The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1889-02-16

How THE voTE . AsCEzTtfsEp,
The records % the State Department sho~
that Ia several OF The states she fall scope and
intent Of the las ia RELATION 20 the 6aa. ascer.
tainmens Of the electoral vote i not aadrF
stood. T6is fact t. particularly noticeable 10
the returns sent 10 the State Department by
the Governor Of the State Of Aissoari, The
certificate received 81 the State Department
contains only the names and votes II the
Democratic electors, and there IS so,hing To
Indicate that the Republicans. Prohshisjoussis
or any other party bad candidates ia the ield
during the last Presidential election. The
names aud votes Of tbs sixteen Democratic
electors aru givea IN desaIi. and il appears
that Charles IL. Morgan. one Of The electors
az large, received she largest vote gwen IN
that state VIA. 26l a3S. The next highest
vote was received BY John {. Williams, also
an eleeior al large. who received 2al $50
votes. Mr.. J. n. Hsswell, chief Of the buFeau
Of archives aud indices, states tia, gadeT the
Law the department has 10 Authority TO make
any changes IN the certificates furnished by
the respective states. Heretofore there has
been no Official record Of these certificates,
and the State Department bad nothing what
ever 20 do With them. [ Hder the act ap
proved February 3, 1857, ''the executive Of
each state. as soon as practicable after the
such state, by the ansl ascsrtziameut under
aud in pursuance Of the law Of such state
providing for such asoeT;ainmeHi, 10 comma
nicate under the seal of the state 20 the Sec,
rotary Of State Of the United States ceFiih-
cate Of such entertainment of the electors
appointed, setting forth the names Of such
electors and the canvass or Other ascertain
ment under the lass OF such state Of the
number of votes given or east for each person
for whose appointment any and all votes have
been given or eaSs, &c. Thus It will be seen
that the law provides that all the votes cast
TO- the various tickets that may be IN the FIELD
shall be gwen IN the certificates. IL is
noticeable that New York aud Pennsylvania
were particularly explicit IN making ont their
certificates. Mr. Haswell states that the New
Workers went into detail, perhaps, too fully.
Tennessee sent in two SETS Of certificates,
showing difference Of few votes, and both
oeriifc ties we're printed accordingly without
alteration. The State Department deals with
these certificates in q purely perianctory
manner, which consists Of receiving them
through the usual mail channels. They are
then referred 70 the archiye and index dlvl-
sion. and there three copies are made, one
for the President of the Senate, the second
for the Speaker Of the House, and the third
is sent to the newspaper designated By the
Secretary Of State 10 publish them. Exact
copies arc made. including incorrect spelling
aud grammar, sc. The originals are then
fled away among the archives of the Depart
men1. This is the first occasion N which the
new law has been put into operation, and,
under the circumstances, 1t is not surprising
that several mistakes OF technical nature
have occurred. Copies Of the law were for
warded to the state authorities, but ii appears
that it was not compreheuded fully. The ne
cessity for the new law was made apparent
10 several previous elections, notably during
the Hayes campaign, wheu CFonip, in Oregon,
undertook to get Up o little electoral college
of his own. II viii be remembered that the
state had cast its vote for the Republican
electors, and one of the latter died before the
electoral college met. The Governor, who
was Democrat, appointed Cronin to fill the
vacancy. OF course his vote was not counted,
but the existing law renders such an occur
renee impossible, and establishes an official
record which can be appealed to in case of
an emergency The record is available for
pany gses end a great public convenience.