New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-11-18
Close Presidential Elections.

Should the successful candidate owe his
triumph to his having received the favors
of q small State or two, he would not stand
alone IN the list of our consulares. for more
the United States by q meager majority
cast either IN the electoral colleges, or at
the polls, or at both places. Our fret con-
tested presidential election, il 1862, " as
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 az George Washington's
immediate successor. Mr.. Adams had
II votes, and Mr.. Jefferson 6S. One Of
Mr.. Adams votes came from Virginia,
and another from North Carolina: and
ad those two votes from those States been
given to Mr.. Jefferson, he would have had
20 votes and Mr.. Adams 69-and the Vir-
einian would have been elected by one ma
jority. One Of the electoral votes for Mr..
Adams, chosen in Maryland, was obtained
by only four majority; and had it been Sc
cured for Mr.. Jefferson, he would have had
60 votes and Mr.. Adams 20, and the latter
would have been elected by one majority.
There were l3S electoral votes at that time,
or about AZ less than ope-half the present
number: so that, should the successful can.
didate on the seventh of November, 1876,
receive eight ma jority Of the Electoral Col
lege, he would be elected about as well as
John Adams was elected eighty years since:
Considering who and what John Adams was,
eight mai o-ity in 1876 would be nothing to
be ashamed of on the part of either Of our
caudidates-and nothing to be proud Of. it
must be added. Mr.. Jefferson defeated Pres
ident Adams in lS00-0l, when he had %
electoral votes and the President 60, or a
majority of S-equal to about 20 majority in
l876-77. In lsI2-I3, q change of 20 votes in
the colleges would have prevented the re-
election of President Madison, who received
I2S electoral votes. while De Witt Clinton
got 50. In 1869, Mr.. Van Buren, would
have failed of an election had there been q
change of % electoral votes, as he had but
81 over the number necessary to q choice
and Pennsylvania, having 30 such votes,
change of 5000 in that States popular vote
would have defeated him IN the colleges, by
sending 80 Wing electors to the Pennsyl-
vania college. As it was, Colonel johnson,
the Democratic candidate for the Vice
Presidency, was defeated in the col
leges, because Virginia would not sup.
port him, her % electoral votes be-
ing given for William Smith, of Ala
bama. Colonel johnson was chosen by the
Senate, the only instance Of the kind known
in our history. Great as were the popular
majority and the electoral majority given
for General Harrison in 1904, he would
have been defeated in the colleges had it
been possible to change some 5000 or 5000
votes in the four States of New York, Penn
eylvanis, Maine and New Jersey. Those
States cast eighty electoral votes,
which, added to the sixty such votes Mr.
Van Buren, received, would have given him
just the number necessary to choice, and
vet there would have been q popular ma
jority of more than 100 600 against him.
The four States named gave popular vote
of almost 900 600, though their united ma
jorities for General Harrison did not
much exceed 16,000-New York giving him
about $500, Maine 40, and Pennsylvania
3i3. 1t was very close work, and there
would have been great trouble had the
Democratic vote been 50 increased as to de-
feat General Harrison in the colleges, after
the people had SO decidedly indicated their
preference for him at the polls. Some men
feared that there would be pronuncia.
mento. At the election of lo44-45 Mr.. Polk
was chosen TO the Presidency through the
did of the New York electors, who were
tbirty-six in number; and as Mr.. Polk had
ITO votes, and the number necessary TO q
choice was 13S-the whole number of elect
ors being o75-he woHld have had 1874 votes
had New York decided against him. Mr..
Clay had 105 votes, and. had he received
New York's vote, he would have been chosen
by l4l votes, or by msjority Of only five
VCUeS. Inc DoHOCratIC pCpuidL udJoI1Dy IL
New York was smali-a6Out 5OOO we think;
go that small change there would have
substituted Mr.. Clay for Mr.. Polk as Presi.
dent, and thus have changed the whole cur
rent 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 MIR.
Birney for the presidency, and, secondly, to
Democratic fraudulent voting in New York
t. In phohT 10 hot irvht
and that the two things were more than
they could stand; but it never required
much to kill the Wings as politicians, for
they were always on the verge of commit
ting suicide. In lSiS-49 the change of nine
teen electoral votes would have given the
to General Case, as General
Tay lor's vote was 163, and that of General
Cass 127, and some of the Taylor votes were
cot by small msjorities. The elections since
is4s-49 do not require particular MENTION
Boston Traveller.