Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-11-24
ELECTORAL.
The Mode eff Eleeting the President.

Now that the great agony Is over, the
people not vet informed on the matter
will read with interest how the College
Of Electors came to be established an1
how it acts.
The twelfth article Of the series Of
amendments to the constitution was
adopted BY three-fOurths Of the States in
1904. The history Of this article pos
sessss more than a ieeting notice. The
electoral votes Of Thomas Jefferson and
Aaron Burr for President at the fourth
election were equal. There being no
election by the voice Of the people, the
House Of Representatives, a. was for
meriy provided, proceeded TO choose
a President. The consequence was
that for several days the ballotiug
continued without any final result.
There were then sixteen States in the
Union. On the first ballot eight States,
it is recorded, voted for jefferson, six
for Burr, and the votes OF two states
were divided. The excitement Occa-
stoned by the conflict was intense, and
increased with every additional ballot
public feeling ran high; passion was not
idle, and the partisan WAS nerved for
the conflict, and played his accustomed
paEL- After t~hirty-siX ballots Jefferson
q BUR- were declared President and
Nee-President. To prevent the evils
likely 70 arise was the object and pur-
pose Congress had in view, in 1893, in
proposing the twelfth article to the con-
stitutiOn. The mode Of choosing q
President and Vice-President sup
planted clause three, section one,
article two OF the constitution. Between
article twelve and the clause il supplies,
the resemblance is mOst apparent. These
changes, among Others, may be noted.
The electors, under article. twelve, vote,
now, for one person for President, and
one for Nice-President, BY separate bal
lot, instead Of voting generally, as be-
fore for two persons, and distinct lists Of
those voted for, for the two positions,
respectively, are Transmitted under seal
10 the President Of the Senate, who, in
presence Of both Houses of Congress,
opens the certificates, and the votes
are counted. In the first place
the electors meet in their re-
spective States and vote as stated,
by ballot, for President and Vice
President, one Of whom at least shall
not be an inhabitant Of the same state
with themselves. After the votes are
counted, the person having the greatest
number Of votes for President is elected
IL An4I A4AA0EA DE "a AAaIlLALN vi TIE
whole number Of electors appointed
lone hundred and eighty-four is now a
majority in the Electoral College Of
three hundred and sixty-sixl; if there be
no such majority, then from not exceed
ing three, instead Of five, as formerly
provided, having the highest numbers
on the list for President, the House Of
Representatives shall, by ballot select
the President. The vote is BY States,
each State having One vOte-tWO-thirds
Of the states, represented by member
or members, constituting a quorum
and a majority Of all the States is
necessary to q choice. Whenever the
House, the duty Of choosing devOlving
upon il, fails to make choice before the
fourth Of March next following. the
Viee-PTesideut shall act as President, as
In ease of death or constitutional disa-
bility Of President. The Vice-President
is elected by the largest number Of votes.
r q majority of the whole number Of
electors; if there be DC majority, the
Senate shall choose a Nice-President
from the two highest numbers on the
list-twO-thirds Of the whole number OF
Senators constitute q quorum, and a
majority Of said number is necessary %
a choice. The foregoing is the mode, as
laid down in Article MI, for choosing
the President and Niee-President.
The constitution provides that persons
holding Office Of honor or profit, under
the United States, cannot Be appointed
electors. Many reasons are assigned for
this. If they had, in the first place,
voted in their respective States as elect
Ors, they might not be wholly free and
impartial when they afterwaTd vote as
Senators and Representative in the
event Of no choice BY the elect
Ors. The Electoral College system
was adopted by the trainers OF
the constitution to prevent those evils
that so often flow from a direct election
by the people Of officers high in station.
It was not originally designed that cleo
should be chosen for the express
purpose of voting for a favOrite candi-
date-thOugh in practice their freedom
is not great. Whether the system has
accomplished all that was desired may
well be doubted, for it is still a question
for the curious and philOsophic thinker
Of the period.