The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1891-05-27
a chnnge IN the Electornl Vote.

sihcc tne MlcNlSln Legislature mas
passed u law providing for the choice
of presidential electors by congress
sional districts. By the distribution
of congressional districts under the
new apportionment, Michigan is
reasonably sure to elect six Demo
cratic Congressman as against six
for the Republican party. As a
consequence of this redistricting OF
the State, and of the new electoral
law besides, it is believed that cor
responding number of electors will
be chosen by the Democrats. By
the bringing of six Territories us
States into the Union, thus adding
twelve United States Senators and
seven Congressman, and conse-
quently nineteen presidential elcc-
tors to the Republican column, the
chances of electing a Republican
President in 1892 were vastly i'm
proved The following estimate
made by the Providence Journal a
few days ago, and based on the
new apportionment, show the rela-
tive electoral strength of the two
political parties.
Whole number of electors. ....... 444
Necessary TO choice. .223
OF which 70. called Rcpublican
States, including all Michigan
......................... .2lS
Democratic States give.......I63
Doubtful States give...............63
Assuming that the old system of
voting for electors by States were
everywhere continued at the next
election, the above estimate would
fairly represent the political COM
plexinn of the electoral college sas
far as the returns from the Repub-
lican and Democratic States could
be confidently counted on. On this
showing it is Obvious that to attain
a majority of tie electoral vote the
the Republican party would only
have TO get five votes from the
doubtful States. These assumed
doubtful States are New York with
thirty electoral votes, Indiana Is,
West Virginia six ana Connecticut
six. 1t would only be necessary,
therefore to attain the six electoral
votes of either Connecticut or West
Virginia To give the Republicans
majority. OF course this view OF
the political situation is based on
giving the Republicans and the
Democrats, respectively, the States
they carried in 1888. But, taking
this estimate as the groundwork for
it is obvious that the de-
termination of Michigan to choose
her presidential electors by con-
grcssional districts instead of by the
vote of the whole State complexities
By losing six votes in Michigan,
the two hundred and eigl teen cleo
toral votes so confidently counted on
by the Republicans would be re-
duced to two hundred and twelve,
and either New Yor k or Indiana or
both Connecticut and West Vir.
ginia would be required to make up
n majority. OF course, in the chan
ces and changes that are unsettling
politics and parties at this time, all
estimates of the presidential result
must be purely speculative. The
estimate we have given from the
would be reasonably fair if
the electoral vote were taken by
States and both parties working on
their old lines, but the new depar-
ture taken by Michigan is of itself
a disturbing factor, and the Farm
ers' Alliance tends to upset calcu-
lations even in States heretofore
clasSed as Democratic or RepubIi-
can. The Democratic party has
less reason TO fear the aseendencv
of the Farmers Alliance ut the
South, while the Republican party
has much to fear from it at the
West. Whether, with the exception
of its loss of electoral votes in
Michigan, the Republican party will
be able to retain its grasp on all
the Western States to which it has
heretofore confidently laid claim is
a question that nothing short of the
returns of the next presidential
election will satisfactorily answer.
1t is amusing in this connection
to find the New York Press, a thick
and-thin partisan organ, crying
revolution" because of the action of
the Michigan Legislature. The
party for which the Press assumes
to speak has never hesitated to avail
itself of any political trick to
strengthen its position, the admis.
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