, 1876-12-09
CLOSE ELECTIONS.
Scme Previous Interesting Presidential
Contests.

Contests.
Should the successful candidate owe hi.
triumph 10 hrs having received the favors oi
small State or two he would not stand alone
In the list Of our consulars, for more than
one man has been made the President Of the
Unitd States by meagre majoriiy-oast
either in the electoral college or at the polls,
or at both places. Oar first contested Presi-
Dental election, in 1896 %. was decided SO
closely that the change Of two electoral votes
would have placed Thomas Jefferson, in.
tion, as Wsshington'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 had those two votes been given for Mr..
Jefferson, be would have had 30 votes and
Mr.. Adams SO. and the Yirginian would
have been elected by one majority. One Of
the electoral votes for Mr.. Adams. chosen in
Maryland, was obtained by only four major
ity; and had it been secured for Mr.. Jeffer-
son, be would have had SO votes and Adams
20, and the latter would have been elected
by one majority. There were I3S electoral
votes at TINT time, OF about AZ less than one
half the present number; so that, should the
successful candidate on the 7th of November,
1876, receive eight majority in the electoral
college, he would be about US well elected as
John Adams was eighty years since. Con-
sidering who and what John Adams was,
eight majority would be nothing 10 be asham-
ed of on the part Of either of the candidates
and nothing to be proud of. either, it must
be added.
Mr.. Jefferson defeated President Adams in
1901. when be had % electoral votes and
the President 65, or sjori'y of s. equal to
about 20 majority in 1851. In lSl2-13 a
change of twenty votes in the colleges would
have prevented the re-election of President
Madison, who received 12S electoral votes,
while De Wit Clinton got 50. In 1869
Mr.. Van Buren would have failed OF an cleo
/ tion had there been change in % electoral
votes, as he had but % over the number ne
cessary TO choice-and Pennsylvania hsY-
| ing 80 Of such votes, gave him bat small
popular majority. \ change of 5000 in that
States popular vote wonld have defeated
him in the colleges, b. sending 30 whig cleo
tors to the Pennsylvania college. As it was,
| Col Johnson. the democratic candidate for
the Vice-Presidcney, was defeated in the
colleges, because Virginia would net support
hiIa. her % electoral 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 We're the popular majority and
the electoral majority given for Gen. Harri-
sou IN 1Si0 Il, he wUaid have been defeated
in the colleges had it been possible to change
some eight or pine thousand votes in the four
States Of New York, Pennsylvania, Maine
and New jersey. Those States cast So elec-
toTal votes, which, added to the sixty votes
which Me-. Van Burea received, would give
! him nst the number necessary to d choice
and yet there would have been popular ma
| jority of more Than 1000 against him.
! The four States named gave popular vote
of almost 800, 900, though their united ma
| ilri,y for Gen Harrison did not much exceed
l6,0O0-New York giving him rather more
than Il, 900, New Jersey shout 23o0, Maine
41G, aud Pennsylvania 3l3 It was very
close work, and the.e would have been great
trouble had the democratic vote been iucreas-
ed so as to defeat Gen. Harrison in the col
leges after the people had 50 decidedly indi-
Gated their preference for him at the polls.
5 me men feared that there would be prU-
uuuciamento.
1t the election of 1S44-45 1Ir Polk vas
chosen % the Presidency through the aid Of
the New York electors, who were 36 in mum
ber and as Mr.. Polk had 10 yotes, and the
number necessary 70 e choice was l3S-'he
whole number Of electors being 275-he
would have had 134 votes had New York de-
eidsd agsinst him. Mr.. Clay had lO5 vOtez;
had he received New York's vote, he woald
have been chosen by al votes, or by ms
lori;y If only five votes. The democratic
popular majority il New York was small
about 5000 we thiuk-so that a small change
there wonld have substituted Nr. Clay for
MIR. Polk as President, and thus changed the
whole current of our political history for the
last thirty-two years. The whigs attributed
their defeat in the Empire State, first, to the
action Of the iibsral party IN running Birney
fo- the Presidency aud secondly. to demo-
cratic fraudulent voting in New York c1ty-
Il is probable that they were night, and that
the two things were more han they could
stand but IT never required much to Kill the
Whigs as politicians, for they were always
on the verge of committing suicide. In 1915
40 the change of 10 electoral votes woaid
have given the Presidency 10 Gen Cas-, and
Gen. Taylor's vote was 1853, and that OF Gen
Cas- 12i and some Of the Taylor votes were
cot by sraau mzjorities. The elections since
| 1883 DO not require particular mention--
BeeGH TraDelsT.
Two neishbors had long and evenoned
litigation about small spring, which they
II, TT. ;n=.,a uva.ria1 out with