The daily tribune., 1908-11-23
THE MAKING OF the
FIRST PRESIDENT

The members of the Philadelphia
convention. with Washington unani-
mouslv voted Its president. first drew
up in the rough. and later revised
and added to the original document
In its minutes details. q constitution
that In the succeeding years brought
together unorganized communities.
people OF different nationalities. diff
ferent habits, different tastes and in
clinations-people as diversified in
all their needs as the Swede from the
extreme northern part of Europe tn
the Spaniard ii the extreme south
ern part of that continent. 1t brought
these disunited people together
through common interests and com.
mon necessities into united nation
and gave them government more
conservative and more stable than any
government known to the old world.
and undoubtedly less subject to
change.
1t was decided that there should be
an executive consisting Of one per-
sou and he should he sty led the Presi
dent of the United States of America
and his title should be His Excel.
lency' - There seemed to be two
natural ways of selecting the presi.
dent. One WAS bv the popular vote
Of the people and the other was by
the national legislature. Up to that
time it was not considered practical
that the people In the United States
should voice preference for the pres
idential candidate. But on the nine.
teenth Of July. 1887. 1t was decided
that the president should be chosen
by electors. But the constitution rs
finally adopted provides that the
members OF the electoral college Sin
each and every state are chosen SIM
ultaneously by the popular vote on
the Tuesday next aftsr the first Mon
day in November. Their number is
equal to the whole number of repre-.
sentatives which the state sends to
both branches OF congress. They
meet at some place designated by the
legislature Of their state Oh the Sec
ond Monday Of January and vote by
ballot for president and vice -presi
dent. Each electoral college makes
a list of all the names of its csndi-
dates for president and president
with the number of votes for each.
The list is signed and certified by
every member of the college. anthem
ticated by the governor of the state
and transmitted to the president of
the senate Of the United States. These
votes are opened and counted in the
presence Of both bodies Of congress
and the result is announced by the
president Of tine senate. " Under the
constitution as ori3 3inally framed tie
electoral colleges did not designate
their choice for president or vice pres.
ident. but the candidate receiving the
highest number of votes was declared
to be elected president and his near.
est competitor vice president.
Our system Of government makes
the president the center Of political
life. He is the prime minister of the
nation. He is the head of t he
cabinet and the head of the state.
The first presidential election was
held ON the first Wednesday of Jan
uary in the year 1889. and this is the
only election in all our history when
the people at large in the majority Of
states took no part Whatever ir the
election of president, this being due
to the length of time which it took
for communication between the diff.
ferent states. The election of Wash.
ington was really conceded by all
There is no record Of any formal nom.
ination OF Washington or Adams for
president and vice president. On
April 30. 1889, Washington took the
oath of office on the balcony OF Fed
eral Hall in New York, on the site
where the United States Treasury
now stands.