New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-12-17
TIE Elaceeral College. !.

~xn0 814CyOE0l C9u08es gI 80
Mr.. Nor ton read the following EXTRACT. in
the Senate yesterday to show how utterly
the Electoral College comes short Of repre-
lie continent Of tho whole nation in presi-
Dental elections:
The following statement of the result In
the different presidential elections from
1872 back to 1874 will establish tho truth Of
what We bave said:
3 In 1872 General Grant received fifty.6vo
per coat Of tho votes Of tho people,; in the
Electoral College he received eighty-one
per cent.
In 1858 General Grant. received Afty-oae
per cent Of the popular vote, and seventy
three per cent Of the electoral vote.
In 1864 Nj. Lincoln received ffty-Ave
per cent of the popular vote, and ninety-
one per cent of the electoral vote.
In 1860 Mr.. Lincoln received only forty
per cent of the popular vote; he received
lifty-nine per cent Of the electoral vote.
In 1856 Mr.. Buchanan received only forty
five per cent of the popular vote; he re-
ceived 8fty-nine per cent Of the electoral
vote. s~a
In this election Fillmore received twenty
five per cent of the popular vote, and only
two per cent of the electoral vote; but four
teen of his friends were elected to Con
gress.
Io 1852 Pierce received fifty-one per cent
of the popular vote, and eighty-five per
cent of the electoral vote.
In ls4s General Taylor received forty.
sixty-six DER cent of the electoral vote. A.
this election Mr.. Van Buren, received about
ten per cent of the popular vote and RE-
ceived no electoral vote, but three of hie
friends were elected to the House of Repre-
sentatives.
In 1874 Nj. Polk received not quite fifty
per cent of the popular vote. He received
sixty two per cent of tho electoral vote.
To illustrste the operation of the distric!
elections for President and for momboro Of
Congress in tho four States of Pennsylvauis,
Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, from 1860 to 1872
These States voted s0lidly for Mr.. Lincoln
In 1860, casting seventy four electoral votes.
At the came election they returned sixty.six
members of Congress, Of whom twenty-four
were Democrats.
In 1864 the same States cast seventy-six
electoral votes for Mr.. Lincoln again, and
elected the Same year sixty-eight members
Of Congress, of whom sixteen were Demo
Gratis.
In 1868 the same States threw seventy-
six electoral votes solidly for General
Grant, and elected sixty eight members Of
Congress, of whom twenty-five were Dem.
ocrats.
In 1872 tho same States again voted solid.
", giving eighty.fv electoral votes to Gen.
erai Grant, and elected seventy seven mem
bere OF Congress, of whom twenty five were
Democratic.
In theee four States the Democratic
strength, % compared with the Republican
has been about eight to ten, but under thu
operation of the general ticket system they
had been wholly unrepresenfed in tht
Electoral College,; but in the House of Rep
resentativee, under the district system, they
have had an average Of nearly one-third o
the members.
Take the State of New York alone for tn
same period. In 1860 New York cast he
thirty Ave electoral votes sclidly for Mi
Lincoln. At the same time che electe,
thirty-three members of Cougres of whom
nine were Democratic Washington Chron
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