Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1888-11-29
a SUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENT OF A HUN.
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DRIED YEARS.
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The first election for Presidential
Electors, who should choose President
and Vica President Of the United
States, was held the first Wednesday in
January, 1889. But four months no.
tice Of the election was given. On the
18th Of September, 1888, the Federal
Constitution was declared to have been
adopted, and the election Was ordered.
Communication with different parts of
the country was slow, and, as the
emergency required prompt action, the
Electors were chosen in most instances
by the respective State Legislatures.
The electoral votes were counted the
first Wednesday in February, and
George Washington became President
on the fourth Of March following, with
John Adams as Vice President. The
second Presidential election was held
in 1872, resulting in the reelection Of
both the President and Vice President.
Under the electoral system, as it then
existed, the person receiving the greatest
number of electoral votes became Presi-
dent, and be who received the second
highest number became Vice President.
As result of tho fourth Presidential
election, held in 1900, Thomas Jefferson
aud Aaron Burr had an equal number
of electoral votes for President. and no
choice was effected. The House of
Representatives elected Jefferson. This
defect il the electoral system was then
remedied by constitutional amend
ment providing that after that time the
Electors should vote separately for
President aud Vice President This is
the present system.
ID 1874 tho tenth Presidential election
was held From 1900 to that time the
system lad worked well Jefferson was
reelected by the Electors chosen in
1904. Ia 1908 Madison was elected.
and was reelected in 1912. In 1916
Monroe was elected and was re elected
in 1920 In 1921 no person received
majority Of the electoral votes, and
John Quincy Adams was elected
b. tie House Of Representatives From
that period 10 1876, thirteen Presiden-
tial elections wero held, az each Of
which The Electors chose the President,
who was indicted peacefully into Office.
The case Of Lincoln is not an exception,
for the peace was not broken till over
month otter his inauguration. Prcsi-
dent Harrison died shortly after his in
auguration in 1910. President Taylor
died in the year following his Inaugural
ton, aud President Lincoln was assas-
sinated shortly after his second inaugur-
alton in 1865. In each case the lawfully
elected Wee President succeeded peace
fully TO the vacancy and filled out the
uueApired term The war Of 1912 came
bali way between the first and the
second failures Of the Electoral College
to choose a President The Mexican
war was the second foreign war that
occurred under this system. The war
Of the Rebellion followed the election of
1850. Periods OF great national pros
perity and Of great depression in bust
ness had succeeded each other. The
fierce war Of parties had agitated all
sections of the country Great national
peris were encountered and overcome.
The war of the Rebellion was not
caused BY any failure or defect in the
electoral s. stem, but by the revolt of
number Of States against the popular
decision declared at the ballot-box.
The failure Of the electoral system in
1876 was in appearance only. The
disturbed state OF the franchise at the
South was the result Of the war and of
emancipation, with the bestowal Of the
suffrage on tho eolored race The sys-
tenn was not at fault, There was no
difficulty with the machinery, The
trouble was caused BY dispute as to
which set OF Electors had been chosen
in the several States, not as to how the
Electors should have been chosen, or
how the electors actually chosen should
discharge their duties. the Electoral
Commission was created to determine
who had been chosen Electors. and its
decision was aequiesced in by Congress
aud by the people. The elections of
1880, 1884 and 1883 were peaceful and
decisive, although that of 1880 was fol-