Daily Republican., 1880-11-27
The NexG htep,

Another step in the direction OF the
elsotion of q President will be takel
on the first Wednesday of December
which will be next Wednesday. Or
that day the electors are all to meet al
2 O. clock In the capitals Of their re-
spective States and there cast then
votes for President and Vice Presiden'
of the United States. The law require
that they shall be present on the very
day and hour specified. On one occa
sion the elsc.oys OF Wisconsin wer.
detained by q snow storm and tIey
did not reach the capital until the next
day. Even this Providential detention
was deemed an infraction Of the law
and the vote OF the State Of Wisconsin,
was not counted though had 1t been
counted 1t could only have changed the
majority and not the result. No formal
decision WAS rendered in the refusal to
count the State but 1t is generally con-
sidered as tantamount to ruling Of
that kind. 1t is therefore necessary for
avery elsctor to be on hand, aud they
should start in advance long enough to
make sure of being present at the ap
pointed hour. The electors when as
sembled vote each for his choice for
President and Vice President. and ii
ia ty no me ms binding on them to vote
for eth er OF the candidates who were
named and run BY each party for the
Office. The plain fact is, no President
has vet been tl,ctel. Each parry has
held national conventions and put in
nomipa alton men whom thev desired TO
be elected. General Gsrf-ld, General
Hancock, General Weaver and General
Dow, (all Generals) were merely tht
figure hsads Of the party by which
they we're placed in nomination. The
election is over but no President has
yet been elected. Each patty has voted
for q numter OF Presidential ele ,tors
who are entrusted by the constitution
with the duty of e,e,ting a President
and Vice President. These electors who
were elected will meet next Wednesday
and elect President and Vice Presi
dent.
1t ia altog ether likely that those elec
tors elected in Democratic State. will
vote for General Hancock, and It'll Just
ss likely that these elected in RspuDli.
can States will cast their votes foI
General Garfield, because they were
the candidates desiguated by the re-
spective National Committees of the
two leading political parties. These
electors who will meet next We Ines
day are not legally bound to vote for
any particular man for President. TLeV
could all vote for General Hancock,
General Garfield, Senator Blaire e, Ser q.
ter Bayard or any other person, and
the person for whom they would vote
would be the President of the United
States. The election of Presid ent by
the action of the people on the second
Of November was simply taken out oI
their hands and referred TO the electors
for whom they voted. The peoIl have
no more to do with it but the electors
have, and the latter will next Wednes
day perform their duty and they will
no doubt vote for the man designated
for the offices of President and Vice
President by the Two parties that were
suoesssful in eleeting any electors.
After next Wednesday there will te a
legally elected President and Vice
President, provided the electors vote
for the candidates for whom they are
instructed by their party If they dc
not do this and scatter their votes fol
q number Of candidates so that no one
will get majority of the votes cas-
there will still to no election, and the
case will then 90 TO the House of Rep
rssentatives. This however ia not like
ly to be the case. Every Republican
elector will no doubt next Wednesday
vote for General Garfield for Presiden
and Chester A. Arthur for Vice Presi
dent, in which case they will be tri
umphautly elected by 81 majority o
the electoral college. when 1t can ther
truthfolly be said that Garfield Is the
President elect Of ths U nited States.
THROUGH Tng BLUHDERGNG Of vel