Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1900-12-06
ELECTING A PRESIDENT.
Departure From Intentions Of Trainers Of
the Constitution.

, Twenty-three representative citizen!
OF Ohio who were named on the late
| victorious presidential ticket as presi.
!, Dental electors will meet in Columbus
the second Wednesday of January.
Of these men the average voter
who put them at the duty they are soon
to perfom, knows little Yet this is NO
discredit to them, for presidential
electors holds different relation to the
public from that he held in the days of
Washington, Adams and jefferson.
Assembled in Columbus these elector-
al deputies will perform an apparently
perfunctory service in the process of
electing a president. But this service
is ordained by the constitution of the
United States and regulated by statutes
of the state and nation. 1t was at one
time, and designed to be, service of
high and original character 1t was,
in fact, the choosing of president. 1t
is now a mechanical, but none the less
vital, proceeding in the confirmation
of his choice Under these provisions
of the constitution the electors officiate,
the provisions being of article 12 an
amendment to the constitution as first
adopted:
The electors shall meet in their re-
spective states and vote by ballot for
president and vice president, one of
whom, at least, shall not be an inhabi-
tant of the same state withthemselves;
they shall name in their ballots the
person voted for as president, and in
district ballots the person voted for as
vice president, and they shall make dis
trict lists of all persons voted for as
president, and of all persons voted for
as vice president, and of the number
of votes for each, which lists they shall
sign and certify and transmit sealed to
the seat of the government of the Unit
ed States, directed to the president of
the senate. The president of the SEN
ate shall, in presence of the senate
and house of representatives, open all
the certificates and the votes shall be
counted; the person having the great
est number of votes for president shall
be president, if such number be a ma
jority of the whole number of electors
appointed; and if no person have such
majority, then from the persons hav-
ing the highest numbers of not exceed
ing three on the list of those voted for
as president the house of representa-
tiVes shall choose Immediately, by bal
lot the president. But in choosing the
president the votes shall be taken by
states, the representation from each
state having one vote; a quorum for
this purpose shall consist of a men,
Der or members from two-thirds of the
states, and the majority of all the
states shall be necessary to a choice.
These 23 electors, standing for the
voters who elect 21 congressman and
two United States senators, doubtless
will cast 90 votes for Mckinley and
Roosevelt, though a split in the cleo
oral vote of state is possibility
At the electoral count in 1897 Bryan |
had one vote each in California and |
Kentucky; in 1893 Harrison kept one
vote from Cleveland in California, nine
in Michigan and one in North Dakota.
These electors, having expressed the
will Of the Republicans of Ohio will |
act as above described, and, moreover,
will make out three certificates show.
ing the electoral vote of Ohio to have
been cast for Mckinley and Roosevelt.
One certificate will be dispatched to
the president of the senate by mail and
one by messenger, while a third will
be given to the judge Of the federal
district whore the electors meet.