Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-01
B Y A. M !. S A Y R e

y IA N1 - "A n Il
own; but the grizzled warrior of the frontier had
stalked confidently forth with his fellow Senator's
and now Congressman James Buchanan, himself
destined tar IN the future to uneasy seat in the
presidential chair, whispered, as he marshaled the
Jackson members that supposing the Ken
tuckian to be a traitor, his whilom followers were
not traitors too
Meanwhile, twenty -four boxes of mahogany, cor
responding to the States of the Union had been set
in conspicuous row, and the thousands of specta-
tors, leaning anously from their places saw all the
Congressman save advance and make their
choice The one absentee lay upon bed of death;
but as his vote was shared with many colleagues
he allowed to die in peace. Had he represented
small State, his dying whisper would have been
demanded; for, the States were reached whose
power was held by two or three members, waves of
excitement famed the galleries, and even the Craw-
ford phaanx, sitting in defiant sullenness, evinced
signs of interest.
The State of Illinois! called the clerk and the
throughout the great hall That ballot lay alone in
the box devoted to the frontier commonwealth
until the vast audience grew still the congressional
tellers Embossed the lock and passed from hand to
hand the scrap of paper on which was scrubbed
Illinois decision. Anxious Office holders tried in
vain to read the tellers faces, and murmured, No
result; for Daniel Webster leonine features
immovable as he conveyed to the Speakers table
the final roll.
The Speaker slowly rose There was moment of
aching suspense, and then C1ay's sonorous voice
rang far out into the Corridors declaring that thir
teen commonwealth of the Union, just majority
of all the States, having cast their votes for John
Quincy Adams of Massachusetts,, John Quincy
Adams was for the next four years President of the
Republic The multitude relaxed in their seats and
muttered, Thirteen States" Then the vote of
each of the thirteen had been necessary elect
and Daniel G. Cook casting the ballot of Illinois
with the other twelve had by his single voice elected
a chief magistrate of the Union
Hayes Narrow Margin
FIFTY years later the United States had increased
then President elected by single vote. Once
again the eyes of the world turned toward the
Capitol, this time upon the chamber of the Supreme
Court, where the true number of Republican and
Democratic electoral votes in the election of 1876
to be announced by the specially created cleo
selected by the two houses, voted way
and seven the other. The decision therefore rested
with Justice Bradley, the one commissioner desig
mated by the other fourteen and when the Justice de-
cared it to be his determination that the Republican
candidate had received hundred and eighty
four electoral votes to hundred and eighty three
cast for the Democratic Tden, Rutherford B. Hayes
took up his residence in the White House by the
fortunate double COM junction of single vote.
Andrew Johnson's Trial
THESE two Presidents owed their entrance into
of the United States also saved from ignominious
dismissal by single vote. When the Chief Justice
called the Senate to order as high court of i'm
parchment for the trial of Andrew Johnson, it was
expected that every Republican Senator would
vote GUILTY." The o-thirds of the Senate
would thus be far exceeded. But as the trial drew