The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-12-02
CANNOT BE COUNTED.

To the Editor of the Globe.
The beasty and robust Mckinley plurality,
at first put as high as ECO, Geo, has grad
ually dwindled and dwinded until your
liable paper has finally placed it at 708, 600.
And yet it appears to be too high still. For
instance, Texas is put down with plurality
of 600 for Bryan, when it really is over
200, 000 viz: 125, goo for the Bryan and Sewall
ticket and over 1900 for the Bryan and
Watson ticket. There were several states
where the Democrats and Populists failed of
fusion. Why should the Bryan and Watson
ticket not count in such states, where they
were fully recognized the ballots as
party. The election is over, but it would be
quite interesting to see McKinley's real plu-
, rality over Bryan Very. truly,
West Hotel, Minneapolis.
The situation is anomalous in Amer
lean politics. Mr.. Bryan was the nom
inee Of three parties. Mr.. SewaIl, how
ever, was named for vice president by
but two parties, and Mr.. Watson by
only one. AS is we'll known, the vot-
ers of this country. do not cast their
ballots directly for the candidates for
president, but for sets of electors
named by various parties. The Popu-
lists, in convention at ST. Louis. named
Mr.. Bryan for president ard Mr Wat
son for vice president. In most of the
states there was complete fusion be-
tween the Populists and Democrats,
who were thus able to mass their ,ctes
for Mr.. Bryan. In Kansas the Poru-
list; and Democrats did not fuse com
p.etely, but they named The same ten
men for electors. At the head of the
Democratic ticket were the words:
For president and vice rresid ent,
Bryan and Sewall." At the head of
the Populist ticket were the words
For president and vice president,
Bryan and Watson" In round numbers
Kansas cast $4,000 votes for Bryan
and SewaH and $1,000 votes for Bryan
and Watson. However, as these votes
were all cast for the same set of cleo
tors, the secretary of state had to add
them together, leaving to the electors
themselves the question as to whether
they would cast their votes for 5ewaIl
or Watson.
In several other states the situation
was different. In Ohio, for instance.
there were full sets Of both Democratic
and Populist electors The latter re-
ceived $500 votes. Ohio Democrats
who Wagered their money that McKin-
ley would not have $4,000 plurality in
Ohio insist that these $500 votes. hay
ing been cast for Bryan, should be
counted for him, making Mckinley
plurality in the Buckeye state about
$4,000 and not $1,000 as given in the re-
turns. There is, however, nobody au-
thorized to add Bryan and SewaH and
Bryan and Watson votes together. The
secretaries of state merely ascertain
how many votes have been cast for
each elector on every ticket and re-
port these figures to the state boards
OF canvassers, who declare that a GER
tain number of them-the number to
which the state for which they are
counting is entitled-having received
the largest number OF votes. are chosen
electors, and certificates of election ere
accordingly issued to them Had there
been, for instance, in Minnesota. three
full electoral tickets in the field-Re-
publican, Democratic and PopuIist-
and $4,000 votes been cast for the first
1l2,000 for the second and III, 600 for the
third, the state board of canvassers
would have had to declare the Republi-
can electors winners in spite of the
fact that the sentiment OF the state
was Overwhelmingly in favor of Mr.
Bryan
The plurality for president in any
state is obtained by taking the highest
vote for a Republican elector on one
hand and the highest vote for a Demo
cratic elector on the other and getting
the difference. An election seldom
passes in which close states do not di.
vide their electoral vote This year the
highest Democratic eIector in Ken
lucky had more votes than the lowest
Republican elector. The former is
therefore elected. Exactly the same
state Of things occurred in California
The plurality for Mckinley in each
of these states is nevertheless the diff
ference between the highest Mckinley
and the highest Bryan elector The
table below gives the result of the cleo