The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-01-11
rHrELEcroRAL COLLEGES.

The electoral colleges of the various
States OF the Union met, according to
law. Monday and cast the votes OF their
respective States for President and Vice
President This duty was merely per-
functory. and the vote stood as hereto
fore reported II would stand: For Cleve-
land. 216: Harrison. IA. and Weaver, a.
This elects Mr.. Cleveland by majority
over all opponents Of 104. and over Mr..
Harrison OF 1872 The remaining formali-
ties necessary TO the regular official decla-
ration OF the election will speedily be
complied with. One set of certificates
containing the names OF the electors and
their registered vote will be sent to the
President Of the Senate, another set Will
be sent by mail to the same destination.
and still another set will be furnished
the Judge Of the District Court In whose
Jurisdiction the electoral college met.
On the second Wednesday In February
Uhe Sth proximo) the two houses OF Con-
gress meet to receive the returns and
count the vote. The certificates rom the
several States are opened by the Presi-
dent OF the Senate. and handed to tellers.
who read and note the result. The tabu-
lated returns are then handed TO the
President of the Senate, who announces
them, and this completes the formality Of
the election. The only thing remaining
to be done is the Inauguration.
There were several very curious Incl
dents connected with this Presidential
election, prominent among which were
the division OF the electoral votes in sew
eral States. That in Michigan, where the
Democratic ticket received five of the
fourteen votes OF the State, was all right,
as there electors were chosen in the Con-
gressicnal Districts just as are members
of Congress, and these five represented
the Democratic sentiment Of that num-
Der OF Congressional Districts of the
State. In other States, however, the d.
vision of the vote was very singular.
For instance, North Dakota cast one
vote for Cleveland, one for Harrison and
one for Weaver; California cast eight for
Cleveland and one for Harrison; Montana,
three for Harrison and one for Weaver,
while Harrison received twenty-one and
Cleveland one vote from Ohio. This
division Of the vote in these States looks
very much like ignorance on the part of
the voters, who thought they were vot-
ing to confer some office on the electors
themselves. and did not know that these
gentlemen were simply being selected to
express the preferences of the State for
President and Vice-President. Why
twenty-one Harrison and one Cleveland
elector, If that lone Democrat had not
been personally more popular than his
opponent, and the voters were
voting to give him an office; and why in
California did the people elect eight
Cleveland electors and then choose one
single Republican, If they were not in
huenced by the personal popularity of the
individuals on the electoral ticket? These
Incidents are inclined TO be startling as
they indicate that there is a large class |
of voters in the country. and especially |
in the West, who do not yet understand |
our system Of choosing President and |
by electors.
There are also some very gratifying |
peculiarities of this election, one of
which was that for the first time in
her history Michigan gave Democratic
electoral vote. and Illinois cast her votes
for a Democrat for the first time in forty
years.
We mention these matters as affording
some very interesting reflections over the
Presidential election Of '92, and as being
Indicative Of the growing strength Of
he old Democracy, and the waning power
IF the Republican party-a party con-
ceived in jealousy and hate and nurtured
by war and sectionalsm