The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-04-26

tosal voess; van Buren,. : stntss With q
electoral votes, and Hszrisonis majority
on the popular note was 1se.z56 But q
win surprise many people 70 know that
New Hampshirs and Illinois wsrs two a
IL seven States that chung 70 the Demo,
ckaxie wreck throughout this hurricane a
popular opposition. and that the % cleo
toral votes Of Pennsyivania uers secured
to Harrison b. bare majority of lin the
popular vote Of 2ss.0lo, the record stand
ing Harrison ll102l, Van Buren 49,
Birney 50
II will b another surprise to most peo-
pie to know that Harrison's heaviest ms
jority In any one state was recorded in
Kentucky, $3.50 to 32,6ls, majority Of
25,s7a And he carried 8 Of the Is slave
states = Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky,
Louisiana, Maryland, Nississippi, North
Carolina and Tennessee-by . majority Of
D,5ss in their popular vote
But study Of those tables recalls some
of the discrepancies then practiced, due to
the counting of people for the purposes Of
representation who were not eligible to the
elective franchise. The same result Is ac-
compiished now to large extent, but
then it was in pursuance of the constitu-
ton, while now it is in defiance Of that
instrument. In the hotly contested cleo
ton Of ls40-and none has ever been more
hotly contested-virginia polIed total
popular vote of &, 394, of which . majority.
400 -a~o -. u.r pr,~ar er1 49,. liz
her q electoral votes. Indiana cast l16, o97
votes. of which Harrison had majority
of 1907, which gave him but electoral
votes. Thus with nearly 50 per cent.
larger total vote and ten times the major
ity on the popular vote he obtained 8 cleo
toral votes to Van Buren's q.
Alabama, with g, 482 of . popular vote
cast electoral votes. while Illinois cast
g. 1852 popular and but s electoral votes, SO
per cent. less representation for 50 pei
cent. more votes. Georgia on . total OF
q, 1874 had II electors. Maine on . total Of
9S.007 had but 10. And Tennessee on Z
total Of 1os.6s0 had Is electors, while
Massachusetts, on total of 116, 443 had but
IA. The Is slave states, entitled to l2s
electors, cast 1880 votes, ESTIMATING
South Carolina, which elected by her
legislature, at the same popular vote a.
Georgia, which had the same number Of
electorsl while the Is free states polled
Lies, $50 votes and had but liz electors,
ten less electors on about two and hall
times the number of votes.
But this, though it appears unequal and
unjust, was constitutional. If the same
respect had been paid to the constitution
in the campaign Of the second Harrison,
in 1858, he too would have had . hand.
some represen tation in the electoral
college from the south. This will be
apparent on like study of the returns,
remembering that the constitution has
been amended so that the popular should
bear about an equal relation to the
electoral vote north and south, with what
ever may be the deviation favoring the
north, on account Of the larger proportion
Of alien population in that section.
Alabama, entitled to 10 electors, cast
1S.09 votes in 1888; Georgia, with Il
electors. cast Ia, $50; Mississippi, with 8,
cast 120,0l9; Louisiana, with 8, cast l00.-
S45; total, 80 electors and SIS, SS3 votes.
Connecticut, with 6 electors, cast III, 23s +;
Iowa, with Is, cast 376.O57; Kansas, with
8, cast 265, S4S. and Wisconsin, with II, cast
sl9,955; total, 50 electors and l,0ee ,oe2
votes. 1t is unquestionable that in the
South there are more natives and qualified
voters in proportion to population than
in the North. But ignoring that fact the
above figures from the official record show
that in choosing an exactly equal number
Of electors the northern vote was more
than double that of the south.
The inference is irresistible that the diff
ference represents-though not fully-a
suppressed vote in the latter section. 1t is
but fair to presume that the suppression
was for purpose. And it is equally fair
to presume that it was suppressed because,
if cast at all, it would have been cast in
opposition to those who suppressed it. If,
as these figures clearly imply, in those
four states alone more than half million
citizens were deprived of their most
precious constitutional right, surely a
question is presented which is of more i'm
portance to every true friend of free and
just government than is involved in \
slight protective duty on tin plate.