Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-09-27
MUST STAND TOGETHER.
Friends OF Bryan and Silver Must Not Di-
vide-United We Stand, Divided We
Fall-Division the Only Hope
of the Enemy,

of the Enemy.
The method of voting for the president
and vice president of the United States
in Alabama does not seem to be clearly
understood. We, therefore, submit the
following explanation:
Section 2, article 2 of the constitution
of the United States provides that each
state shall appoint in such a manner as
the legislature thereof may direct a num-
Der of electors equal to the whole num-
Der of senators and representatives to
which the state may be entitled in con-
gress.
In pursuance of the foregoing provision
of the constitution of the United States,
the legislature of Alabama has provided
the manner in which the electors for
president and vice president of the United
States shall be chosen. 1t is found in
section 435 of the code of 1886, and is as
follows:
ION the day prescribed by this code
there are to be elected by general ticket
q number of electors for president and
vice president of the United States, equal
in number to the number of senators ana
representatives in congress to which this
state is entitled al the time of such cleo
ton"
The time provided by the code at which
the electors for president and vice presi-
dent shall be elected is on the first Tues
day after the first Monday of November
every fourth or presidential year.
Alabama has two senators and nine rep
resentatives. Therefore, under the fore
going provision of the constitution, she is
entitled to eleven electors. The president
and vice president, either singly or di-
I'd
eleven electors, who shall cast eleven
votes for the president and vice presi-.
dent.
Observe-only one set of electors are
elected to vote for both president and vice
president. So far as the electoral ticket Is
concerned, the president and vice presl-
dent Is unit. The set of electors nomi-
mated to vote for Bryan and watson are
as distinct from the set nominated to vote
for Bryan and Sewall as from the set
nominat ted to vote for Mckinley and Ho-
bart Suppose, for example, the set of
eleven electors nominated for Bryan ana
Sewall in Alabama should poll a vote
of 10000 the set for Bryan and Watson
sc, 900 and the set for Mckinley and Ho-
bart $4,000. The Mckinley and Hobart
electoral ticket would have plurality OF
votes; that Is, larger number than ell
Their the Bryan and Sewal ticket or the
Bryan and Watson ticket, and therefore
the Mckinley and Hobart electors would
be elected, and the entire eleven votes OF
Alabama would be cast for Mckinley and
Hobart. vote, therefore, for Bryan and
Watson would be thrown away, and not
help Bryan at all, inasmuch as the votes
for each of the electoral tickets are sepa-
rately counted, and the one of the three
such tickets receiving the plurality is en-
titled to the entire vote of the state.
The twelfth amendment to the consi-
tuition of he United States provides the
manner in which the electors snail cast
their votes, which, in brief, is as tolloWs'
They shall meet in their respective
states and vote by distinct ballots Tor one
person as president and one person as
vice president both of which shall not
be an inhabitant of the same state. Tne
list of votes for president and vice pres
ident shall be signed and certified to the
president of the senate, and the president
of the senate, in the presence of the SEN
ate and house of representatives, snail
omen and count the votes. The person
receiving Il majority of the votes shall be
iority of the votes for vice president shall
he declared vice president. If no one re-
ceives majority for president, the choice
for president devolves upon the house or
representatives. If no one receives a ma
jorty for vice president, the choice OF
vice president devolves upon the senate.
Do not confuse the choice of electors to
vote for president and vice president with
II, how cp1
president and vice president. The peo-
pie vote directly for single set OF elect
ors nominated to vote for president anu
vice president-not one set TO vote Tor
president and one set to vote Tor vice
president Consequently they nave noth-
ing to do with voting for the president
and vice president, but only for the eject
ors. If they vote for the Bryan ana wat
son electors, instead of the Bryan ana
Sewall electors, they do not aid Bryan
but might as well not vote at all. the
electors, after they are chosen, meet ana
do the voting for the president and then
the vice president, as provided for IN
amendment 70 of the constitution.
A vote for Bryan and Watson Will be
lost to Bryan.
vote for Bryan and Watson is help
to Mckinley.
The only way to secure the strength Of
the silver vote is to unite it on the Bryan
and Sewall electoral ticket. A divided
vote of the friends of silver on the two
electoral tickets will elect Mckinley.
You hazard the election of Bryan to
compliment Watson.
That some people only give 10 cents
to the Bryan and Sewall campaign func
is a striking evidence of Indifference
in the opinion of the Montgomery Nc
Kinley organ. The Advertiser should re-