The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1908-11-20


Kapae and Nupepe, two Hawaiians,
were sent to prison for ninety days
each by> Judge Long yesterday. They
stole coal from the Pacific Mail coal
pile on Queen street.
u n u u q u q u q q q q q q u n q
Then the Senate would hold an cleo
ton all by itself for Vice President,
two-thirds of the whole number being
required to hold such an election which
must carry by a majority of all the
Senate.
Raises Constitutional Questions.
Carefully as the requirements for
presidential election have been framed,
number of interesting constitutional
points are raised and discussed every
four years and probably will be raised
again this winter. The most serious of
these questions is: w hat would hap,
pen in case of the death of either the
President-elect or the Vice President
elect between the second Wednesday
of February and March 4 following2'
AS far as known no constitutional
lawyer has ever answered that question
satisfactorily.
1t costs lot of money to collect this
vote of the electoral college and the
Federal government has to foot most
of the bills. Following an old time
practise three separate records of the
electoral vote in each of the forty-siX
states are made. One is kept by the
state electors, one is sent to Washing
ton by registered mail, or express, and
still another copy is taken to Washing
ton by messenger.
The designation as messenger is much
sought by electors. Each is paid ex.
penses and mileage, which amounts to
a pretty penny. By the middle of Jan.
uary these messengers will begin troop,
ing into Washington. OF course there
will be forty-siX of them in all. They
make straight for the Vice President 5
office, where they are generally intro
duce by Senators or members or both
from their home states. The trip is
awaited of by many of tne messengers
to see the city and to participate some.
what in the current gayeties, for it fire..
quently happens that the messenger has
never before been to the Federal Capt
tai.
Locked In a Big Safe.
The Vice President receives each
state vote, as it is brought to him, ana
has it locked up in the big safe, pro-
vided in the Office of the Secretary of
the Senate. While there is little danger
of the vote of any state being displaced
or lost, so that it could not be presented
in authoritative and official form, great
precautions are taken against any such
accident. There is specific prohibition
in the constitution against any Sena-
tor, member of Congress or other Fed.
eral official serving as an elector and
therefor the messengers are often men
who are utter strangers to political life
and to most of the public men of Wash
ington. The political parties have to
exercise caution in scanning the lists
of electors before every November cleo.
ton for President, that no "person
holding an office of trust of profit under
the United States" is nominated. That
excludes even. presidents or directors
of National banks. Four years ago the
Republicans discovered that several Ma.
tional bank directors had been nominal.
ed in different states on the electoral
tickets. Every man Of them had TO
resign.
OF course, it is pretty well under.
stood that there are Asa of these elec-
tors this year, two at large IN every
state and one for each Cougr ssionai
district. The college was never 81 large
before. This is due to two causes Onu
IS that Congress increased the Repre-
sentation in the Fouse under the las,
census. although this decrease n repre-,
sentation applied in 1874. TIL other
IS that Oklahoma vot"s for Presiden,
for the first time and viii have seven
votes,