Hutchinson gazette., 1900-07-05
QUIZ WOE Presidents
The once Has Declined In Importance
since the Earlier Days.

Since the EarlieT Days,
A writer In the Chicago Times-Her-
aid discusses the visisStudes which tha
vice presidential Office has undergone
and contends that the term evolution"
does not describe the change properly.
The general opinion, the writer says,
Is that there has been decndence, not
advance, and thut the intention enter
tanned by the frumers Of the Constitu'
ton has been defeated In this respect,
as In several other directions. The
electoral college has lost all It's origi'
nal Importance and lags superiuous
on the political stage, Indirect cleo
tion of United States senator's has
proved worse than useless-nctually
mschicyous and dangerous, The wee
presidency, which was to be u high,
responsible and dlgnilcd post, has be-
come one which influential ana NiBor-
Gus men In public life avoid and de-
cline. Dignity remains, but not utll-
ity and opportunity for rising TO what
Is logically the next place, The office
Is regarded Us the grave OF ambition,
rather than ne the stepplng-stone to
the presidency Illustrations OF this
we have just received in unusual
abundance
What contrast between 'he present
conditions and lhnt OF the carry uuSS
Of our government!
Originally, os students OF American
politics win remember, the presidential
electors did not vote directly lor "
vice president Each eleclor was re-
qulred by law to vote Tor two men loI
president The candidate VINO reee,'e, =,
the largest yttc' If n majority OF an
the votes cnst, was chosen presideh''
while he who received me neNl largest
vote becume vice president mus ~
1870 the cleetorAlc0llcge gnye Nhsp'
ington siNty-nine votes (Ihe run mum
bcr) and John Adams thlrIEiour
votes. There were Noies Tor Jomh Jay
sQmuel Huntington ana se'erHl othsIs
but all OF iheNe men were No''u iut
as candidates for the presidency
Adams had the largest vote neNt 10
Washington, and this made nm wee
/ president In liy@ washington re-
ceivcd the unanimous vote OF the elec'
toral co)legc--l3@-.whiIe Adams re,
Cciyed II votes CLIFTON Jefferson ana
Burr were also voted for, ana Ndoll''
again became vice president because
his vote was second largest
In 1895, tRongh the law was un-
changed, the'aclual situation was ar
ferent For the first time lhcre was
two candidates for the presidency
aud, as distinctly two leading candi'
dates (and several othcrsl for the wee
| presidency Adams received n votes
and Jefferson 65, The former became
! president, and ne latter, though INC
leader Of the opposition ana to'NllE
out Of sympathy with the poil'y. OF
the foderolsls, became vice president
Thomas pinchney and Aaron Burr
the leading candidates for The secono
Office, had received 80 and 30 votes
respectively and had no title under
the law
-Four years later the candidates foi
president and vice president were
again clearly distinguished, but al
Jefferson and Burr received the sam'
number Of votes, 70, the law failed tf
work. Burr having been voted for fo'
president he had lcgnlly the same tItl'
us Jefferson though he bad never beer
considered as n presidential candidate
1t is unnecessary to refer to Burr'
trcochcrous ATTEMPT to wrest the pres
idcncy from Jefferson. The election
was thrown into the house which de
clnred Jefferson elected to the high
est Office, Burr became vice Nresiden
by virtue of the constitutional pro
vision, But reelection for him WA
out Of the question and four year.
later he was set aside,
r. The lesson of the contest was no
lost on the country, however, and on
Of it grew an important change. Al
amendment to the constitution wa
proposed and adopted prescribing
new method Of cleetng the prcsiden