The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1872-12-27


ing three less electoral votes than
Adams.
This provision gave serious trouble at
the next election in 1901. Thomas
Jefferson and Aaron Burr, who were
both supported by the Democratic party
the former for President and the
latter for Vice President--received each
73 votes. Adams aud Piuckney, the
Federalist candidates, had, the former
60, and the latter GA votes, one vote
being cast for John Jay. As there was
tie between Jefferson and Burr, the
election was thrown iuto the House OF
Representatives, and for seven days bal
loting continued in that body, eight
States voting for Jefferson, six for Burr,
and two casting blank votes. The final
result was the election of Mr.. Jefferson,
Burr, Of course, becoming Vice Presi-
dent.
The events of this election turned the
attention Of the Government to a serious
defect in the Constitution, and the result
was the adoption of the Twelfth Amend
ment, providing that the electors should
vote separately for President and Vice
President, and that i'll case nc candidate
had majority of the electoral vote the
House should choose the President from
among the three candidates who received
the most electoral votes for that office
and the Senate the Vice President from
among tae two candidates who received
the largest number of votes for that Of
flee.
This amendment TO the Constitution,
while it met the immediate danger sug-
gestcl BY the events Of the election Of
1901, resulted in still further str myth
eniug the power of political parties in
debating to the electors their choice of
candidates. In 1893 Jefferson and
Clinton were elected, each receiving l62
of the 116 electoral votes. In 1909
James Madison was elected President,
having % Of the 10 votes cast, and
George Clinton, Vice President, having
ll3 votes. In 1919, Madison was r6.
elected, having 12S votes out of 2i7,
while Elbri3ge Gerry had l13 votes for
; Vice President, In 1S1T Monroe aad
Tompkns received respectively 1S3 votes
for Presi6en. and ,'ice President out of
2l1 aud in 1871, tho same candidates
were reelected, Monroe receiving 12S
votes out of 229 and Tompkius II
IN 1923 there came grand break up
Of parties No loss than four Presiden-
tial candidates we're put in the field
John Quincy Adams, Andrew jackson,
Henry Clay and William II. Crawford.
General Jackson received % electoral
votes, Mr. Adams, s., Mr.. Clay 81 aud
Mr. Crawford Al The electou was
thrown into the House Of Representa-
tives, and resulted in the choice of Nlr.
Adams by coalition Of his friends and
those OF Mr.. Clay Mr. Calhoun was
chosen Vice President by the electoral
vote
From this point dates the reorgaDiza-
tion Of parties The Democratic party
carried the elections of ISIS, 1832, and
1896, the Wing party that Of 1910, the
Democratic that of l>44, the Wing that
of 1913, the Democratic those of 1852
and 1856, aud the Republican those OF
1860, 1864, 1865, aud 1872. The de-
tails Of these elections are so familiar
that il is not necessary to recapitulate
them. The point to which we wish to
call attention IN correction with the
present subject is that in all these elect
ions the electors were chosen by organ
ized parties, aud their vote practically
dictated TO them in advance by the ac-
ton of party conventions.
, Thrs we see that after the time of
. J de Washington the intent of the
Constitu, in providing for the choice
of Presdeu 5 been practically de.
feated Erop 700 until 1928 he
, Presld .4t,a. Candidates were put in the
! field by Congressional caucusses since
that time they have been selected by
party conventions. Under our present
t system the National party convention
1 does what it was intended that the eec-
A tors should do The whole programme
: marked out by the Constitution is prac.
tically turned upside down and, instead
d of the people appointing electors to
. choose their President, they first, as
/ members of political parties, choose del.
e egates to make a Presidential nomina-
ton, and then nominate and choose
electors pledged to vote for the caudi-
dates thus selected. The electoral sys-
5 TEN, then, having proved failure in
practical operation, and being not only
worthless but absolutely dangerous,
, ought to he discarded and the choice
of President and Vice President ought
10 be RENTED to the direct popular
vote.