Evening star., 1900-11-08
How It Has Been HFded Among
Presidential Candidates.
WASHINGTON CHOSEN dEAHIMousIY
Monroe Had but4One Opponent
in the College.
NOMINATIONS BY CAUCUS

The absence Of any record Of the popular
vote at presidential elections down to 1924
and the fact that the recorded popular vote
at that election Is deprived Of value be-
cause in so many states electors were cho-
sen by legislatures, make the first ten elec-
tions stand IN a class by themselves 1t
was the formative period Of our new gov
ernment. The fathers had provided very
ingenious and indirect plan for the election
of President and Vice President. The
people in the various states were to choose
SD many electors and these electors were to
choose the President and Vice President.
The theory was a fine one. In practice
it soon came to mean that the electors
should simply register the will OF the peo-
pie of the state that elected them. Theory
and practice where human nature is in
vclved frequently differ. brief review of
the first ten elections will prove interest
ing.
First Election.
1t was fortunate for the safety of the
new government that there was no contest
over the presidency at the first election.
Everyone turned instinctively to Washing
ton. Thirteen states with ninety-one cleo
tors should have voted, but New York with
eight. North Carolina with seven and Rhode
Island with three failed to ratify the Con-
StllullOu III TINE ~ IN IQe HrSC
election The ten states that did vote were
New Hampshire with five electors, Massa-
chusetts with ten, Connecticut with seven,
New Jersey with six. Pennsylvania with
ten. Delaware with three, Maryland with
eight and Georgia with five. total of sew
enty-three. Four electors. two in Maryland
and two in Virginia. did not appear and
vote. so that only sixty-nine votes were ac-
tually cast. Under the Constitution as it
was then the electors voted for two per-
sons for President. The one having the high
est number. if a majority, became Presi-
dent, and the one having the next highest
number became Vice President. Washing
ton received every vote cast and John Ad-
ans the next highest number. thirtyfour,
and so they became, respectively. the first
President and Vice President of the United
States. The thirty-fve votes Adams did
not receive were divided among ten men,
all distinguished in their day. but most of
whom long since forgotteH lie empalmed
in biographical dictionaries John Jay of
New York, afterward the first chief justice
of the United States, received nine votes.
John Hancock, of Massachusetts, whose bold
signature to the .DeclafatioR of Independ-
ence has made his name familiar to every
Americana received foGree0tes. Maryland
gave her six votes TO 6tie '6f her favorite
sons, Robert Hanson Harrison Virginia
gave George Clinton, afre rward Vice Presi-
dent three votes. South Carolina gave her
three TO one of her favorite sons, John Rut-
ledge. afterward the second chief justice of
the United States. GeatgT:cast one vote
for General Benjamin Lincoln of Massachu-
sets, who had commanded the southern de-
partment at one period of She revolution
and who was designated by-Washington to
receive the sword Of CoTnwaf4is at the sur
render of his army at yorktown. Georgia
also honored three favOrite sons, John Mil
ton an active patriot during the revolution,
with two. and James Armstrong and Ed
ward Telfair. the latter twice governor of
the state, with one each. At this election
electors were chosen by the legislatures in
Connecticut, Delaware New Jersey and !
South Carolina. and in the other six states
by popular vote. -.--
Second Election.
Washington and Adams were again chos-
en- President and Vice President at the sec
ond election. Fifteen states voted, New
York. North Carolina and Rhode Island
having ratified the Constitution. and Ken
lucky and Vermont having been admitted
into the Union as states These states were
entitled to 135 electors. the apportionment
under the census of 1190 having increased
the membership of the House of Represen-
tatives and consequently the number OF
electors. However but 132 votes were cast,
two OF Maryland's electors and one of Yer
mont's failing to appear and vote. WASH
ington received the whole 49, cast and
Adams IT. thus succeeding themselves.
Party divisions first showed themselves at
this election. When the question of ratify-
ing the Constitution was before the people |
those favoring so doing were styled fed |
eralists; those opposed. anti-federalists.
The majority of the latter, with some of
the former. united into Il party calling it.
ported Washington at this election, 1T ia
vored George Clinton of New York for |
Vice President. He received fifty votes, all Of |
those of New York, North Carolina. Vir-
ginia and Georgia and one in Pennsylvania. |
Kentucky gave its four to Thomas Jeffef- |
son of Virginia, while South Carolina gave |
one to Aaron Burr Of New York. Electors |
were chosen by the legislatures in Connec- |
ticut. Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, New |
Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, South |
Carolina and Vermont.
Third Election.
Washington having declined a third term,
his party, for he was federalist, by popu- |
lar agreement settled upon John Adams as
his successor, while the opposition centered |
upon Thomas Jefferson. This agreement |
was intended to include Thomas Pinckney |
of South Carolina as the federalist candi- |
date for Vice President, and Aaron Burr |
that of the opposition. Nothing approach |
ing party discipline existed, so that, while |
Adams received seventyone electoral votes. |
Pinckney had but fifty-nine, and as Jeffer- !
son had sixty -eight, Adams became Presi- |
dent and Jefferson Vice President. Burr |
received but thirty: the celebrated Samuel |
Adams Of Massachusetts fifteen in Virgil |
MIA: Oliver Ellsworth of Connecticut, the
third chief justice of the United States. |
eleven, all those of New Hampshire and |
Rhode Island and in Massachusetts: |
George Clinton. seven, four In Georgia and |
three in Virginia; John Jay. five in Connec-
ticut; James Iredell, justice of the United |
States Supreme Court, three in his own |
state of North Carolina, which state also |
gave one vote to Charles C. Pinckney Of |
South Carolina. afterward the federalist |
candidate for President; Maryland gave |
two votes to one of her favorite sons. John |
Henry, then United States senator; Massa- |
chusetts gave two votes to Samuel Johnston |
of North Carolina, a former governor of |
that state and United States senator. |
Washington, who was I'M no sense candi- |
date received two votes, one In North Caro- |
lima and one in Virginia. Sixteen states |
voted, Tennessee being the new one, with |
three votes, making the total number of |
electors 1873. Electors were chosen by the |
legislatures in Connecticut, Delaware, |
Georgia. Kentucky. New Jersey. New |
York. Rhode Island, South Carolina and
Vermont - II
Fourth Election
Party lines were strictly drawn at the |
fourth election. 1t was at, this time that the
plan of nominating candidates by party |
caucus was adopted. The faderalists held |
their caucus early in 1860 No account Of |
the proceedings of this caucus was pub
lished, but the result showed that they had |
decided upon Adams for a second term, and