Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-08-19
THE REASONS WHY.

DOuDlG IltduS,
Chambers County, Ala, Aug. 10, 1885,
To the State Herald:
VIII you please explain why the con-
tinuance of Watson in the race Tor wee
president will interfere with the vote Tor
BRYAN in Alabama. Bryan, being the
nominee of the populite convention and
the democratic convention, too, will not
all the democrats who do not bolt the
Chicago convention and all the populites
who propose to stand by their nominees
vote for Bryan? IL they do then
what difference does 1t make as to Bryan
whether Watson stays in the race or
comes down? You will oblige by an
swerlug the questions have asked. Re-
spectfully, A BRYAN MAN.
1t is very evident that our friend who
signs himself "A Bryan Man" has not
posted himself on the system by which
our president and vice presidents are
elected The way in which two candi-
dates for vice president will affect the
vote in Alabama for Mr.. Bryan is very
plain, and we shall try to make 1t plain
TO our correspondent.
In the first place, will say to "a Bryan
Man" that if our presidents and vice
presidents were elected by popular vote
the candidacy of two or even more gem
tlemen for the vice presidency would
not affect the vote for Mr. Bryan at all.
But we do not elect our presidents and
vice presidents by popular vote. We
have what is called the electoral college.
Ii consists of 447 members when elected.
This membership is apportioned between
the different states in proportion TO each
states representation in the senate and
congress of the United States. Each
state is entitled to elect as many men,
al .OIlx =,
state has senators and representatives in
congress. Alabama has two senators
and nine congressman, and therefore is
entitled under the law to elect eleven
members of the electoral college.
or the 447 men who will elect the next
president and vice president Alabama
will furnish eleven. These eleven elect
ors are nominated by the respective
parties. In Alabama now there has al
ready been nominated two sets of elect
ors. One set, if elected, would vote for
Bryan and Sewall; the other. If elected,
would vote for Mckinley and Hobart.
Now we come to the point where Wat
son, should he remain in the race, would
affect the vote for Bryan. If a third
electoral ticket should be nominated by
what is styled the middle OF the road
populites, such electors to vote, if elected
for Bryan and Watson, then the Bryan
vote would be divided. The eleven men
receiving the highest vote in the No
vember election will be the men who will
cast the vote of Alabama in the electoral
college for president and vice president.
The voter not being permitted to cast his
vote for his particular choice for presi-
dent and vice president but instead be-
ing required to vote for electors, whom
he thereby delegates to vote for him In
the electoral college. cannot vote for
Bryan and Watson electors without
weakening Bryan so long as there is in
the field Bryan and Sewall electors.
To make plain, let us say that in Ala
bama there are 100000 men who want to
vote for Bryan, that $4,000 of them vota
for Bryan and Watson electors and Is 900
of them vote for Bryan and Sewall elect
ors. This would amount, in fact. 70
only 10000 votes in the state for Bryan.
since only one set of electors can be
elected. II there were. say. $4,000 votes