Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1885-04-17
THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE,
When 1t Originated and an Ao.
count Of It's Adoption.



the organization OF our Government,
aud there was n great deal OF discus
sion over 1t nj the time. Two OF the |
most important plans OF election were
known US the New Jersey plan and the
Virginia plan, Both OF these gave the |
election OF the President entirely to
Congress. A Pennsylvania delegate
wanted the President elected by Dis
tnctS by popular vote, and Roger Shcr-
man, OF Connecticut, was in favor OF
election by Congress. Elhridgo Gerry
was In favor Of letting the Governors
o; the States elect the President Gov
ernor Morris wanted the President
chosen by popular vote, and Alexander
Hamilton had complicated scheme
by which the people were TO select one
SGT of Electors. these We're to elect an
other set, and this last set was to elect
tho President. These different plans
were d scuSsed and voted upon. Now
one, such as tho election by Congress.
would be in the ascendant, and then
another, such Us the choice of Electors
by the State Legislatures, would APP
pear about to prevail, The election by
Congress was passed several times and
rrconsidcrod, and it was only about
two weeks from the close of the con-
venton when the Electoral system was
finally adopted.
At first President and Vice President
were voted for together The candi-
date receiving the majority OF the
votes cast was elected President, and
he receiving the next highest number
became Vice President. 1t was not
until 1908, at JeGerson's second cleo
ton, that Vice President was voted
for us such. At this election George
Clinton, of New York, was elected.
and he was consequently the first Vice
President who was directly the choice
OF the people.
1t is disputed question as to
whether Congress has a right to decide
us to the regularity or irregularity of
Electoral votes, and this question has
been the subject of attempted legisla-
ton on the Electoral College for q
number of years, In our early history
when the President of the Senate de-
c,ded the tickets to be valid he passed
them to two tellers who were appointed
by the two Houses, and these counted
them. In some cases these returns
were irregular enough to have created
trouble at the present day. But they
then passed without question. In 1877
for instance. when that stitl-necked lit
tie great man, John Adams, was Vice.
President, Ncrmont'S vote could have
eaS IL been thrown out, rs that State
had rs yet passed no laws fixing the
manner OF election of the Electors,
Had this been done Jefferson would
have been elected and Adams defeated,
Adams, however, decided that the Yer
mont vote was valid and so elected
himself. In 1899 the vote OF State
was counted without Governors GER
tiicato us to its validity, and before
1891 no one could tell what the vote
OF ANY Elector would be before the GER
tdcateS We're opened. Now the views
OF all the Electors are known before
they are even nominated, and the re
sui. OF au election can he accurately
told during the week in which it takes
place. In 1917 the first objection to an
Electoral vote WAS offered. John W.
ia, lnr Of New York, objected to the
count of lad'ana'S Electoral vote be-
cause il had been admitted as 4 State
after the Presidential election. Both
Houses separated and discussed the
matter, and the result was that In
diAua'S vote was counted. II was in
1921 that the House first claimed the
right 20 canvass the votes. The QueS-
ton was on the counting OF Missouri,
ln 1887 Michigan WAS objected to, but
was counted, and in 1857 Wisconsin
was counted in the midst OF great dis
order Up u0til ISL the President OF
the Senate seems To have had consider
able power. At this time the tellerS OF
Congress began to taxa his place,
aud eight wears later he allows
them to declare the vote, and in 1915
they even break the seals Of the GER
iiIcatcS, In 1851 Congress claims the
right u canvass the votes, and in lS6'
IL he's usurpcd absolute control over
the Electors, There have been during
ous history four Disputed Presidential
elections. In most OF these eases the
election has been thrown into the liouSI
oj Representatives and the Congress
men voting by States have elected th'
President. zach State has ono vote
a0d ,ae Constitution originally eQu reI
. -s'Ss ~ choose from the two high
est candidates on the list BY tn,
twelfth amendment to the Constitution
they may now choose from tho thre,
highest, The inst disputed election
was that Of 1890, in which Jefferson
had tie vote of seventy-thNe each
Both Of the candidates were Democrats
and the House was FederallSt. Tn
FcleraliSts, however, really wante,
Burr. us he was y New York man an,
would be more favorable to the CON
mereial interests Of New England an
the North, They held a caucus an
determined 10 vote for him, but one Z
their number went back ON the oaucu
at Just the wrong time, and this eleete
jefferson. In this vote Bayard. {