The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-11-23
Counting the Vote! What Next, and
Next2

NcALS
Pending the official declaration of the
result of the election in the 'sthree doubt
full States" as the Republicans fondly
call them, public attention is directed by
the press to the consideration of questions
connected with the counting of the elec-
toral vote. The. whole subject is one of
surprising importance to the Democracy,
who are casting about in every direction
for means of counteracting any fraudu-
lent action that may give to Hayes the
electoral vote of Florida and Louisiana,
as we'll as of South Carolina.
Throughout the discussion two points
must be borne steadily in mind. They
are: l. That one of the candidates for
President must receive 1856 votes, being
ga majority of the whole number of Elec-
tors appointed" or the election deyolves
upon the House of Representatives. 2.
That Governor Tilden has already, be-
yond doubt, 1S4 electoral votes, being
one vote less than majority Of the whole
number of Electors appointed. To OBJ
tain 185 votes Governor Hayes must Sc
cure the votes of Louisiana, Florida and
South Carolina, which, with the votes
usually conceded to him, would form a
majority of the whole number of votes,
and the loss of a single vote would be
fatal.
Some persons, we find, fancy that the
Electoral vote is cast by States. This is
an error. Each State is entitled to "a
number of Electors, equal to the whole
number of Senators and Representatives
to which the State may be entitled in the
Congress-" and these electors vote by
ballot for President and Vice-President.
Where an Elector fails to meet with the
other Electors, on the appointed day, and
vote for President and Vice-Presideut,
his vote is lost, unless the State law gives
the Electors who are present the power
to fill vacancies. In like manner vote
may be lost by the ineligibility of an
Elector. Every State, we believe, except
three, has provided means of filling
vacancies in the Electoral College, but, if
vacancy should arise in any of the three
States where no power to fill vacancies is
given, the electoral vote or votes would
be lost. One of the Electors in Vermont,
for example, proves to be postmaster,
who is ineligible as holding can Office of
trust and profit under the United States"
Now, if the laws of Vermont make no
provision for filling this vacancy, there
will be a loss to Governor Hayes of one
vote in Vermont, and the loss of that one
vote prevents him from obtaining the
majority required to elect him, although
he should, by hook or by crook, procure
the votes of Louisiana, South Carolina
and Florida. We do not, at this writing,
know which are the three States which
have failed to provide for the filling of
vacancies, and the danger may be as
great to Governor Tilden SIS to Governor
Hayes. The position of Governor Tilden
is the stronger, however, inasmuch as the
vote of either of the three doubtful
States" will give him at least three votes
more than majority.
Another point is that, in any State, the
whole or part of the Republican or
Democratic candidates for Electors may
be elected. It may happen, for example,
that one Republican candidate tor Elec-
tor will receive many less votes than the
other Republican candidates. The can
didates receiving the highest number of
votes are elected. One Democrat might
thus be elected, while all the other Elec-
tors were Republicans. In that case the
Democratic Elector would have his one
vote for Tilden, although all the other
Electors in the same State voted for
Hayes. 80,
Another feature of the Electoral Col
lege is that the Electors, by whomsoever
elected. can vote for whomsoever they
please, The Constitution knows no po-
iitical party, and the Electors Tor Presl,
dent and Vice. President are as free and
untrammelled as though no candidates
had been nominated or even suggested.
There is nothing to prevent the Hon.
Christopher Columbus Bowen from atom
ing for the political errors of his past
life by voting for Tilden and Hendricks,
if he shall prove to have been elected
one OF the South Carolina Electors. In
the wear 1921 Presidential Elector did
vote against the party candidate. The
Democratic candidate was President
Monroe. who was running for second
term. In November 1920 the party vas
successful, and the Democratic Electors
were chosen TO a man in every State IN
the Union, among them Ex-Governor
Plummer, from New Hampshire. The
Electoral College met on February IA,
1921. and thu vote was unanimous Tor
President Monroe, with one exception.
To the surprise of everybody, Ex-Gov-
ernor Plummer voted for John Quincy
Adams. The latter, in his Memoirs" !"
saws he was surprised and mortified that
Governor Plummer should have cast his
vote for him. He had thought that, of
all the Electors, none were more certain
to vote for Monroe than Governor Plum
mer. Another writer has averred that
Plummer's motive for voting against the
candidate of his party was that he did
NOT wish to have the vote unanimous for
any President after Washington. No
comment on his action in the papers OF
the day can be found. Whatever may
have been his object, it may be safely
asserted that his action provides his
toric precedent which would be sufficient
" striking to seriously agitate candi-
date whose success depended on a majori-
tv of one in vote Of three hundred and
sixty-nine.
But if vacancy in the Electoral Col
lege, or change of vote, should not upset
the calculations of the candidates there
are other perils to be encountered. These
are lucidly exposed in the article of the
New York World, published to-day.
The conclusion of the World is that the
Electoral votes cannot be counted, if
either House refuses to be present when
the day arrives for opening the certifi-
Gates aid counting the votes. Let it be
supposed that the Louisiana Returning
Board fraudulently count out the Demo-
Gratis and give certificates of election to
the Hayes Electors. In that case the
House of Representatives can prevent
the counting of the votes, by absenting
itself from the Senate Chamber on "the
second Wednesday in February" and if
the House persists in its refusal the Uni
ted States will be without a President
after the 4th of March, 1877, on which