The Portland daily press., 1876-11-13
LFrom the Boston Ira aveller.I
Close Presidential Contests.

Should the successful candidate owe his tri-
umph to his having received the favors of
small state or two, he would not stand
alone in the list of our consulares, for more
than one man has been made president of the
United States by meagre majority,-cast
either in the electoral colleges or at the polls,
of at both places. Our first contested presi-
Dental election, in 1861, was decided so
closely that the change of t,oo electoral votes
would have placed Thomas Jefferson, instead
of John Adams, at the head of the nation, as
Washington's immediate successor. Mr.. Ad-
ANS had II votes, aud Mr.. Jefferson 6S. One
of Mr.. Adams's votes came from Virginia,
and another from North Carolina; and had
those two votes been given for Mr.. Jefferson
he would have had 20 votes, and Mr., Adams
69,-and the Virginian would have been elected
by one majority. One of the electoral votes
for Mr.. Adams, chosen in Mary land, was OBJ
tanned by only four majority; and had it been
secured for Mr.. Jefferson, he would have had
% votes and Mr.. Adams 7O,-and the latter
would have been elected by one majority
There were 13S electoral votes at that time. or
about AZ less than one half the present num-
Der; so that should the successful candidate
on the 7th of November, 1876, receive eight
majority in the electoral college, he would be
elected about as well as John Adams was
elected eighty years since. Considering who
and what John Adams was, eight majority in
1876 would be nothing to be ashamed of on the
part OF either of our candidates moth
ing to be proud of, it must be added. Mr.. JET
ferson defeated President Adams in 1901,
when he had 73 electoral votes, and the PresI.
dent 50. or a majority of eight, equal to about
20 majority in 1S76-77. In 1928, change of
70 votes in the colleges would have prevented
the reelection of President Madison, who re-
ceved 12S electoral votes, while Dewitt Cln-
tod got SO. In 1869, Mr.. Van Buren
would have failed of an election had there
been change in % electoral votes, as he had
but % over the number necessary to a choice
and Pennsylvania, having 80 such votes, gave
him but small popular majority. A change
of 5000 in that states popular vote would have
defeated him in the colleges, by sending 30
Whig electors to the Pennsylvania college, As
it was, Col. johnson, the Democratic candidate
for the vice presidency, was defeated in the col
leges. because Virginia would not support him,
her % votes being given for William Smith of
Alabama. Col. johnson was chosen by the
Senate, the only instance of the kind known in
our history, Great as were the popular majori-
ty and the electoral majority given for Gen
Harrison in 1S4O4l, be would have been defeat
ed in the colleges had it been possible to change
some eight or nine thousand votes in the four
states of New York, Pennsylvania, Maine and
New Jersey. Those states cast SO electoral
votes, which, added to the go such votes that
Mr.. Van Buren, received, would have given him
just the number necessary to a choice; and yet
there would have been a popular majority of
more than 100000 against him. The four states
named gave popular vote of almost 100000,
though their united majorities for Gen. Harri-
son did not much exceed 16000-New York Civ
ing him rather more than $4,000, New Jersey
about 23OO, Maine 40, aud Pennsylvania 343.
1t was very close work, aud there would have
been great trouble had the Democratic vote
been so increased as to defeat Gen, Harrison in
the colleges, after the people had so decidedly
indicated their preference for him at the polls.
Some men feared that there woyld be a pro-
nunciamento. AT the election of 1S44-45, Mr..
Polk was chosen to the Presidency through the
aid of the New York electors. who were Sc in
number; and as Mr.. Polk had 170 votes and
the number necessary to choice was 13S, the
would have had 134 votes, had New York de-
cided against him. Mr.. Clay had 1O5 votes;
and had he received New York's vote he would
have been chosen by 141 votes, or by a major
ity of only fUe votes The Democratic popular
majority in New York was small-about 5000.
have substituted Mr.. Clay for Mr.. Polk as
president and thus have changed the whole
current of our political history for the last
thirty-two years. The Wings attributed their
defeat in the Empire state. first, to the action
OF the liberty party in running Mr.. Burney for
the presidency; and secondly, to Democratic
fraudulent voting in New York city. 1t is
probable that they were right and that the two
things were more than they could stand; but it
never required mnch to kill the Wings as poll
ticlans, for they were always Oh the verge of
committing suicide. In 1889 the change of
10 electoral votes would have given the presi-
dency to Gen. Cass, as Gen. Taylor's vote was
1853, and thai of Gen. Cass 127; and some of the
Taylor votes were got by small macorities.
The elections since 1889 do not require par
ticular mention.