The Panola weekly star. (Sardis, Miss.) 1882-18??, 1884-07-05
pRiNEH Or IllG pGlSinEN1ltt
ItItIiUN.

prcddont ui the United States " pln'cd
b, the tonalitutiou IN The hands oi the
SAtta. but Congress may liN the Time
f1r choosing Eloclnrs and the day on
which tlicy shall give their votes Many
people regard Tho Presidential election
~ the whole body ol The people voting
together to choose . President hut tho
truth IA that II IL M clce'
tion by al ,ltc States, each in IFS own
way, upon day liked By Congress. In
the beginning some of tho states chose
their Presidential Electors by vote OF
the Legislature tihe two Houses voting
In some roncurrrntly. in others iolhtlyli
Others chose them by popular vote as
now. but by districts, instead OF all on
one ticket. These methods would still
be strictly constitutional II any state
wished to adopt them, Int, ~ q matter
ot fact, all the States have, without any
written agreement or compulslon,
adopted the same method ot cholco
naIiirly Uonse the constitutional phrasc)
to 'appoih; their ciGctor5' by popular
vote for them upon une tlcnet Tor the
whole state, aud Congress hns liNcd thc
Tuesday after the first Monday IN Mo-
yembcr Us the day when this shall take
place.
rnp number Of electors Is fixed by
tho Constitution. being as many for
cpch State ns Tho number Of Senators
and Representative to which the state
mny be- entitled in Congress. Congress
hai added by law tho cNplanat on that
this means "eutllad at the time when
the President and yita President 10 be
chosen come into office.
Originally the Constitution required
that the Electors should meet IN their
reaperllyo States and ballot for two
pcfsDns, aud tho ono who received The
most Of MI Che votes should be- Presi-
dent and tho next NlrA President, hut
this method wns found 10 Involve the
obtious difficulty, ~ soon ~ parties
rrystallznd. that the President and
President were likely 10 represent
the two opposite parties, creating need.
less antagnnism between the two nn,
suhIecting the Government To n change
of pntly administration Ia case tie
President died dr from any cause wa'
succeeded bl the Yico President. Hence
In 1901 was adopted The Twelfth amrn.
mrn'. prov ding that the electors should
designate the lerson voted for as lrc'i
dent. anil IN distinct ballots the pcra0n
voted ior ~ Vice President bists oI
these Votes afr forwarded frpni rscl
State tu the President of the scnale al
Washington. aud opened IN the presence
oi both hoHacs 0f tongrrssw when tie votes
afc "cuunlcd that ! Z. the totals 81
nil the lists from the seYftal States are
added up aud the result atnonn ed
IN cate no person has ma or ~ 0i the
Electoral votes for President. tho ton
.tilutiun requires thai The House o
Reprrs, natives shall choose imme
dialely by ballot The President iron
among The tirre highest candidates
But the vote shall be- lakrn by States
each State haying ono yolG, thus pre-
serving the principle that The Pir4l
denlinl election is an election bi States
In case The Presidential election shoul,
go Ia the House this year. that boi,l
| would elect Democrat ~ the Stat
delegations would stand lwcnty.lhrei
Democratic To fourteen Republican, no
counting Florida. which would ho even
Is divided. 10 e0nst tuic q quorum
under those circumstances, member
must b. present from iwo.lhirsis II tln
States. aud a ma nriIy of all the State
is necessary 10 choice IN the cas-
of failure 10 elect Nice.l'resldenl
one shall be- chosen by tho Senate. vol
Ing individually, ma oriiy of II
whole number being necessary 10
choice. A person TO bo eligible n
President or Vice. President Of III
l'nitsd States must be natural bor
citizen. thirty live years Of age and
resident within the United States 70
fourteen years.
II Is frequent suggestion that d
rect popular yoio would bn n great In
proycment upon thiselabDrate machin,
~ of Electors. but that |. open 10 graf
doubt. Although the Electors are iner
clerks and do not exercise that correct
I've upon the popular choice which III
fathers expected they would. they co
siitute ready and inexpensive mean
Of arriving nj ihe result. and their ei
lsicncc Is n great bulwark Of tho powe
IL tlle Slales a. States. Tor instance
In tho last election. II the result hal d'
pended on the popular vote, Il woul
have taken several weeks 10 asccrtai
that General Garfield had plurality I
T,0is votes In the Enormous Total of .
2Dl. i2s vules-less than one tenth ,
one per cent but with the Eloctor
system, Il was readily asceriained q
ile night ~ the election that whiIe eae
oi the two can iItlaies had carried min
teen States. General fairfield had u
Electoral votes and General IIaneoe
100. II may well be claimed for II
Electoral C0llegs that no system hi
rtcr bscn put IN practicc dispos NJ
20 vast concerns with equal facility. ~
Eainty. dispatch aud popular traH uil
~. Imagine The calamity io our bus
ness aud polit cal interests Il every Prc
tientlal election Sers To- h. succcrds
Us the perisdnf uncertainty which chm
acteritrd the elect on of 1870. The ci
ruu sianecs ot that occasiun were q
eeptiunal and might be frme,licJ.
far A. .heir recurrence can iia prevents
by law. by The enactment hy the lIou
oi the bill which has passed the ssns
70 regulate the Presidential count.
nut no arcDunt II the presidcnti
election sontd be complete which /
nofes the Presidential convention
body which rivals 1ongresi In impo
i1ues aud set i mi nown 10 the 90
slilnt on Of 10 lhe Laws of the Unite
states. The Presidential convention
striking lBsiange VI the slablIi
whith an Institution MAJ acquire wit
out . single sord u basis In law
r.susiit tiuu. il shows how The unuri
|, Sen Constitution may be almost ~ =
snniial = part Of ths Governmental M
sh.nery ~ The written. Altrr Wa
.ngfan srd Adams ,te eaFly l'fpsid n
nrrn uunlibaled bx the GanKrss On