Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-02-10
PRESIDENTIAL COUNTS IN THE
OLD TIME.


of Presidential election will, for
long while yet, be the subject of eager
discussion throughout the United
Stltes. Even after the present con-
troversy shall have been settled, and
the President shall have been inaugur-
ated, we think it is the growing con-
viction of thinking men of all parties
that important alterations will need to
be made in the Constitution, providing
a definite method of procedure for the
future, instead of leaving the method
of the Presidential count, as hereto
fore, to be determined by extempore
Congressional legislation at a time
when party spirit always runs highest,
and men are least capable of dispas-
sionate judgment In reference to what
has always, from the first, been found
an exceedingly difficult and compliea-
ted matter for legislation.
Under the circumstances we have
concluded that our readers will be in
terested in a study of the proceedings
in former elections and we propose in
order to meet this feeling to give some
account of all the different Presiden-
tial Elections, showing the way
10 (which this business of ascer-
tanning the vote was conducted in
each. That these statements may not
consist Of mere details we propose to
illustrate the subject with some account
of the surrounding circumstances
which gave its specific character to
each election.
The present paper will be devoted to
the first Presidential election as held
under the Constitution, issuing in the
unanimous election of General Wash
+ inRton as President.
In order to understand the proceed
ings it should be understood that the
/ Constitutional mode of electing was in
one respect different from what it is at
present. Now we have one man NOM
mated as President and another as
Fice-President, and the electoral ticket
distinguishes which is chosen for each
Office; but then every candidate was a
candidate for both offices, and the
number Of votes alone determined
which was elected President and which
Fice-President. This is best illus
trated by an imaginary case. If that
rule had been in force no dispute
would have arisen between the favor
ers of Messrs. Tilden and Hendricks
as to which should be Presidential
aud which Nice-Presidential candi-
dates. Every voter would have had
blank ticket and if those two men
were his preference he would put both
their names down on his ticket, but
without designating any office. Other
Democrats might have put down Til
den and Hancock, others Hendricks
and Ewing, &C., &c, and, supposing
the Democratic party to win, the man
who had most votes would be Presi-
dent, and he who had next would be
vice.
This will be more clear when we give
the number of votes for all the actual
candidates in the election of 17SS-89.
\ few words first about the political
circumstances Of the day. There was
not then, as there is now, a great d.
viding party line dividing every State
into men who wanted to get this party
or that into Office. There was indeed
great question very eagerly canvassed,
4 but it was between men who wanted
( their State represented in the new
4 Congress under the new Constitution
on the one hand, aud those On the
other hand who did not want repre-
sentatives there at all, VINO did not ap-
prove of either Constitution or Con-
gress and wanted their State to stand
alOof from both; between those in
short who wanted the United States as
at present constituted to go into opera
ton, aud those who were opposed to a
union on such terms. And though
the States which were in favor of it
were by this time in majority, it had
been only by very hard work and
long and patient canvass of the subject
that they had been brought to that
point.
North Carolina and Rhode Island
had not yet adopted the Constitution,
and did not enter the Federal Union
. for some time afterwards. And New
York, which had been the leader of
the Opposition States, but which had
been led into a reluctant submission
10y Alexander Hamilton, was notrepre-
scented in the Electoral College, nor
did her Senators take their seats in
Congress till more than two months
. after the electoral count took place.
The question anxiously discussed
was not who should be President, but
whether there should be a United
States government at all and in many
respects the prospect for it was by no
means encouraging. Everybody agreed
that if the new government should be
established at all Washington was to
be the President.
The States which took part in the
matter were ten; we enumerate them
with the number of electoral votes
each gave:
Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and
Virginia, 10 each Connecticut and
South Carolina, Z each; New Jersey
and Maryland, 6 each; New Hampshire
and Georgia, each; and Delaware3.
The candidates were George Wash
ington, john Adams, Samuel Hunting
ton. John Jay, John Hancock, Robert
Harrison, George Clinton, John Rut-
= ledge. John Milton, James Armstrong,
Edward Telfair, Benjamin Lincoln.
Now remember that no enc of these
gentlemen came forward as candidate
for either President or Nice-President,
but each held himself ready to take
either Office or neither according to the