Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1876-12-01
Close Presidential Elections.
Boston Traveller.

DoslOH Traveller.
Should tie successful candidate
owe his triumph to his having receiv-
ed the favors of a 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 a mcagre majority,
cast either III the electoral college, or
at the polls, or at both places. Our
first contested Presidential election,
in 1861, was decided so closely
that the change of two electoral
votes would have placed Thomas
Jefferson, instead of John Adams, at
the head of the nation, as Washing
tons immediate successor. Mr.
Adams had II votes, and Mr.. Jctlrr-
son 69. One of Mr.. Adams votes
came from Virginia, and another
from North Carolina; and had those
two votes been given to Mr.. Jeffcr-
son, he would have 20 and Mr.. Ad-
ans G9,--and the Virglnian would
have been elected by one ma ority.
One of the. electoral votes for Mr..
Adams, chosen III Maryland, was OBJ
tanned by only four ma ority; and
had it been secured for Mr.. Jefferson,
he would have had 50 votes, and Mr.
Adams 7O,-lnd the latter would
have been elected by one majority.
There was 1873 electoral votes at that
time, or about ~ less than onc-half
the present number; so that, should
the successful candidate Oh the 9TH
of November 1876, receive eight ma
.jority in the electoral college, he
would be elected about rs well as
John Adams was elected so years
since.
Con idering who and what John
Adams was, eight majority would be
nothing to be ashamed of on the
part of either of our candidates.
and nothing to be proud of it must be
added. Mr.. Jefferson defeated Pres.
Adams in 10000, when he had 70
electoral votes, and the President G5.
or majority Of eight, equal to about
20 majority in 1867. In 1928,
change of 20 votes in the colleges
would have prevented the re-elec-
ton of President Madison, who re-
celved 1913 electoral votes, while De
Wit Clinton got so. In 1869, Mr.
Van Buren, would have failed of an
election had there been \ change in
% electoral votes as chosen,-and
Pennsylvania, having 80 such votes,
gave him but Il small popular MAORI
ty. a change of 5000 in that states
popular vote would have defeated
him in the colleges, by sending 30
Wing electors to the Pennsylvania
college. AS it was, Col. johnson,
the Democratic candidate for the
Vice Presidency, was defeated in the
college, because Virginia would not
support him, her % votes being CIV
en- to William Smith, of Alabama.
| Col. Johnson was chosen by the Sen
ate, the only instance Of that kind
known in our history. Great as was
the popular majority and the elector
al majority given for Harrison in
lS404l, he would have been defeat
ed in the colleges had it been posi-
bic to change some eight or nine
thousand votes in the four states of
New York, Pennsylvania, Maine and
New Jersey. Those states cast IS
electoral votes, which, added to the
60 such votes that Mr.. Van Buren,
received, would have given Just the
number necessary to choice; and
yet there wonld have been a popular
majority of more than 100, 900
against him. The four states named
gave popular vote Of almost 90o,-
600, though their united maiorities
for Gen. Harrison did not much ex-
coed lG,00O,-New York giving rath
er more than 5000, New jersey about
$500, Maine 40, and Pennsylvania
343. 1t was very close work, and
there would have been eat trouble
had the Democrat vote been SO in
creased as to defeat Gen. Harrison
in the colleges, after the people had
so decidedly indicated their prefer
ence for him at the polls. Some
men feared that there would be a
pronunciam"nto.
At the election Of lS4445, Mr..
! Polk was chosen to the Presidency
through the aid of the New York
electors, who were SO in number;
and rs Mr. Polk had lie votes, and
the number necessary to a choice was
13S,-the whole number Of electors
being 375.-hc would have had 1874
votes, had New York decided against
him. Mr. Clay had los votes and,
had he received New York's vote, he
would cave been chosen by al votes,
or by q majority of only FIVE votes.
The Democratic popular majority
in New York was small-about 5000
we think; so that Il small change
there would have substituted Mr..
Clay for Mr. Polk as President, and
thus have changed the whole current
Of our political history Tor the last %
years. The Wings attributed their
defeat in the Empire State, first, to
the action of the Liberty party in
running Mr. Birney for the Presi-
dency and, secondly to the Demo
cratic 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 very much to
kill the wings as politicians, for they
were always on the verge of commit
ting suicide. In ls4S-49, the change
Of 10 electoral votes would have Civ
en- the Presidency to Gen. CasS, and
Gen. Taylor's vote was 1913, and
that of Gen. Cass 1917, and some of
Taylor's votes were got by small ma
jori,ies. The elections since ls4S-49
do not require particular mention.
THE Conservative publishes a
statement furnished by the motor
~ 1t,ti of hn \ nf