The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1872-04-04
TbS Riection Of Pfesident and ce!Prcsident.
How it Is Conducted.


There is nothing more complicated than the
election of President and Vice-President under
our present political system. How it could
ever have been devised is mystery. 1fhereare
few. even among our most intelligent men who
ssSn. expiain from the commencement the man
ner in which President and Vice-President
are elected, land the great mass OF the people
are profoundly ignorant. We propose here to
trace the election up from its germs. First,
there is the primary town or local caucus for
othe different parties; then comes the county,
district and State conventions; through that
machinery delegates are appointed to a nation
al. convention. These national conventions
notninates candidates. These nominations,
however, legally amount to nothing. Eacn
State elects number of Electors correspond
ing to its Senators ard Representatives in Con-
press. and they vote FOR whom they choose abb
solutely for President and Vice-President.-
,TAera is,nothing requiring them to vote for any
man who has been nominated, except so far as
they. NAV. consider it binding in honor. The
constitution intended that they should have
the first and final choice. Its trainers suppose
Shat, the Electors would be among the nst men
of the country, and would be better Judges OF
who would be fit for President and Vice 'Presl-
Jsnt than % their constituents, the people; hence
they were made an intermediate body. In or
der to give these Electoral Colleges full au-
thority. the Electors are obliged to vote by Sc
SfSuppose, for instance, that Ohio should pop
nlar,y cast its twenty-five electoral votes Tor the
candidates who were in the field, and supposed
fotbe against Grant and his colleague, and up
ON counting the electoral votes there mlghti6
anumber for Grant These votes would stand,
and it would be next to or quite Impossible 70
End ont the persons who had cast them against
the will of,the people. The United States
Senator, in this State. is voted tor by the mem
bsrs Of the Legislature viua volce, and IT there
Is any betrayal of pledges the responsibility
cannot be lodged. But there is no such secu-
rity in eur votes for President and Vice-Presi-
dent. 1T is to the credit of the country that
thus far in seventy years no elector, under the
shield of the secret ballot, has ever cast vote
different from that which it was intended by
che people he should give. But it may happen
in the future Our politics are becoming more
corrupt, and; ;rif there was a.close yoteI1n the
Electoral College between rival candidates there
is no knowing what might happen Lche cleo
I. toral or intermediate system ought 70 De aool-
ished. Afterthe Electoral College has met in
each State on the FIRST Wednesday OF Decem-
her. and cast its vote, it sends messenger with
it to Washington.
Early in February the, votes OF the States
are opened at joint session of the two Houses
the President of the Senate presiding, In
caseene candidate mas a majority over all the
others. he is declared elected. If not, the Sen
ate rretires to its chamber, and the House pro-
caedsite vote for the three highest candidates
who had been voted for by the Electors. The
vote is not, however, according 70 tne 'lsual
fosim. but is given by States. Thus, New York
i$eafed with her thirty-o members Ihey
ask leave to retire, and do retire. Sixteen OF
them direct that the vote of the State-and it
is only one-be recorded for the candidate run
ming. against Grant Delaware is called, which
has but a single member, and he casts one vote,
the same as. has been given, by the, thirty-three
gentlemen Of the Empire State. Each State
6as simply one vote, and majority of the
delegation determines it. A majority OF all
the States, which are now thirty-seven in num-
ber, would be nineteen, and that is absolutely
required. If the vote should stand eighteen
forIT s. Grant eighteen for Judge Davis, and
one State equally divided and casting no vote
there would be no choice, On the 4th OF March
the session Of Congress not only terminates,
hut the terms of its members expire. In the
two or three weeks they have to vote they may
not.haye chosen any man for President. The
House has been, on one occasion, nine weeks
in choosing I, Speaker, and it is reasonable to
assats,e7 that It might be three weeks and not
.leeeaPresident. Then, we hear the reader
inGiiire who. on the 4th of March, would be
President? We will further explain. When
there is no choice for President and no choice
;Nice.President, the United States Senate
chooses the latter officer. BY wise provision
inlths Constitution, the Senate selects between
tha1it;sol highest candidates voted for by the
Eiscf65ftss. AS the Senators vote individually, q
choice is almost certain to be made. Ihe
e-President being elected, and the 4th OF
March arriving without President, he assumes
that office for four years, the same as IT the
President had died, or as if he himself had been
elacted In case there is no Vice-President on
fbs4th of March, the Office devolyes upon the
President oro tenn. of the Senate; and IN case
of ms disability, upon the Speaker OF the
House: then upon the Chief Justice OF the
Supreme Court, and, finally, upon the Oldest,
in length of service, of the Associate Jus!ices.
Ent i'm case of disability of both President
.nJ Vice-President, the person discharging the
dnties of President does not hold the full term,
hut only till the next annual November cleo
tion when new President and Vice President
will he elected for four years. This Electoral
svstem ought to be abolished; it affords too
Great an opportunity for fraud to reflect the
Fishes and Intentions of the people. 1t is too
comnlicated. The Presidential vote of the
d;fIerent States could be indicated, and the
State autonomy preserved, by voting directly
for President and Vice-President, and then
Checking at Washington number of votes
snnaj to our Senatorial and delegate represen-
tation. If this is not done; we shall upon some
fnlIS full be betrayed by the men in whom we have
renossd rer confidence as Electors. The law ought
s1pb oIto to beso changed that Congress could COM
mence to vote early in the session, in December,
for putting it off till the middle Of February S
rel renders the risk toe great that no choice at all
will be made. =
provisions made for contested election: Eaca, !,
House is the Judge of the qualahcation an9
election of its own members in Congress, ana
in ali the States there is 8 provision by which
a contest for Governor and other State officers