The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-11-25
ELECTING THE PRESIDENT. 4
FormaIities to be Observed In Canvass
ling the Vote.
Philadelphia Times.

p6Uple dI0 GucIC III Odlll VI uld duO
Oregon who would be willing to take
trip across the country for $500 ?
That is what the electoral messengers
from those States will receive for
bringing the votes for William Nc
Kinley to Washington.
The electors chosen in the different
States will meet on the first Wednes-
day in December, according to the
law, in the 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 receiv-
ed enough in any State to entitle them
to consideration. The result Of the
vote will then be made out in tripli-
cate. One copy will be sent to the
President of the Senate by mail :; one
copy will be sent to him by messen-
ger, and one copy will be delivered 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 oficial: returns.
The reason for taking three copies
of the vote Of the electors is the pos
sibility that one or two may 60 astray,
and the precaution has been found
wise in more than one instance. At
the time of Mr.. Harrison'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, tie President of the Senate
sends special messenger to get the
returns from the District Judge.
For performing the service Of car
rying the returns safely to Washing
ton the messengers are allowed by law
rs cents for each mile "of the estima-
ted 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 Min
nesota will receive pay for onlys2544
miles, or about $500. He canpGfofm
the service in three or four day aS the
most; so you will see he isShotIif:
paid.
The messenger from Illinois will re-
ceive more than 5000.
When these messengers reach Wash
ington they will call on the President
of the Senate and deliver the returns
to him in person. If one of them ar
| rives on day when the Vice Presi-
dent is not at the Capitol he will have
to wait. If the Vice President is pre-
siding over the Senate when the mes
senger 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. It has stood
| there for a great many years and is
| not very modern safe; but there is
no inducement for anyone to break
into it. If the original returns should
be stolen it would be easy enough to
obtain the duplicates.
There is reverse side to the joyful
occupation of electoral messenger.
The messenger who fails to perform
the duty for which he has been chosen
| and does not deliver the vote entrusted
| to him "shall forfeit the sum of one
| thousand dollars according to the
| statute. He is not to pay fine III a
sum "not to exceed one thousand dol
lars - but it is imperative he be fined
the whole amount.
There is provision to protect the
messenger in case the Vice President
should be absent from Washington.
In that event the messenger may de-
liver the vote to the Secretary of
State, 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 hap
pened 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 excep-
tion of three from Georgia, voted for
whomsoever they pleased. The three
cast their votes for Mr.. Greeley, but
when the votes were canvassed by
Congress it was determined not to
count the three votes for Mr.. Greeley.
If Major Mckinley should die it is
| quite likely the votes of the electors
| would be cast for Mr.. Hobart, but it
| is possible that they would be scatter
ed, and in that way the election would
be thrown into the House of Repre-
sentatives. In such case there is no
knowing who would be President.
The House and Senate will canvass
the votes of the electors on the first
Wednesday in February. The Senate
will go over to the hall of the House
of Representatives. in body, headed
by Vice President Stevenson and Sec
retary Cox, followed by Chief Page
Stewart, over whose shoulders will be
hung by strap two wooden boxes
containing the precious votes. The
members of the House will rise as the
Senators enter two and two. The Vice
President will mount the rostrum and
take a seat at the right Of Speaker
Reed.
The two tellers for the Senate, (Mr.
Hale and Mr.. Blackburn oficiated
four years ago. will sit at the desk
| below, and below them will sit the
two House tellers. The Vice Presi-
dent will then take the envelopes
handed to him by Stewart in their
alphabetical order. In the first count
the States were taken according to
geographical location, beginning with
Maine, but since 1876 they have been
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