Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1885-04-17

Delaware, an ancestral relative OF Tom
Bayard, was one Of the members, and
IL Is said that he decided to vote for
Jefferson in certain emergencies rather
than have protracted election, The
law provides that while voting on such
u subject the House shall not adjourn
without coming TO decision. AT TINS
Presidential election il sat for seven
DAYS though IL took numerous recesses.
The election of 1924 was also settled
in the House The contest was between
John Quincy Adams. then Monroe's
Secretary Of State; Henry Clay, Speaker
OF the House; William II. Crawford,
Secretary Of the Treasury, and Andrew
Jackson, who had been Senator, but
was now private citizen of Tennessee.
Clay was the fourth in the list, and was
consequently ineligible to election.
His vote, however, was such, however,
that the throwing of it to either
Adams or Jackson would have secured
the election OF either. Clay gave
his vote TO Adams and made him
President, Adams appointed him his
Secretary of State, and straightway the
c:y arose that this office had been
g,ycn him rs II price of his Electoral
votes. Andrew jackson believed 1t,
and | don't think the impression was
ever quite removed from his mind.
John Randolph accused Clay OF it on
the llour Of the Senate, saying that his
combination with Adams was "a com
hinatiou of Blilll and Black Georgia.
combination Of the Puritan and black
leg" For this it was that Clay chal-
lenged Randolph to that noted duel
which was fought on Virginia soil near
Washington, without material Injury to
either.
In the third great Electoral dispute
the question was the choice OF q Vice
President. This was settled by the
Senate. Richard NJ. Johnson was
chosen to act us Vice-President, with
Martin Van Buren, as President. The
fourth Electoral trouble, that OF Hayes
aud 1ilden. is too well-known to need
mention. II is enough to say that our
whole Electoral system is of such a
nature that 1t needs reformation. Con-
gress has been proposing legislation in
regard to It ever since 1900, and we
have periodical discussions in regard
to it. These will probably continue
until some radical wrong is done by
It's present action, and then the trouble
will be remeded.
There have been q number OF curious
things in the Electoral votes of the
past In the election Of 1889 three
States dill not vote at all. Rhode
Island and North Carolina had not YET
rat fed the Constitution, aud the pol
texans OF New York could not agree
upon their Electors. Up until
1924 the Legislatures OF nearly all the
States chose their Electors, In Massa'
chusetts the people of each Con
gressional District nominated three
Electors, of which the Legislature
was required to choose one. II
some of these cases one House of the
Legislature would be OF one party and
one OF the other. Thus in 1900 The
Assembly of Pennsylvania was Demo
cratic and the Senate Fedoralist. Or
Joint ballot the Assembly could, o
course, show majority, and il pro
posed this manner of choosing thu
Electors. which would have made Penn
sylvania's whole vote Democratic. TIT
FederaliSt Senate. however, objected t
this, claimed seven out Of the tiftecl
Electors and got them. 1t was tn
same in South Carolina at the SAM
time, at least, the division of the diff
ferent parties in the Legislature wa
doubtful. The Democrats offered I,
, compromise on Jefferson and Pinck
ney, and had they done so Pinc&ne,
would have been Vice-Pres dent in
stead of Burr. But the Federalist
would not consent and they lost tn
whole thing. At Jctlerson's first elec
ton he was President OF the Senate
and he counted Georgia for himself
though there was no certificate presen
: stating that the State had so voted
! John Adams also counted his owl
Electoral votes. In 1916 three Elector
! failed to vote; in 1920 Pennsylvania
: Tennessee and Mississippi each lost a
, Elector by death. Monroe would hay
been unanimously elected had not
+ New Hampshire member of the EleC
toral College voted for John Quinc
: Adams, on the ground that he did NO
| want any man but Washington to hav
, the honor Of II unanimous election. |
1869 the votes of Mississippi, TeNa
} aud Virginia were not received
} Louisiana was counted, Nevada wa
objected to, but counted, and Georgi
} was also the ground of great deal I
. discussion. In 1878 the first set {
[ double returns were received. Thes
5 came from the States OF Louisiana an
: Arkansas Louisiana was rejected ell
a trely. aud the three votes of Georgi'
' which were east for Greeley, who ha
: died in the meantime, were throw
/ ont. - Carp, IN Clercidnd Leader.