Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1860-11-22
Will the Neglect of the Governor
Viliate the Vote Of Ohio for
President, and If 50, Will 1t Al.
ter the Resultf -

ter the Resultt -
The idle story first started by the ohIoSsates-
man. that the vote of Ohio would be thrown out
for infornality, because the Governor did not
issue his proclamation in time. has, We think
no foundation in truth. If such q thing could
be DONE it would give dishonest Governor a
fearful power. Believing the State would vote
for candidate to whose election he was opposed
by single omission of duty. for which he could
easily plead ignorance. he could disfranchise the
voters Of the State, and thus might elect his can
didate by fraud-a state of affairs not to be
tolerated. Had large portion of the people
refused to vote, there might have been some
grounds for the idle tale, but as all voted it is
a matter of very little consequence, except to
the Governor himself, whether the proclamation
was few days before or few days after the
specified time.
Another fact in connection with the tale, in
which there seems very great misapprehen-
sion exists, is that if the vote of Ohio be thrown
out, and Lincoln fail to get the vote of Califor-
mia and Oregon, he would be defeated-the
Constitution requiring him TO get majority OF
all the Electoral votes, the same as if all the
States had voted This is incorrect. The Con-
stirution, Article XII of the Amendments,
SAYS:
- the person having the greatest num-
Der of votes for President shall be President. if
such number be a majority Of the whole number
Of Electors APPOINTED" DC.
If all the States appoint Electors, it swells
the number to 3O3, of which the successful can
eidrte must have 152, that being majority Of
the whole number of electors appointed. If
Ohio does not appoint " "Electors''-if her vote is
cast aside and her ELECTORS" declared not sap
pointed" it reduces the number Of Electoral
votes TO 2sO, of which number l4l would be ne
cessary to choice. Al. it now stands. Lincoln
has 169 Electoral votes-deduct from this the
o votes of Ohio, and it leaves him l46 votes,
five more than the number necessary to choice.
Thus it will be seen that, 80 far as Lincoln
and the triumph of Republieanism isconccrned,
it is matter of no consequence whether the
vote of Ohio be thrown out or be counted
without it be will have the constitutional ma
jority, and with it that majority will only b..
the larger.-Ndtional Democrat.
"Prior to 1876, each State, BY its own laws
fixed the time when they would vote for elect
ors for President and Vice President. In Ohio,
the law of February Is, 1890. provided that
the Presidential election should be on the ftM
Friday preceding the first Wednesday tn December
1t also provided that the Governor should give
60 days previous notice. by proclamation, TO be
inserted in one of the newspapers in each coun-
ty OF the State.
In 1876, Congress seeing the evils arising
from holding the elections at different periods
in different States, passed law that the Prcsi-
Dental Election should be uniform all over the
Union, and fixing the Tuesday neat after The first
Monday Of Nora',bcr as the day for voting in all
the States. This substantially repealed all the
State laws on the subject. 1t fixed the time and
placed it beyond the power Of any of the States
to vary or change it in any respect. The only
legislation that was proper, (and that was not
J
to the laws of Congress. This law OF Congress
merely fixed the day, without providing for any
notice. Our statute had been permitted to stand.
except the change of the time. In 1S46, the
Governor of Ohio made no proclamation ~hdtersr.
We suppose he regarded the law of Congress as
a virtual repeal of that requirement. In 1852.
the election of President came on the I'd day of
November. Gov. Wood issued his proclama-
on tn 9th of September being 81 days before
the election. In 1856, Gov. Chase ISSUED his
on the Goth day of September;
the election was Oh the 4th November, making
46 days notice.
Gov. Dennison considering, as we suppose. the
law of Congress as substantially di ,pensing
with the necessity of notice, vet in Difference
to the practice of his immediate predecessors,
published his proclamation on the l7th day of
Sept. being 81 days before the election, thus
giving longer notice than his Immediate prede-
,essors Such are the laws regulating this sub
ect and such has been the practice under them.
# any proclamation were needed it should. be
ssued by the President of the United States
IS the Governor is not the proper person to pro-
lain the laws of Congress No one regards
he proclamation as in any respect essential TO
he validity of the election. Courts have uni
ormily decided that the want of notice for the
lection of County Officers, &C., by Sheriffs, did
lot render their election nullity. The law
ixes the time and manner of their election, and
t was never the intention to give Sheriffs or
Governors the power to disfranehise Counties or
States by either neglect, Or refusal to issue
heir proclamations. In this case the time being
ixed by Congress. the people have their rights
without any regard to State laws, or the acts of
'tate officials. We. trust this plain statement
vin quiet the sensitive nerves of our Demo-
ratio friends. The twenty three Electoral
7otes of Ohio will be counted ior Lincoln Just |
S they were for Cass and Pierce, and Fremont"
State Journal.
sTThe manu- facture of Sorghum syrup of
upenor quality, and some cases sugar, this sea-
on, we see mentioned as matter of success in |