Daily American organ., 1856-11-11
PresidentiaI Elections since $50.

Since 1890, when Monroe WAS chosen for 4 sec
Ond term, when but one opposition electoral vote,
the Presidential elections have been less declslye
than Ii generally supposed. That Is 10 say the
popular majority for the successful candidate has
never been excessive; and sften he has actually
wanted majority, and had only plurality This
was the case, for example, In 1874 when the votes
cast for Clay, and those thrown away on Blrney,
exceeded, In the aggregate, those polled for Polk
making the latter actually minority President.
To 20 back 10 1924 In that year, four candi-
dates were In the field, jackson, Adams, Craw-
ford, and Clay. The first received 90 electoral
votes, the second g. the third Al, and the fourth
81 The election, under these circumstances, de-
Yolving on the House, Adams received the votes
Of Is States, jackson Oft, aud Crawford of A. In
1928, Jackson was chosen BY the popular voice,
obtaining l7S electoral votes out Of the 28l which
then constituted the electoral college. In 1882
jackson was again chosen BY the popular voice,
and this time BY an even greater majority, receiy-
ing 40 electoral votes more than bis opponent,
Henry Clay. 3 2ao #
This brings US up 70 1888, Or twenty years ago.
Ia that year Van Ruren, though elected President
beat Harrison in the popular vote only about
14,000 though he had ITO electoral votes out Of
294. -Four years afterwards Harrison seemed at
nrst sight, to have had three times as many sup
porters as Van Buren, for he obtained 284 eIecto.
fdA NOCcDy WuAc ai1toSOuAo0 uhd guk NV9 YET nc
only beat the latter in the popular vote about
160, 900, out Of poll of nearly 100000. Ano-
ther curious feature of the election Of 1910, was
that the popular vote exceeded BY nearly two
thirds that case in 1896 Van Buren, for instance,
distanced as ho was received $4,000 votes in
1910 more than he did four years before. In 1874,
as we have said already, Polk was actually mi
nority President, and yet he beat Clay by alarger
popular majority than Harrison had beaten Van
Buren,; the vote being, for Polk, 1856, l96--for
Clay 1,297,212. The electoral college stood, how
ever, 40 for Polk to 100 for Clay. In l84s Tay-
lor received 1853 electoral votes, and Cass 127.
The great State Of New York in this election de-
cided the contest, by going for Taylor, in conse-
quence Of the Democracy being divided and thus
Taylor was also q minority President.
When we compare these elections with those
prior to 1920, we see how much more closely con
tested they have been. In 1903, Madison had l22
and Pinckney AZ. In 1915, Madison had l2s and
King "a. In 1920, as we have already mentioned,
Monroe had 23l, only single electoral vote being
cast in opposition.
These statistics show how nearly equally divided
the people in the United States are on cardinal
questions and Federal policy Under such cir.
cumstances, moderation in the victOrs is clearly
sound policy. Where two parties approach so
closely to each other in numbers, 1t is folly for
either to urge extreme measures and talk of using
force to compel the minority to submission. 1t
was not ia such spirit that the Union was formed
nor can il in such q spirit be main aimed
go - s.s E philadelphia Ledger.