The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-07-31
RIDES THREE HORSES.


| goal these horses are agreed upon, blu
there is a dozen others equally as i'm
poruant. He is the candidate of thu
national Democratic party in regular
!, order; also of the national Populis
party with an If" and also undel
plenary restrictions; also of the mon
grel Free Silverites. Under these
three flags he is bid to sail away
promised the undivided support of all
but each Of which organizations are
already fighting among themselves
He dare not select one or reject an
other. The Democrats are fighting
over the Chicago platform, and the
PopulistS over the st Louis nominee
for vice president While Bryan him.
self may be both q Democrat and q
POpuliSt, and also a free silver Re-
publican, his expected following may
not prove so plant The Populists in
making Mr.. Bryan their candidate for
the presidency in one respect simplifies
the situation, their rejection of Mr..
| Sewall, the Democratic candidate for
the vice presidency, and substitution
of candidate of their own, the Hon.
"Tom" Watson. OF Georgia, may lead
to some complications. For example,
it might be possible for Mr.. Bryan to
receive a majority of all the electoral
votes and be elected president, while
in consequence of the division of the
same votes between his two running
mates" Sewall and Watson, no can
didate for vice president would have
the requisite majority, and the election
in that case be thrown into the senate.
Originally under the constitution
| candidates for president and vice pres
ident were not voted for separately.
The electors in each state voted for
| two persons, one Of whom it was re-
CURED should be citizen of another
state than their own. When the cleo
toral certificates were opened the can
didateS having the greatest number of
votes, if a majority. was declared to
have been elected president, and the
next highest ON the list vice president.
There was no popular vote until 1924,
the electors UP to that time being
chosen by the state legislatures. In
1901 it appeared that Mr.. jefferson
and Aaron Burr each had the same
number Of votes-13 each. After q
protracted contest the house settled
the question by electing Mr.. Jefferson
to be president and Mr.. Burr vice
president Then followed the adOp-
ton of the twelfth amendment TO the
constitution, which, among other
changes, required the electors to name
in their ballots and lists whom they
voted for as president and in distinct
ballots and Lists whom they voted for
as vice president Even this, however,
did not. after the electors in every
state but South Carolina were elected |
by the people, prevent a failure to elect |
vice president when the presidential |
candidate on the same ticket had a |
majority of electors in his favor. Thus |
in 1896 Martin Van Buren, received 40 |
electoral votes out of a total of 29i, |
and was elected. His running mate"
Colonel r. NJ. Johnson, of Kentucky, |
received 147. against the same number |
divided among three other candidates, |
thus creating Il tie. The senate elect |
ed Colonel Johnson. Previously, |
when running for vice president on the |
same ticket with Andrew Jackson, Van
Buren, was elected by 1S9 electoral
votes. while Jackson, for president,
received 219 In 1924. on the contrary,
ident. receiving 1S2 electoral votes.
while the election of president was
thrown into the house, Jackson lead
ing the list with 30 votes. The house
elected John Quincy Adams, who was
second on the list with 81 electoral
votes.
Thse precedentss suggest some of the
complications which may arise, and
which make it very difficult to predict
with any confidence the outcome
either of the presidential or vice-presi-
dental election this year. particularly
il there should be another presidential
and presidential ticket, that Of
the sound money Democrats, IN the
field
One of the complications which may
arise out of the action OF the PopuliSt
in indorsing Bryan and re-
jecting Sewall is the division OF the
vote for vice president The
apparent design of the constitution in
forming the electoral college was TO
leave 10 them the selection Of persons
for the two offices. But custom has
changed this and the people
themselves select, in effect their own
and the electors are sup
posed TO register the popular will The
only object in indorsing Bryan by the
PopuliSJs is 70 consolidate the free
silver vote. This can only be done by
tors. II the eniocratic electors are ,
elected in any particular stste they
viii naturally be expected 10 vote for !
Sewall IS well as Bryan. unless some
kind OF party agreement outside OF the ,
law can be made for a division OF the
electoral vote fer vice president upon
The basis of the relative strength Of the
two parties IN that state. The eompIi- 7
>ation, il Will be seen. arises from {
The fact that the same elector must {
Tote Tor president and vice president ! ,