Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1904-11-29
PRESIDENT Nor YgT ELECTED.
Electors May Choose Cleveland or Debn
If They See Fit


if They See Fit.
Most persons if asked, would unhesi-
/ tatingly declare that the people of the
United States last Tuesday elected The
odore Roosevelt to be President for four
years following March next. As
matter Vt fact we did nothing of the
kind. The next President win not be
elected until the second Monday of next
January.
What we did at the polls was to choose
in each State number. of men, equiva-
lent in number to the Senators and Rep
resentatives from the respective common
wealths, and these men, known as cleo
tors, are to elect the President On
jan these electors will meet in their
respective States and cast their ballots,
first for President and then for Vice
President. These ballots will be sent to
Washington and on the second Wednes-
day IN February the President of the
Senate. in the presence of both chambers
of Congress, will count them and declare
the result, The person having the ma
Jority Of all the electoral votes cast will
be declared PresidentN
Ii it should have happened that Mr..
Swallow. Mr.. Watson. Mr.. Debs or some
other presidential candidate received
eno.tgh electoral votes so that no candi-
date had Z majority over all, then the
three having the greatest number would
be presented to Congress and that body
would choose. As Congress is Republi-
can. Roosevelt would be selected
This year there are 476 electors. Sup
pose Mr.. Swallow bad carried enough
States to give him % electoral votes, Mr..
Debs enough to give him 30 and Mr..
Watson enough to give him IS. This
would make total of IS votes, which.
taken from the 476 would leave SOL
Now, again, suppose that of these 39i
electoral votes go We're cast for Mr..
Parker and 161 for Mr. Roosevelt. Mr.
Parker would clearly have a handsome
plurality, but he would not have ma
j0fity over all-239 In spite Of the fact
that he had go more votes than Mr.
Roosevelt, Congress would have the right
to select Mr.. Roosevelt, and, being Re
publican, would do So
In voting for Roosevelt electors" or
Parker electors" the people are not
even positively certain that the electors
selected will cast their ballots as they
are expected to do. OF course, honor
binds an eleetor to cast his ballot for
the nominee of the party for which he
stands, but there is no legal compulsion
about it. When the electors for Maine
meet on the second MoRlay of next Jan.
uary, for example, they may, if they see
fit, cast their ballots for Mr. Parker, or
for Grover Cleveland, or for any Amer
lean citizen eligible to the office.
The electors could make the choice of
Mr.. Roosevelt unanimous, or they could
defy the will of the people and select Mr.
Watson. They could make Mr.. Parker
President and Mr.. Roosevelt Vice Presi-
dent, or vice versa.
The presidential electors are merely a
number of well-known and responsible
citizens whom the people elect to pick
out President and Vice President for
them, on the theory that body of men
thus selected will be apt to make bet
ter choice than the people as a whole.
In case of the death of Mr.. Roosevelt
before the second Monday of next Jan
uary, there will be no new election. The
Republican leaders of the country, act
ing for their party, would select a new
candidate and the Republican electors
would vote for him.