The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1896-11-19
ELBOTING THE PRESIDENT.
Formslities 10 be Observed in Canyassino
the Vote.

messengers from those States will
receive for bringing the votes for
William Mckinley to Washington.
The electors chosen in the differ
ent States will meet on the first
Wednesday In December, according
to ;he Jaw, u lie place provided by
the Legislature of each State. In
every case this is the State Capitol.
AT this meeting the electors will give
their votes for Mckinley or Bryan
no other of the candidates having
received enough votes in any State to
entitle them to consideration. The
result of the vote will then be made
out in triplicate. One copy will be
sent to the President of the Senate by
mail one copy will be sent to him by
messenger, and one copy will be de-
llvered to the Judge of the district in
which the electors assemble. To these
copies will be annexed lists of the
electors prepared by the Executive Of
each State, according to the official
returns.
The reason for taking three copies
of the vote of the electors is the posi-
bility that one or two may go astray,
and the precaution has been found
wise in more than one instance. At
the time of Mr.. Harrlson's election it
was necessary to send to the District
Judge to obtain the vote of one of
the States, the messenger having gone
astray somewhere and the vote by
mail having been lost in transit.
| The messengers have one month in
which to reach the Capitol. If they
have not arrived by the first Wednes.
day in January, and if the postal re-
turn has not been received by that
time, the President of the Senate
sends special messenger to get the
returns from the District Judge.
For performing the service OF carry
ing the returns safely to Washington,
the messengers are allowed by law IS
cents for each mile ''of the estimated
distance by the most usual road"
The distance from Annapolis is short
and the messenger Of Maryland will
not be overpaid for his labor. But the
distance from San Francisco by way
OF Omaha and Chicago is 3,227 miles
and the California messenger therefore
will receive more than $500 for his
! journey. The distance from Portland,
! Oregon, is 1910 miles and the mes
senger from Oregon will receive about
$40 more than the messenger from
California. The messenger from
Minnesota will receive pay for only
1884 miles, or about $500. He can
perform the service in three or four
days at the most; SO you will see he
is not i'll paid. The messenger from
Illinois will receive more than $500.
When these messengers reach
Washington they will call on the
President of the Senate and deliver
the returns to him in person. Ii one
OF them arrives on day when the
Vice President is not at the Capitol
ne Will have 10 wait. If the Vice
President is presiding over the Senate
when the messenger arrives he will be
called out. The Vice President will
receive each of the returns sealed,
and will give receipt for it. Then
he will place the envelope, still sealed,
IN little iron safe which stands in
one corner of the Vice Presidents
room. 1t has stood there for great
many years and is not very modern
safe; but there is no inducement for
anyone to break into it. Ifthe original
returns should be stolen it would be
easy enough to obtain the duplicates.
There is reverse side to the ioyful
occupation of electoral messenger.
The messenger who fails to perform
the duty for which he has been chosen
and does not deliver the vote entrust-
ed to him "shall forfeit the sum OF
one thousand dollars" according to
the statute. He is not to pay a fine
IN sum "not to exceed ore thousand
dollars but it is imperative that he
be fined the whole amount.
There is provision to protect the
messengers in case the Vice President
should be absent from Washington.
In that event the messenger may de-
liver the vote to the Secretary ofState,
who will give receipt for it.
"A great many persons no doubt
are puzzled to know what would
happen if Major Mckinley should die
before the electoral vote was cast, on
the first Wednesday in December.
That happened in the case of Horace
Greeley in 1872. He died before
the electors met and all of those who
had been chosen on his ticket, with
the exception of three from Georgia,
voted for whomsoever they pleased.
The three cast their votes for Mr..