amen to that: IT’S OVER.
@Night-Gaunt49 Don’t you have anything else to do? By my count 18 postings. I wish I had as much free time as you. Don’t answer, I’m off to not complain any more.
watashi73 over 7 years ago
We have a Republic which is a representative democracy that has an electoral college system protecting the several thousand counties from being overwhelmed by just a handful in California and New York alone. If the electoral system were replaced by the popular vote, Democrats would rule in perpetuity until the whole shebang collapses around our collective ankles.
Fido (aka Felix Rex) Premium Member over 7 years ago
A friend of mine was a CA Elector back in 1976. Actually did get to vote for President and Vice President. Votes that really did count. Kewl.
RonBerg13 Premium Member over 7 years ago
Well, if you want LA, New York City, Chicago, Boston, and a couple of other large cities to control National Presidential elections from now on, go ahead.
NRHAWK Premium Member over 7 years ago
I would like to apologize if my response to Nate yesterday got him kicked out of Go Comics. It was not my intention. Generally I enjoy reading both sides of the political debate that is still raging but I couldn’t take any more of his uneducated comments. Who knows, maybe I’ll be proven wrong and Trump will turn out to be a wonderful president. I hope so. But right now all I’ve seen of him is a petty liar who wants to make a racist the Attorney General and a woman who is anti-public education in charge of our children’s schools. Oh yea, and the governor of Kansas in charge of the money since he did such an awesome job of breaking my state by taking us from a 800 million dollar surplus to almost 300 million dollar deficit. Makes me understand how Trump failed so badly at business that he bankrupted his father’s empire five times.
Spade Jr. over 7 years ago
Apparently Wiley doesn’t have a clue as to how and why the Electoral College came to be and remains a valid idea today. Regardless of viewpoint, a few more political strips like this and I’m FIRING him from my staff of “comics I read.” After all, if enough people do that, he’s out of a job—when you don’t get enough customers, you have to close the store, So, Wiley, let’s see if you can actually be funny instead of using cheap, emotion-laden political jabs just because it’s easy.
Fuzzy Thinker Premium Member over 7 years ago
Once in a while, the ‘over 2,000’ counties will have some freedom from the ‘handful’ counties that want to dictate to everyone.
Lord Gaga over 7 years ago
In 1787 all the states were rural states. The EC was designed to appease slave states.