Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-05-20
THE NEW ELECTORAL VOTE.
Increase Of Importance This Year and
Favors Republicans,

/ N.N sssSs vSss
Increase Of Importance This Year and
Favors Republicans.
| The increase in the number Of elec-
toral votes to be cast in the presiden-
tial election Of 1904 may have an i'm
portant bearing upon the final result.
Upon this factor alone may depend the
whole question of the political char
acter Of the next administration.
The battle-ground Of the campaign
will be the doubtful states Of the East
and Middle West. The result may be
so close that the mere addition Of 20
presidential electors may determine
whether the policy Of the government
will be directed by the Republican or
the Democratic party.
The number Of electoral votes is
equivalent to the representation Of
the states by senators and represen-
tatives In congress. While the num-
ber Of senators Is constantly two for
each state, the apportionment Of rep
resentatives has been increased de-
cenially to conform to the growth Of
population. This adds to the number
of presidential electors.
The constitutional population Of
the United States in 1900 was reported
by the director Of the census to the
house Of representatives to be 1885,
906. On this basis the house passed
a bill fixing the ratio Of representation
at 1s4,1s2. This provided but ss4 rep
resentatives and the states of Nebras-
ka and Virginia were each given an
additional representative, arbitrarily,
making the whole number 386 or All
increase Of thirty representatives over
1890. The addition Of nine senators
makes the electoral vote 476 In 1904. an
increase Of 29 electoral votes over 1900
and 1896, and an increase Of 80 over
the election Of 1892.
In eighty-four years, or since the
campaign of James Monroe and John
Quincy Adams in 1921, the numerical
strength Of the electoral college has
increased from 235 to 476, or more than
elect now is four votes greater than
the total in that campaign. When
George Washington was first elected
the total was sixty-nine, or a little
more than twice the numerical In.
crease in 1904. In the Hayes-Tilden
campaign Of 1876 the result was A.
nally decided in favor Of the Republic
can candidate by margin Of only one
vote in a total Of 369.
In the campaign Of 1900 Mckinley
received 292 electoral votes Of twenty.
eight states and Bryan the remaining
1856 Of seventeen states. II the same
states vote similarly In 1904, the Re-
publicans will have gained nineteen
electoral votes by reason Of the re-
apportionment law and the Democrats
but ten. The latter benefit by gain
of nine electoral votes in the solid
! five electoral votes In the sure" Re-
publican states of Massachusetts,,
Pennsylvania and Minnesota, as well
as two in the reasonably sure" Repub-
| lican states Of Washington and Cali
fornia. Four votes Of the increase this
year will be cast by two Of the Silver
States Colorado and Nevada. The
remaining eight votes Of the increase
will be cast in five Of the doubtful
(3), New Jersey (2), West Virginia
%, and Wisconsin (D.
| Analysis of the electoral returns
shows that nine states have been Re
publican, and that twelve out Of the
thirteen states comprising the solid
South" have been Democratic In every
presidential election within the last
twenty years. During that period but
two nominees-Cleveland and Bryan
have represented the Democratic par
~, and five Of the states-Connecticut,
Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and
West Virginia-were uniformly Demo-
cratic during the Cleveland campaigns,
but Republican in both Bryan cam
paigns.
The most doubtful states in twenty
years have been New York, Illinois.
Indiana and California, and three OF
these are certain to be the chief battle
ground in 1904. If history repeats its
record Of twenty years the candidate
CARRYING New York will win the pres
idency. New York and Indiana have
not in twenty years cast their electoral
votes on the losing side. Illinois and
California have once failed to vote for
the successful candidate for the presi-
dency In the coming election they will
have an aggregate Of eighty -one elec-
toral votes.
The party carrying all four Of them
is practically certain Of winning the
election, regardless Of the result In at
least thirteen states of the Union.
| Carrying these four states and any
other state Of seven votes and the thir-
teen states Of the "Solid South" the
Democrats would win, with total OF
239 electoral votes or just enough to
elect a president. Carrying the same
four states, in addition to the fifteen
reasonably sure Republican states OF
Iowa, Maine. Massachusetts,, Mlnnesota'
New Hampshire, Oregon, Pennsylva-
mia, Rhode Island, Vermont, Ohio,
Michigan, North Dakota, South Dako-
ia, Kansas and Nebraska, the Republi.
cans would win, with 240 electoral