The morning call., 1890-07-20
THE CALLS
QUERY COLUMN.
Choosing a President by the
Electoral System.
Issuance Of Patents-speed of Torpedo-Boats
Antiquity of Arithmstic-Term
Of the Civil War

THE CALLS Query Column is conducted with
view to aid all seekers after knowledge of gen
eral interest.
NO opinion Will be given in this column regard
ing tue reliability or character OF any person or
nrms IN this city or elsewhere.
questions, answers 10 which are in the nature
OF an advertisement, will not be answered.
Every inquiry must have the true and full
name of the sender, as well as the correct resi-
dence. Any inquiry that has not The cor
rect name and address OF the sender will
be treated as if it was not signed, and the
writer need not expect an answer.
- ALEcTING PRESIDENT &C. B., City.
- Y. While a contingency might arise making
80 1t possible 10 elect Democratic Presi-
dent OF the United States and Republic
can Vice-President or vice versa. the likelihood
OF such possibility is very remote, when you
consider for one moment the plan OF voting for
the same by electors. That plan was adopted by
the trainers of the Constitution to insure the
action OF the desire of the people in the choice
OF their Chief Magistrate without running the
risk OF a possible revolution through popular ex-
element over an unusually favorite candidate.
Tie plan first proposed was TO have the Presl-
dent chosen by the justices OF the Supreme
Court, but II was thought best after much discus
sion TO give the power into tile hands of limited
number of persons chosen by the people for the
sole purpose of making this selection. As Alex
ander Hamilton expressed it:
1t was desirable that the sense of the people
should operate in the choice of the to whom
equally desirable that the immediate election
should be made by men most capable of aDayzing
qualities adapted TO the station A small number
OF persons selected by their felowcizens from the
general would be most likely to possess the in
formation and diScernment for so complicated an
investigation
The idea OF Hamilton and others was that the
people would select their very best and wisest
men as electors, and that these, independent OF
any outside pressure, would sit In judgment upon
the qualities and abilities OF the foremost citizens
OF the Republic and choose from their number
not the most popular man, perhaps, but the man
possessed OF lie highest qualifications for the
Office to serve as President. Each elector was
TO vote for two persons, either OF whom he re-
garded qualified for the position and when
the electoral votes were counted the person re-
ceiying the highest number was TO be President
and the one receiving the second highest number
was to be Vice President, and so being il is OBJ
yious that the President and Vice-Presdent
chosen might be OF different political par
ties. But IL is a curious commentary on
the foresight of man TO note that the practical
result OF this carefully tbought-out plan of the
wise men who framed the Constitution was
directly the opposite OF what they intended. III
less than forty years after the adoption OF the
| Constitution the dominant parties had begun,
| through their conventions to arrange before
hand whom the pariyS candidates should be for
| the offices OF President and Vice. President and
| the election OF electors became merely a method
States. The electors TO be voted for were deter
| mined by party convention in each State, and
| the majority in any such state would eject the
entire roll OF electors OF one party aud thus de-
| termlne The party vote 10 be cast by that State
| Tor President and Vice-President Thus these
| electors became what they still are, gentle
| men chosen TO cast the vote OF the party
| In conformity with the nomination OF the
| party; and the lies OF the party are SO
| strong in this country that there is not 4
single instance OH record of an electors Ignoring
| his party obligation and exercising any olher
| choice than that OF his party. Each State is en-
| titled to a number of electors corresponding TO
| its number of representatives in both Houses of
| Congress- and the triumph OF party vote in any
Stale elects usually the entire roll of electors.
The Scratching" of a ticket. however, has
sometimes interfered with this uniform result
and sent TO tile Electoral College those of DIFF.
feTent parties in the same State. As a matter OF
fact this electoral vote cast for the successful
Presidential candidate has been the same rs
that cast for the Niee-PreSdent on the same
ticket with him ever after 1882, when Van Buren,
received 40 and Il. NJ. Johnson 147 electoral
votes fUr Nice-P President.
ToRPEDo-BoAT SPEED-E. X. C., City. Your
point is not well taken, aad if what is said is
true the Cushing may, notwithstanding. be the
fastest craft afloat. The dispatch you refer 10
was as follows:
NEW YORK July l2-The torpedo-boat Cushing
which lett the navy-yard at moon on Friday and
arrived at New London four hours aud forty min
utes later has beaten all previous records for speed
of TRANSATLANTIC steamships OF war vessels. Her
average speed was 5.S5 knots an hour. The speedy
torpedOboat Destractor of the Spanish navy has
made only 22.6S nautical miles, and the Italian
cruiser Piedmonte. which is the swiftest
afioat. outside OF torpedo-boatS made the maximum
sp ed of ~. 8 nautical miles.
Granted now as Claimed that the Russian tor
pedoboat Adler attained speed OF 1888
knots. the Cushing, 1t Is said. made something
Ike rs and so knots per hour on stretches Her
average speed for the entire voyage was 25.36
knots. That is not saying that at any time on
the trip she did not go faster. The Adler may
be. as a matter of fact The faster OF The two.
The war vessels being something new, Ameri-
cans, like the child with new Toy, are apt to
make much OF theirs. The z. {. is patriotic
enough 10 stand by the Cushing until convinced
TO the contrary.
THE MOTTO TRANsLATED-H. r. c., Vallejo,
Cal. The motto, '4Edes. mores juraque curat,"
which you say is that of the city OF Charleston,
S. c., and has been adopted by her namesake,
The San FranciscO-built cruiser, Is susceptible OF
plicable as We'll as correct: 1T (or she, mean
ing the vessel protects Cor deleuds) your homes,
your honor Cor Integrity and your rights" Here
is 4 somewhat LIBERAL rendering: keepeth
ward over our homes, our characters, and our
rights; and here's one more literal: " Hath
care (oi our houses (PdeS), ways Of life (or man
ners) moresl, and Our rights (at law"
MESHES AND NETS-A S. c., Elmira, Cal.
a. 1t certainly is unlawful 10 catch fish with
seine or mel. the meshes Of which are one inch
long. (2) The meshes should be- when drawn
closely together aud measured inside the knot,
not less than seven and half inches in length. 80
The Q. e. cannot TO answer your general and
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