The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1891-08-06
This, then, is a summary

On a division by States on any guess
ton, therefore, the Democrats would
carry the vote by 80 to ~, or a majority
of 1S.
1t is not ont of the range of the posi-
BILE that such a question may arise IN
the next House That question would
be the most important in the history of
this country. 1t would be the question
of the next President of the United
States 1t seems almost certain that the
Farmers Alliance will place a candidate
for the Presidency in the field. Who
that man may be no one can guess. 1t
certainly can be Senator Stanford of
California if he wants it. With the
present strength of the Alliance and
Senator Stanford's enormous abilities
for an energetic campaign, it is not i'm
possible that the Alliance may win cleo
toral votes enough--not to elect Senator
Stanford-but to prevent either the
Democratic or Republican candidates
from obtaining the majority OF the Elec~
toral College, necessary for election. In
that case the Constitution, by article ~,
provides that the election shall be
thrown into the House of Representa-
tives then sitting. That would mean
the Fifty-second Congress.
The full importance of the fact that
the Democrats control 80 delegations out
of the A, is seen when it is remembered
that the Constitution provides that the
votes shall be taken by States, and each
State, no matter how great or how small
it's delegation, shall have one vote. So
that if the Alliance should elect so many
electors that neither the Republicans
nor the Democrats could cast a majority
vote of the entire college, the next Pres
y 10 I'M, l,Sc
vote all the States would meet on com
mon level, and the 5000 whites, blacks,
half>breeds, mongrels, Chinese and In
dams of the Nevada Mining Camp would
be as powerful in electing President as
| the intelligent residents of the State of
| New York. and Mr.. Bartine would be as
big man as Mr.. Flower. So big is the
| Democratic majority, even on the unit
vote by States, that they could elect the
President, even if not single Republi-
| can was present.
| The Constitution provides that there
| shall be present quorum consisting OF
member or members from two thirds
| of the States SO that with their thirty
| States the Democrats could legitimately
elect the President without the attend
ance of single Republican. The deer
| interest which both the Democratic and
Republican parties take in the Alliances
entrance into the field of national poll
tics can, therefore, be very readily un
derstood.
Still another feature presents itself ir
case the Alliance throws the vote into
the House. There would then probably
be a Democratic President and Are
publican Vice President. For the same
article of the Constitution which makes
the House elect the President, throws
the election of the Vice President in the
Senate But here there is difference
In the first place, the list of eligible fo
the Vice Presidency is confined to the
two names having received the highes
numbers OF votes cast in the Electora
College, instead of three, as in the CASE
with the Presidency.
Hence in the next Senate Mr. PETER
the Alliance Senator from Kansas, will
be compelled to vote for either the Re
publican or Democratic candidate, ane
it is quite likely he will prefer the Re
4 publican. Indeed, it is the general be
lief that after the first years service il
new varnish off Mr. PETER, he will settl
down in the Republican ranks on al
questions. How the Rev Mr. Kyle, tn
"Indocrat'' from South Dakota, woult
vote in such an emergency might be
matter of interest to himself, but is O
no Importance to any one else. Mr.. II
by, of South Carolina, is Il Democrat. n
says, and will always be found consort
ing with those people.
III. Ertr