Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-12
A MATTER. OF FORM
Ceremonies in Connection With the
Electoral Count.
COLLEGES TO Vote NEXT MONDAY
Successive Steps All Described
and Explained.
ANNOUNCING THE RESULT

ANNOUNCING THE RESULT
Written for The Evening Star.
On Monday next the electoral colleges In
forty-five states of the Union will convene,
chiefly at the state capitals. and cast their
ballots for President and Vice President of
the United States for the four-year term
beginning March next. If the precedents
Of the past are followed-and they have not
been broken, save in one case Qn 1866
since the foundation Of the government
William Mckinley and Theodore Roosevelt
will receive 2S2 electoral votes and v IL
| liam j. Bryan and Adlai E. Stevenson 155,
respectively
A month later, on February 13-the sec
ond Wednesday Of the nionth-this result
will be officially ascertained and announced
at the great ceremony in the House Of Itep-
resentatives known the electoral count.
and then, after some minor formalities and
| final details. the way will be fully cleared
for the inaugural celebration.
The preliminary steps leading to this con-
summation of the 4th Of March were. of
course, taken at the national nominating
| conventions at Philadelphia and Kansas
City last summer and even before that at
| the primaries and the county and state
conventions which chose delegates to the
national conventions. At least one-half of
| the people of the country confidently
| thought they knew what the final result
would be. as early as June 81, when Nc
| kinley and Roosevelt Were nominated at
Philadephia, and all the people actually did
| know it before midnight on the 9th of No
| vember. But the fact would not be legal
| and constitutional certainty without the
! successive official steps that yet remain to
| be taken.
Important Transactions.
Inf
| beginning on next Monday, though they
have been in vogue practically without
| change since 1904, are little known or I'M
derstood by the people at large And yet
| they constitute. together, one of the most
| important transactions that can take place
| In the republic. Without them the nominal
| lions and the election would have been in
| vain. and the Qualifications Of inauguratio
| could not occur. And 50, though the result
| OF the voting in the electoral colleges on
| Monday and Of the electoral count in Feb
| ruary is foregone conclusion, 1t is still
| interesting to trace the successive steps
| tnat nave to be taken in order that the
| arbttrament of the ballots may hold good
| Inc quaint and elaborate ceremonies of the
| electoral! count particularly. conducted as
they win be in strict accordance with the
| tfme-honored ritual prescribed by our
| statute laws. will be full Of instruction and
| form fit prelude to the triumphs Of In
| auguration day.
| The Constitutional Provision
The Constitution provides in bare outline
that leach State shall appoint dt is done
nowadays by election at the polls), in such
| manner as the Legislature thereof may
| direct, a Number Of Electors, equal to the
whole Number of Senators and Representa-
tives to when each State may be entitled
| In Congress; but no Senator or Representa-
| tive or Person holding an Office of Trust or
| Profit under the United States shall be ap-
pointed an Elector. The Congress may de-
t tn11 the Time of chusing t!sic) the
| give their Votes; which Day shall be the
| same throughout the United States"
The capitalization above reproduced is
| that Of the fathers who framed the veneer
| able instrument, and doubt all Of the
| successful presidential candidates to date
| have in turl felt in their inmost bosoms
that the worthy trainers knew exactly
what they We're about when they spelled
| Number of Electors" with able-bodi,d
! capitals. and the DAY on which the EIec-
| tors shall give their votes with a big D,
and the votes so given with big V. I'm
| directions are supplied by the statute laws
| of 1892 1904 and 1857.
Certificates of Election.
According to these the governor of each
state Is required, as soon as practicable
| after the result in his state of the presi-
Dental election Is ascertained, to send to
| the Secretary OF State in Washington a
| certificate setting forth tho names of the
| chosen electors and the number of votes
| cast for them. and also to deliver to them
triple copies. under the great seal Of the
| state, Of similar certificate. The certifi-
| Gates sent by the respective governors to
| the State Department are now being filed
| in the archives there.
This being done. the duly chosen electors
| Of each state. obeying the mandate of the
law. will meet on Monday-the second Mon
| day OF the month-to perform their part
Of the constitutional drama. AS all states
were carried at the late election wholly
and without complication by either the re-
publicans or the democrats each electoral
college will consist Of members having but
one political faith and belonging to but one
political party. The colleges will not nee
essarily consist Of instructors or professors
in the arts and sciences. though there may
be such among them, but the members of
each college will be eminent men, the only
prohibition being that they shall not be
federal office holders. The electoral college
for New York will comprise thirty-sx men,
| no doubt congenial among themselves that
Of Pennsylvania will comprise thirty-two,
that of Illinois twentysfour, Ohio twenty
three, and SO on down to Delaware, Idaho
Utah. Nevada and Wyoming, which will
have but three members each, constituting
wee Bit colleges forsooth.
Casting the Votes.
Each college will proceed In the brief
est manner possible to vote for President
and then for Vice President, and then to
draw up written statement In triplicate
of the result of their voting.
Two Of these statements of votes cast
accompanied by copies Of the triple certifi-
Gates of thea election they will transmit to
the president pro tempore Of the United
States Senate at Westinghouse by the
hands Of true and trusty messenger
carefully selected by majority of each
| college and the other by mail. and the third
they will deposit for safekeeping with the
Judge Of the United States court Of the
district in which the college is assembled
as a precaution in case accident should be-
fall the other two copies. Should the Sec
rotary OF State at Washington fail to re-
receive any certificate Of votes cast from
the governor OF any state he will dispatch
a special or extraordinary messenger to
procure the copy in the keeping Of the
district judge.
Delivering tho Votes.