Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Randolph County, Ind.) 1855-1862, 1860-10-18
Cincinnati Commercial. October 5th.
Shall a President bc Elected by
the People, or by the Senate
Of the United states?

shall a. President he Elected by
the People, or by the Senate
Of the United states:
1t is demonstrable, so that every
man OF common sense can see II. and
every man of common honesty must
acknowledge it, that if Abraham Lin
coin should not receive one hundred
and fifty two electoral votes. the Pre-
sidential contest must be thrown into
Congress, and that il Mr.. Lincoln
should rot be elected by the House,
Breckinridge will be, or that the
Senate will elect. There is no pos
sibility that either Bleckinridge, Belt.
or DougiaS. or any two OF them. will
receive one hundred and tiity-two
ELECTORAL vo,ss. 1t is out of the
question. Lincoln is the only man
who stands the shadow of chance OF
al election by the people. This is a
tact almost universally admitted. and
is liked in every mans consciousness.
| But the friends of Messrs. Bell ami
Douglas Are fusing TO defeat the
election OF Lincoln by the people.
This is their svowed object. What
have they to hope for IN Congress?
Absolutely nothing. There. when
combined. they would form but a
contemplate traction OF either branch
oil that bJdy. Bell and Dough-. have
but one fric;i;l each in the Senate now
-Crittenden. oil Kentucky. and Pugh.
ii Ohio--and thei terms expire on
the 4th Of MARCH, next. the day on
which, ii at all, the Senate will be
called upon to vote tor Vice Presi-
dent. who, according to the Constitu-
tion, shall, in case there has been no
election, act as Pres dent. The
iusionists then will not have . vote IN
the Senate ii the trial comes there.
And they are not much better "f In
the House. Bell has one State
lennessee) and Douglas one illi-
nois, the two forming less than one
sixteenth OF the House. as the vote by
States Is taken. IL is possible that
Doug las could get two additional
votes. those of Missouri and Kentucky.
giving him less than one-elgnIh ot the
House; and this Is all that the most
liberal rati nal calculation eau give
him; and there is TO reasonable cslcu-
iation that can give Bell more than
h.. -. <af - nd A.
the Bell or Douglas men think thai
the Republicans oi the House will vot'
ior elther VI theli., rather than thai
the election should go to the Senate!
Never in the world will the kepuUll-
cans do any such thing. Ii the
cection goes into the House, the
nfteen Republican States will vote un
shaken Tor Abraham Lincoln. until
they elect him or the House expires.
though the tail of the sky should give
extraordinary facilities ior catching
LAX.
1t is the duty Of the people now .
keep the election out oi Congress. IL
L. Cross between impo>tuie anu
idiocy TO plot TO get the election into
Congress. aud ior All Insignificant mi
monty there, to go 10 the representa-
ives OF the greal mass 4 The people.
iaise All alarm cry. anu claim thcIr
votes. The responsibility Is upon The
people now. Lea them look 10 1t We'll
tJr IL will be doieiul day Tor the
country when the election oi Pre,i
dent shall oe precipitated upon Con
grcSs.
l, is possible and it is probable.
that il the election should 80 into the
House, Mr.. Lincoln would be elected
| President. He has fifteen votes to
start with, and two more votes wouid
elect him. One vi them could, there
II reason ~ believe. be obtalne,i-that I
# Illinois. Isaac n Morris hoids the
balance OF power IN that State. and
would vote iul Lincoln to keep the
election out ol the Senate. Wnethei
he seventeenth vote woald De obtained
is the question.
The three highest caniidates in the
Electoral College, it will he re
membered. go into Congress in case
- failure to elect in the College. One
of those candidates would OF course be
Mr.. Lincoln. There would be an
interesting race between Bell, Douglas
and Breckenridge. as to which one
should be shut out. The probability
is that Douglas would be the one
listanccd.
Breckin,ilge would have the votes
OF nearly all the Southern States; bu,
we cannot count. in any contingency.
more than fourteen Votes l0r HIM. Ills
| f. lends. however, assume that these II
a chance Tor him in the House, ss they
have Immense confidence III the force
of Southern public opinion IN an
emergency, aud count on the votes oi
all the tied States. They think. Tor
instance, that in the last anal ysls oi
Cong ess. Breckinrilge could get the
votes Of Kentucky, tennessee. North
Carolina. and Maryland. 1t would
not require more than half dozen
changes OF South Americans, with
whom Breckinridge Is personally very
popular. To affect thi.. And the vo'es
Of the fifteen Southern Ststes. with
;nose of the Pacific States. would
elect Breckenridge. The contest
might thus lie narrowed down. so that
one man-pel haps the representative
from Oregou-would have the power
To elect = President. j. thi, the state
Of affairs that The conservative men
would see brought about? DO they
not perceive the tremendous agitation
rv which q whole county would be