The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1856-10-24
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS SINCE
1900


Since 1920, when Monroe was chosen for
a second term, with but one opposition eec.
toral vote, the Presidential elections have been
less decisive, than'is generally supposed
That is to say, the popular majority for the
successful candidate has never been excessive;
and often he has actually wanted majority,
and had only plurality. This was the case,
for example, in ls44, when the votes cast for
Clay, and those thrown away on Birney, ex-
ceeded, in the aggregate, those polled for
Polk, making the latter actually a minority
President.
To go back to 1924. In that year, four
candidates were in the field, Jackson, Adams,
Crawford and Clay The first received 80
electoral votes, the second "a, the third Al,
and the fourth 81. The election, under these
circumstances, devolvng on the House, Ad-
ans received the votes of l3 States, Jackson
of 7, and Crawford Of A. In 1928, Jackson
was chosen by the popular voice, obtaining
l78 electoral votes out of the 26l, which then
constituted the Electoral College. In 1882,
Jackson was again chosen by the popular
voice, and this time by an even greater ma
jority, receiving ITO electoral votes more than
his opponent, Henry Clay.
This brings us up to 1886, or twenty years
ago. In that year Van Buren, though elected
President, beat Harrison in the popular vote
only about 1900, though he had ITO electo-
raj votes out of 294. -Four years afterwards
Harrison seemed, at first sight, to have had
three times as many supporters as Van Buren,,
for he obtained 234 electoral votes, while his
antagonist had but 60; yet he only beat the
latter, in the popular vote, about one hundred
and sixty thousand out of nearly two millions
four hundred thousand. Another curious
feature of the election of 1910 was that the
popular vote exceeded by nearly two thirds
that cast in 1886. Van Buren,, for instance
distanced as he was, received 364,000 votes in
1910 more than he did four years before In
1874, rs we have said already, Polk was actu-
ally minority President; and yet he beat
Clay by larger popular majority than Harri-
son had beaten Van Buren,; the vote being, for
Polk l,536,l96, for Clay l,297,2l2. The
electoral college stood, however, ITO for Polk
to los for Clay. In lS4S Taylor received l6S
electoral votes, and Cass 1877. The great
State of New York in this election decided
the contest, by going for Taylor, in conse-
quence of the Democracy being divided; and
thus Taylor was also minority President.
When we compare these elections with
those prior to 1920, we see how much more
closely contested they have been. In 1904
for instance, Jefferson had l62 electoral votes
and Pinckney. his opponent, IA only. In 1908,
Madison had l22 and Pinckney At. In 1912,
Madison had 1913 and Clinton SO. In 1916,
Monroe had 1873 and King "a. In 1920, as
we have already mentioned, Monroe had 23l,
orly a single electoral vote being cast in op-
position.
These statistics show how nearly equally
divided the people in these United States are
on cardinal questions and federal policy
Under such circumstances, moderation in the
vctors is clearly sound policy. Where two
parties approach so closely to each other in
numbers, it is folly for either 10 urge extreme
measures and talk of using force to compel
the minority to submission. 1t was not in
such spirit that the Union was formed, nor
can it in such spirit be maintained.