Evening journal., 1892-11-08


tlVes from each sinia having 0ulY one vote,
and the ballot 90 continue until Che house
or representative voting Dog states. elects.
Every state has am equal vote for presi-
dent in an election by the house of repre-
sentatives There would be no question
who would be elected should the election
devolve on the present house OF representa-
tives. The present house is about two
thirds Democratic, and by states shows
large Democratic majority, making the re
suit, should the election fall in the present
house Of representatives, q sure thing for
Mr.. Cleveland.
A Possible Complication.
This assurance that the house Of repre-.
sentatives would elect Mr. Cleveland,
should it have the opportunity, makes an
additional complication Ia the possibilities
of the situation. Should It be apparent that
neither Mr. Cleveland nor Mr.. Harrison
carried q majority of the electors, the
Weaver and Harrison electors would know
that, in casting their votes for the candi-
dates of their respective conventions. they
would really be voting FOR Mr. Cleveland
as surely as though they gaye theiryotos
10 him direct
There is no legal obligation on an elector
to require him TO cast his vote for one more
than another man. provided they are both
qualified under the constitutional require
ments. The constitution provides that the
president must be native bern citizen,
over thirty-iive years Of age and for four
teen years n resident within the United
States. That is the only restriction beyond
the moral or personal obligation TO bind
the individual electors. No courts would
restrain a Weaver elector from voting for
Harrison or a Harrison elector from voting
for Weaver.
The theory Of the constitution is that the
president is really elected by the electors,
who are chosen by the people on account
OF their superior wisdom, intelligence and
judgment TO meet and agree among them
selves on the best man for the Office There
Is no legal restriction on their choice further
than chat the man whom they vote for shall
be eligible under the constitutional require
ments
In previous elections the electors have
been held by the ties Of their pledge and
their personal honor TO vote for the man for
whom they were elected to vote. In this
election the question may arise as TO how
far these ties are binding on men who
would defeat the o.iect of their pledges by
observing them literally. In other words
it may be question of great poiticnl mo-
mcnt whether the Harrison and Weaver
electors must vote for Harrison and
Weaver, or whether they could honorably
combine and vote for some one else.
Tho Electors Implied Pledge.
II has already been discussed among
politicians eminent in the counsel OF their
party what should be done In case This CON
tingency should become a fact. IL seems
TO be general opinion among politicians
that che Republican national committee
would have the power TO release the Re
publican electors from the implied pledge
TO vote for Harrison, and that the natioual
committee Of the Peoples party would
have the power TO release the peoplo's elect
ors from voting for Weaver Tint would
leave the electors free from their original
pledge, but there would still remain the
implied obligation TO vote i'm accordance
with the wishes of the majority of their
party, and this obligation may be still
further extended to pledge thom TO vote
as their national committees requested.
Much the more would this new oblipa-
tion rest should conventions OF the Rpuub-
lican and the Peoples parties be called to
meet between election day and the meeting
of the electors to decide i'm convention what
the wishes Of their parties were and what
they wanted 20 have their electors do. IL
would then be a question for the Rcpub-
Leans to consider whether they would
rather have some man on whom they and
the Peoples party would agree or Mir
Cleveland.
For the first time in n presidential cam
paign the Australian or reform ballot svs-
tenn is in use in over thirty states. While
all three parties claim to be benefited bv
the introduction OF this system, it, is almost
universally admitted shat the initial opera
ticn of the law is accompanied by u reduo-
tion OF nearly . per cent in the vote cast
And while il is fair TO assume that this re-
duction will he equally divided between the
parties, yet that assumption has yet TO he
demonstrated, and thus another element OF
uncertainty is established
The Electoral College.
To leave the domain of what NAV be and
enter the arena of what is. % study of the
status Of the electoral college win prove
interesting.
It's increased representation of 43 votes
this year, which brings the number of
members up TO 4A, as against 40l in lSss
was caused by the admission TO statehood
of the territories of Idaho, Montana. North
Dakota, South Dakota Washington and
Wyoming. These states will have elect
oral votes each this year, except south
Dakota and Washington, which will have
Z each. The remaining 23 new votes are
distributed among the older Estates under
the new congressional appor,ionment bin
the result of the census of 1880
The states which went Republican In
1883 gained under the new apportionment
the number of electoral votes following.
CALIFORNIA;. ....... I Nebraska. ............ 3
Colorado ............. 1 Orogon..............
Illinois ............... Pennsy sylvania. .......
Kansas. ................ WincOnsin .
M.a.arhu.ntil...