The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-12-09


They meet by law on the second Tuesday in
January, and the manner of meeting is
prescribed by the statutes In the various
states. The law in New York state is
practically what il is in every other
state. Here the electors, having been
notified by the proper state officers Of their
election, and having received certificates for
the same, are required to meet IN the state
capitol In the afternoon of the day proceed
ing the day upon which they are TO vote.
Upon organization the first step is to see
wnetner every elector Is present who has
| been chosen. II there are any vacancies
caused either by death, refusal 70 serve. or
even neglect TO attend, these are immedi-
ately filed by plurality vote of those who
| college president is chosen and secretary,
who must be electors.
Upon the next day the electors meet at
the capitol, and there vote by ballot for
candidates for President, and then they
vote for candidates for Vice President, and
there is but one restriction upon this vote
that one, at least, Of the men for whom they
vote must not be a resident OF the same
state with themselves.
This is an operation which usually takes
not more than from ten 70 fifteen minutes,
and 1t requires, usually, much more time to
| make out the formal lists than il does to
vote for the candidates. The secretary pre-
pares list of all persons voted for for Pres
ident, and the number OF votes cast 1t very
seldom happens that In an electoral college
there are votes cast for more than one per-
son for President. The same thing is done
with the vote for Vice President. The
electors sign and certify the two lists,
and they add to them their own certiti-
Gates OF election as electors, certified by the
secretary of state. There are three of these
lists made; one OF them is forwarded, under
SEAL to the president of the Senate OF the
United States; another is delivered 90 the
United States judge Of the district in which
the state capital Is situated; third is COM
mitted to special messenger, who is elected
by the electoral college and commissioned
to carry to Washington and deliver to the
Secretary of State Of the United States this
certified list, aud to receive a receipt
therefor.
For this service the electors receive such
mileage and pay for attendance as is allowed
by law to members of the legislature for
their attendance and travel.
This Is the very simple method which pre-
walls In every state in the union. and it will
readily be seen that In effect it Is a mere
formal declaration Of the result of the popu-
lar election of November, although at the
beginning of the government IL was ex-
pected to be the important function OF
presidential election.
presidential elector has been tempted to
betray his party. 1t was said ia 1876 that
attempts were made, or the suggestion was
made that some one or two electors be
offered large sums Of money to vote either
blank ballot in the electoral college, or to
vote for the candidate of the opposition. 1t
is doubtful whether such suggestion would
have ever been attempted, for no elector
would dare ct that time, however great the
temptation, to sell bis vote. 1t would have
made an outcast Of him, and his name
would have gone into tradition alongside
that of Benedict Arnold.
There was Ia 1876, however, another pro-
position made in good faith. and one which
many believed might be accepted. 1t was
suggested that as many republicans believed
that Mr.. Tilden had received a majority of
the popular vote, some republican elector
would ward of this by voting for him, and
great excitement was occasioned by the an
nounoement that James Russell Lowell Of
Massachusetts was considering such a step.
II Mr.. Lowell or any other republican cleo
tor had voted for Mr.. Tilden in the electoral
college, it would have given him
an undisputed authority of one vote.
Mr.. Lowell, however, while inclined to
believe that Mr.. Tilden was elected, de-
olsred that the question was one with which
he, as an elector, had nothing TO do II was
his duty simply to vote in accordance with
the wishes of that party which had chosen
him as an elector, and ne did so.
In looking back over the tables OF the
electoral votes 1t is noticed that sometimes
the vote of a state has been divided, al
though this is comparatively a rare occur
renee In recent years. Once the vote Of
New Jersey was divided In 1880 q
remarkable return was made by the CALI
fornia electoral college. In the cam
paign forged letter had been circulated
which gave the impression that
Gen. Garfield was friendly to Chi
covered and its i'll effects negatived In the
east, but the damage had been done In
| California. and 10 that letter was at
| tributed the fact that Gen. Garfield lost
the electoral vote of that state
He received, however, one vote. One of the
| democratic electors was Judge Terry, who
was q few years ago shot by a United States
marshal, and who had himself killed United
States Senator Broderick in duel Terry
was so unpopular that q sufficient number
Of men refused TO vote for him to elect
one Garfield elector, and that accounts
for that singular and single electoral vote
from California in 1880. In the cleo
toral college, which meets to declare
the result of the November election. there
will be division of the electoral votes In
some of the states; IN Michigan, because the
electors are there chosen by congressional
districts, and in some other states because by
agreement there was fusion resulting the
election of some democratic and some
Weaver electors.
The electoral tables show one curious
thing, which to many Of the present gener-
alton seems very remarkable, and that is
although Mr.. Greeley was the candidate Of
one party in 1872, yet he received no cleo
toral votes. This was due to the fact that
Mr.. Greeley died within two weeks after
election. Had his party won at the No.
vember election a very serious question
would have arisen. The electoral college
would have had the power, IN fact the
duty, to select from some liberal democrat
the man who should take the dead can
dtdates place, and it has often
been a matter OF specula-
tive comment what the electoral
colleges would do in case this duty was upon
them. The electoral colleges have only one
perquisite, or piece Of patronage; they are
able to sppoint the messengers who take
the lists to the Secretary OF State, and
this is an eagerly sought honor. It is usually
given to a man who cares for no other Office
He is paid a mileage and allowed sum suf
f1cient to pay his expenses. He is looked
upon as furnishing the occasion for a
free and officially important trip to WASH
ington. Those messengers who come from
the Pacific slope make little something be-
sides, since mileage is a good deal more
than the railroad fare.