The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1896-12-11
WHEN Is A PRESIDENT ELECTED

WHEN Is A PRESIDENT ELECTED
Chicago Times-Iierald.
The Times-Herald is in receipt of a
number OF inquiries Of the same tenor
as the following:
editor OF the mes-Herald: When
and where do the presidential electors
meet, If, indeed, they do actually as.
semble as a body? What Is the modus
Operandi in formally announcing the
successful candidate? Doubtless not
one in a thousand voters understands
just what the electoral college Is. ]
am sure the general reading public
would be very glad to have you en-.
tighten them on the subject.
WIN. N. WILSON,"
Our presidential electoral system is
a great stumbling block to the thou
sand voters who have never studied 1t,
and it would probably surprise great
many people to tell them that neither
Major Mckinley nor any one else Is as
yet elected president OF the United
States. Yet such is the fact. The
actual presidential election will not
take place until the second Monday
OF January next.
Who, then, did the people vote for
at the recent election? They voted
for electors, who are State officers to
whom is conhded the duty Of elccting
u president and vice. president. These
electors do not assemble together in
one large national gathering and there
cast their votes for the candidates OF
their choice, but each body of State
electors meets at its own State Capt.
tai on the second Monday OF January
succeeding the November election and
votes by ballot for president andsyice-
president. Three certificates OF the
ballot are made, one directed to the
Governor of the State, another for
wardcd by mail to the Vice-President
of the United States at Washington,
and the other sent by messenger to
the ce-President.
On the following second Wednesday
in February the Vice-President, in
the presence of the Senate and House
of Representatives jointly assembled,
opens these certificates, and, tellers
being appointed, the state Of the vote
is announced. Without further de-
the candidates having a ma
jority of the electoral votes for preSi-
dent and vice-presidcnt become enti-
tied to those Offices on the following
18th OF March.
1t was the intention OF the trainers
OF the Constitution that the electors
should have full power to elect whom
soever they pleased, but since the
formation of parties they have never
exercised that discretion, but have
voted for the candidates the people
designated beforehand.
The term college, as applied to the
electors is not used in the COnstitu-
tion, but being convenient 1t first
came into use to designate the State
electors, as, for instance, the "elccto-
raj college" of Illinois. In recent
years the term has been extended to
mean the whole body Of electors In
all the States. Strictly speaking, there
are forty-lve electoral colleges, each
independent Of all the rest, and each
voting on the day appointed in its own
State.
The question is sometimes asked,
What would he electors do in case the
for whom they were ap-
pointed to vote SHOULD become disabled
from acting as president or vicc-presi-
dent, or should die, before the date Of
their assemblage? But one case Of this
kind has arisen in our history, that Of
Mr.. Greeley in 1872. Shortly after
the November election he became vio-
lently insane, and died before the end
of the month. When the electors ap-
pointed to vote for him met they voted
for other candidates, according to
their own inclnations.
In that case it makes no difference
how they voted, asa majority of Grant
electors had been closen; but suppose
Grant had become disabled, what
would then have been done? Some
way would have TO be found whereby
the electors could be instructed by
their party how to vote. and to do this
either u new national convention
would have been called or the old one
reassembled.
1t is certainly a situation which, II
it ever happens will lead to great com
plications and much trouble, ncr dc
party rules provide for such an cmcr'
gency.
Joxv M C1rcAp.COAT MEAT