Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1876-11-22
r.a Electoral colleges.

rha discussion Oh the powers 90"
,,..Ise ~ Congress in the counting Q,
sne electoral votes for President ano
vice President may be in some az
sreo enlightened by an account y
= chat has been done heretofore, De-
ginning at the commencement o. oa'
Goyarnment under the existing con-
stitution, 1889. The manner Of elee.
ting President and Vice pfeslaen'
engaged the attention of the conven'
sion that framed the constitution
and the system Of electors now ~
use was proposed by James wilson
one Of the delegates from Pennsyl
vauia. Other plans were proposed,
although none Of them contemplated
n election by direct vote OF the PEG.
ME. and Wilson's plan was adopted
and became part Of the organic law
That plan was defective in two I'M
portant particulars; 1t fixed no 'iine
sor the choice collectors, and MADE
no distinction between votes ioi
President and Vice President, SIM
ply providing that the person having
tho greatest number Of votes' u
majority OF all the electors, shou''
Ina declared President, and the per.
son having the next highest shouio
therefore be Vice President. An.
other oversight was in tho methoo
or opening and counting tho votes
That important work was TO be done'
as now, by Congress in joint session,
and tho "President Of the senate
was to BIO the custodian and the open
or OF the votes, and he was to declare
the result. The manifest 'mproprie-
ty of deIegating this power 10 one
who would naturally be candidate
for the highest office was quickly
perceived in the first Congress, Tor
that body had not been four weeks
Ia session, and the electoral votes
given in 1888 had not been opened
when the Senate (April 9, l7s9) pro.
ceedled TO ballot for the choice OF q
President "for the sole purpose OF
opening and counting tho votes for
President of tho United states. I"
John Langdon, of New Hampshire,
was unanimously elected, and mes
sage sent to the House "that Pres
i ident Ii elected for the sole purpose
of opening the certificates and count
ing the votes OF the electors OF the
several States in the choice Of q
President and Vice President OF the
United States; that tho Senate Is
now ready, IN tho Senate Chamber,
TO proceed, In the presence OF the
House, TO the discharge Of that du.
~, and that the Senate has appointed
one Of It's members TO SIT at the
Clerks table TO make list OF the
votes AZ they shall DO declared, sub
hitting II to the wisdom OF the
House 10 appoint one or more OF
their members for the like purpose"
First COUNTING or ELECTORAL
VOTES.
Immediately upon receiving THIS
information the members Of the
House, preceded by the Speaker
Frederick A. Muhlenberg, OF Penn
sylvania), went to the Senate Cham.
Der. Mr.. Langdon took his place
aud declared the purpose OF the
meeting. He then opened and read
the certificates from the States, and
the tellers made tho record. When
completed. the presiding officers de-
clared that George Washington had
been unanimously elected President
OF the United States for tho term
ending with the 3D. day Of March,
1898; and that John Adams, having
the next highest vote, and majority |
OF all the electors, was elected Vice
President for like term. There |
were sixty-nine votes sent In from
ten States, New York, Rhode Island,
and North Carolina not voting, be-
cause they had not ratified the con.
stitution I'm time to DO 50. About |
tho vote for Vice President there
seems to be some confusion. If
there were slxty-nine votes cast, AS
recorded In the "History Of Con
gress,o then Mr.. Adams did not
have clear majority. Lanman's
Dictionary OF Congress-" however,
gives only slxty-seven votes, ignor.
Ing the two votes from Georgia set
down In the "History" rs given for
q Mr.. Milton. IaDman may be pre-
snined to be right, as there was no
question raised about Adams cIec.
ton and yet he could not have had
majority Of all the sixty-nine cleo.
Tors. Everybody agreed upon Wash
ngton; but the full vote for the Sec
md place IL interesting as showing
hat party divisions were already
beginning among our people. Ad-
AIMS had but two States complete
New Hampshire and Massachusetts;
he had five votes from Connecticut,
nne from New Jersey, eight from
Pennsylvania, and five from Virgin.
Ia; John Jay had Delaware, five of
New Jerseys six, and one from
Robert II. Harrison had
John Iiutledge had six OF
south Carolina's seven; John Han
ock had two from Pennsylvania.
me from Virginia, and one from
'0uth Carolina; George Clinton had
hree from Virginia; Samuel Hunt
ngt0n had two from Connecticut,
md Edward Telfair and Benjamin
lincoln each ono from Georgia. ri
New York had voted sho would
rave named Clinton, md there