The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-11-19

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CLOSE FIGHTS =
In Former Presidential Contest.-Some En-.
tertaIninE i!radluS.
CineinHdti ~C6nIMnrial Ga;tkie.
The election OF November i was the
twenty-lith election for President Of the
United States. It closed tho first century
OF president-making in this country, and
gave to history the nalne OF the last "Grs,
century, President. Whoever is to be in.
augurased President four years from the
18th OF March next will enter upon the
discharge Of the duties Of that office OIL
the one hundredth anniversary OF the day
upon which George Washington assumed
control Of the affairs Of tho young Reppb.
lie. At but two Presidential elections
have the people, or their representatives
chosen Tor the people, failed 10 designate
their choice, and left the matter to BIZ set
tied by the House OF Representatives.
That body made Thomas Jefferson presi.
dent In 1901 and John Quincy Adams in
1906, but since that time have found no
occasion for the exercise OF this preroga.
tive.
In several elections tho contest has
been remarkably close, although it is GER
tain that In this respect no parallel can be
found Tor the one just now being decided.
The first of these closely contested presi.
dental elections was that OF LOG, when
party lines were for the first time clearly
and distinctly drawn between the Repub.
iicans aud Fedcralists. John Adams, the
Federal candidate, received seventy-one
electoral votes, and Thomas Jefferson,
Republican candidate, sixty.eisht votes.
Counting the four votes Of Vermont,
Adams had a majority Of three over jeff
crson. Aquestion was raised however, as
to the validity OF the vote OF Vermont.
That State had been admitted to the
Union but a few years before and its
Legislature had failed to enact n law pre-
scribing tho manner" OF tho appoint-
ment OF Electors. In view OF this it was
proposed by some of the adilerents OF jeff.
son TO throw out these four votes leaving
Jefferson a majority OF one vote. John
Adams was at the time Vice President,
and upon him devolvcd the duty OF
"opening" and counting the Electoral
vote.
As this seems atthat time to have been
the u%ndisputed preroga,ive OF the Vice
President, no objection appears to have
been raised to the counting OF the vote by
Mr.. Adams, notwithstanding the fact that
his election to the Presidency depended
upon the four votes OF Vermont, concern.
ing the validity OF which there was So
much difference OF opinion. This election
was as close as that OF 1870, when the con.
ten Sing factions talked of plunging the
country into war but finally concluded to
arhitrate through the Electoral Commits
sion and the temper OF "the fathers" as
well as their confidence In the Integrity OF
q political opponent, was in marked con.
trast with that OF the patriots OF the later
date. Mr.. Adams counted the four votes
OF Vermont, and in so doing counted him.
self into aud Thomas Jefferson out OF, the
Presidency.
At the next election Jackson, as Vice.
President, sat in judgment upon his own
case, be being compelled to pass upon the
questionable vote oil Georgia. The vote
OF that State, as returned by the Electors,
had no certificate attached, and no state.
ment OF the persons for whom they were
east. Under, the constitutional proyision
then In force, eacl, State Castillo Electoral
vote for two persons not OF the same
State for the Presidency, the one receiv.
ing the highest number OF votes to be de-
clared President, and the one receiving
the next highest number OF votes to be de.
clared Vice President. Prior 10 the time
Of counting the Electoral votes all cs,i-
mates to Jefferson and Burr, whom the
Republicans intended to elect President
and Vice President, had exactly the same
number OF votes. The whole number OF
Electoral votes cast at that election was
l3S-necrssary TO a choice, 10. JetJer.
son and Burr had each 10 votes, while,
the Federal candidates, Adams aud pinck-
ney, had 65 and Oh votes respectively.
Had the four votes Ct Georgia been re-
jrcted as irregular neither Of the four
candidates would havehad the number OF
votes necessary to elect, md all would
have gone before the House OF Represen.
tatives to be voted for the Presidency.
Had the contest assumed this form, the
|Fcderalists in the House had it in their
power to elect, aud Jefferson could not
have become President. Counting the
votes OF Georgia, however, gave Jefferson
and Burr a majority OF the Electoral votes
and compelled the House. to choose be-
tween Tue two. When the package con.
tanning the Georgia votes was opened,
Jefferson having personal mot Officially
knowledge that the intention OF the Elec-
tors OF that State was to cast their vote for
Burr and himself, SO declared it. There
is a tradition that one OF the tel!ers hand.
ed the returns back to Jefferson, calling
itis attention to their irregularity, but he
decided that they must be counted"
That decision made him President. The
Federal Representatives. Congress, choos-
ing as they thought between evils" de-
Gliding the contest in his favor.
The next closely contested Presidential
election was that OF 1921, which became
historic as the scrub, race for the Presi.
dency.n Andrew jackson, John Quincy
Adams, Henry Clay and William Fl, Craw.
ford were the candidates. None OF them
received a majority Of the "whole number
Of votes" and again the election went into
The House, irem which John Quincy
Adams emerged as the successful aEp;rant.
The contest OF 1871 betwesnIlenry Clay
and James X. Polk, although not Il close
one so far MS the result In the Electoral
College "a concerned, was remarkable
for the slender majorities .by which the
Electors were chosen in someoi the States.
In Louisiana Folks noIority was but
70l. In New Jersey CIay's majority was
S23, and in Tennessee ll3. In Penn.
sylvanla, where hetotat vote was between
three and four hundred thousand, and
where 20 Electoral votes were at stake,
Folks majority was 600,
New York had then thirty.six electoral
votes, the same number as at present.
Then, as now, the result OF the election
in that State was in Doubt for some time
after it lad been ascertained in NIL other
States. Without this vote Clay had los
and Polk had l34 votes and upon it the
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