The Seattle Republican., 1901-01-18
MEETING OF
ELECTORS
Cast Their Ballots for Repub-
liean Candidates.

Last Monday the members Of the
Electoral College met at the respec-
tive capitals Of the states Of this
Union and voted for a president and
vice president, which was in favor of
William Mckinley and Theodore
Roosevelt. 1t was then that the
above gentlemen we're elected to the
high offices, which they will fill for
the next four years, and not Novem-
Der Z, as is generally supposed by the
average voter Though the election
in November would seem to indicate
that the president and vice president
of the United States were then
chosen, such is not true When such
electors are elected in November by
the people, it doesn't necessarily fol-
low that those electors are compelled
to vote for the president and vice
president of the United States that
the people have seemingly elected.
The presidential electors elected
on what was known as the
Mckinley Republican ticket last No
vember, could have as legally met
and cast their votes and elected Will
lam Jennings Bryan or any other
citizen eligible to the presidency Of
the United States as William Nc
Kinley, and no courts could have de-
clared against such a proceeding.
The founders of this republic
seem to have been directed by mas
ter hand when they framed the con-
stitution of the United States and
made it republic of the people, by
the people and for the people, and
yet at the same time arranged a SAT-
ETY. valve, as it were, to protect the
citizen and the government from
overt acts that the citizen, either in
whole or in part, might commit un-
der an excitement of the moment. |
The voters might have elected at
their last general election some man
who would, between the time Of cleo
ton and the time of taking the oath
of office, proven to be not only al
vicious man, but a dangerous char
acter to put in charge of the reins of
this government. To prevent such
a calamity the trainers Of the consti-
tuition created an electoral college,
with the view that such college be |
made up of the leading and best citi-
zens of each Of the states, and that in
case Of such an emergency these men
would rise up with all their American
manhood and turn aside the appar
emily successful candidate at the No
vember polls, should such candidate
prove himself to be unworthy Of the
presidency of the United States, and
elect a different man, even one that
had not been spoken Of in connection
with the presidency.
Such a precedent has never yet
been found necessary, and was only
talked Of in one instance since the
founding Of this government, and
this was in 1880, when James A. Gar
field was elected to the presidency,
having been nominated by the Re-
publican convention after one of the
bitterest and most pronounced fac
tional fights that was ever waged IN
a Republican convention, owing to-
the fact that 3O6 Of the delegates
stood out for a number Of days for
the nomination of ex-President Z. s.
Grant against the famour John Sher-
man, James G. Blaine and 9TH
ers. After the election was over and
Garfield electors won by an over
whelming majority, the friends Of
Grant still clung to the idea Of trying
to make him the next president, and
it was suggested to them by the solid
South that if enough of them from
the North could be induced to leave
Mr.. Garfield the solid South would
vote with them and elect Z. S. Grant
president instead Of Garfield, who
had apparently been elected by an
overwhelming majority at the polls
at the November election. This pro-
ject was widely discussed, both in the
pulpit and the press, and it was final
ly submitted to some of the best legal
talent in the United States, and it