The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1878-06-27
THE POTTER COMMITTEE or ~
TESTIGITION or HR, HA YES
TITLE.

Art. ., Sec. l, of the Constitution of
the United States provides the manner
for election Of President and Vice Fresl-
dent of the U. :, and declares that
each state shall appoint n number OF
electors equal TO the whole number Of
senators and representatives, 70 which
each state shall be entitled in congress,
&c. That the ELECTORS shall meet in
their respective states and vote By bal
lot for tlro pcrs0ns," &c. And they shall
make list Of all persons.voted for, and
of the number of votes for each, which
list they shallT sign and certify and
transmit sealed TO the seat Of govern
ment directed 10 the President Of the
senate the President ofSenate shall in
presence OF the Senate and House Of
Representatives open all the certificates,
and the votes shall then be counted.
The person having the greatest number
ofyotes shall be President, If such num-
Der be a majority Of the whole number
Of electors appointed and If there be
more than one who have such majority
and have an equal number Of votes, the
House Of ofRepresentatives shall immedi-
ately choose by ballot one Of them for
President" &c. Washington and the
elder Adams were elected President un-
der the provisions of this article. 4 new
election was now approaching-the re-
publican and democratic party nominaN
ted Jefferson as their candidate FOR
President and Aaron Burr for Vice
President as it then was understood and
intended. The federals nominated Mr.
Adams and Gen. Pincky as their candi>
dates. At the election Mr.. Jefferson
and Mr.. Burr were elected. But amore
untoward and unlocked for event now
occurred. By the Constitution rs it ex-
isted at that period each elector voted
for two men, without designating which
was TO be President-and whoever OBJ
tanned the greater number Of votes WAS
70 be the President and the nearest 10
him Vice President. Mr.. Jefferson and
Col. Burr had an equal number Of votes
and The election according TO the Consti
tuition was to be decided by the House
Of Representatives, and it most singular
ly occurred that the states Cor n long
time were equally divided between Mr..
Jefferson and Col. Burr. The time
limited by the Constitution for the Sc
lection Of President had nearly arriy-
ed and there was danger that the gov
ernment must come to a pause or be re-
solved into It's original elements, when
two of tho federal members withdrew
and permitted the republicans to be-
come a majority, consequently on the
thirty sixth halloting Mr.. Jefferson was
elected President and Col. Burr ofcourse
Vice President. To prevent a like oc-
currence thereafter, an amendment 10
the Constitution was made in lSO3, |
which is the XII art. OF the amend |
ments, viz: "The electors shall meet in |
their respective states and vote by ball
lot for President aud Vice President &c,
and shall name in their ballots the per-
son voted for as President. and in dis
tinct ballots, the person voted for as
Vice President. From that time to pre-
vious TO the presidential election Of 1876
every President and Vice President has
been elected in accordance with the pro-
visions of Art, XII Of the amendments
% the Constitution Of the Us. In 1876
he last presidential election was held.
The democratic party placed in nomina-
ion Saml J. Tilden for President and
I. A. Hendricks for Vice President The
epubIicans nominated Z. p. Hayes for {
PRESIDENT and w. A. Wheeler for Vice {
PRESIDENT. The election was held, and .
ilden and Hendricks having large '
majority ofthe popular vote, were re-