The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-11-09


 ed last Tuesday has not yet been elected President. Those who went to the polls on that day to vote for their candidate for President did so only indirectiy-they voted for electors who have yet to meet and do the real business of electing President NO one is at all apprehensive of failure on their part to do exactly as they are ex- pected to do.
 Nor are the successful candidates for President and Vice-President at all anxious over the result of the meet ing to be held in Washington on the second Wednesday of next February. month previous to that the electoral colleges in the various States will have performed the technical part of the business, and the counting of the Sol- legiate vote in the presence of Con- gress assembled in the great hall of Representatives at the national cap itol will leave the matter in excellent shape for inauguration day
 Although this process of dealing with the electoral count is the supreme function of our governmental system, it attracts little attention. So far as all nracttcal purposes are concerned. the popular interest in presidential election Is over when safe majority for the candidates of the winning par. ty Is made apparent. Thereafter all excitement over the matter is confined to the actual participants.
 In this electoral college procedure there Is absolutely no variation. It is all fixed by the Constitution. Accord ing to that admirable institution leach State shall appoint (nowadays it fa done by vote at the polis) Tn sucn manner as the Legislature thereon shali direct a number of electors equal 10 the whole number of Senators ana Nep- resentatfves to which each State may be entitled in Congress, but no Sena- tor or Representative or person hold ing an office of trust or proht under the United States shall be appointed an eiector. The Congress may deter mine the time of choosing the eiec- tors and the day on which they shan give their votes, which day shall pe the same throughout the United States"
 The Present Method.
 Of course khese instructions furnish aN only the bare outlines. and the particulars have had to be supplied as the occasion demanded. Speciai acts regulating the matter and seeur- ing uniformity of action were passed by the Congress In 17e2. 1894 and lssI. At present the Governor of each state as soon as the result of the eleetlon in his commonwealth is made certain Ia required to send to the Secretary of State at Washington certincate setting forth the names of the electors chosen and the number of votes cast for them and also to deliver to them triple copies under the great seal or the State, of q similar certificate. Be- tween now and the second Mondsy m In January the various governors VIII pc sending in these certificates to the Department of state, and they will De filed in the archives.
 This being done, the duly chosen electors of each State will meet on the deslgnated day and perform their part in the great constitutional drama which Is attracting so little attention. Tn most cases they will assemble at their state capitals. In the briefest manner possible each of these colleges will open it's quadrennial session or an hour or so, vote for President and Viss President. draw up written state- ments In duplicate and adjourn .et
 Two copies of this written statement will he sent to Vice President Fair- banks ct Washington. Along with these will so copies of the triple cer- tIAcate of their election, one by the hands of a special messenger appoint. cd by a majority of each college ana another by mail. A third will. be ae.. posted for safe keeping with tne judge of the digtrjet. ln which the col- AEECtABA14A " EI caution against any possible loss or roIn0 astray~ of the other copies, should Mir. Fairbanks fail to receive either of the other copies he will dis- patch a special messenger to procure the copy in the keeping of the dlstfie' judge.
 However, the Government does not reiv absoIuteIy on its mail service. The forty-seven Special messengers who will bear the tldings to the hationai canftai will be paid fer the service at the rate of a5 cents per mile. TO protect himself against possible per- nicious thrift on the part of these apeeiaIs Uncle Sam specifies that this u,IIeaxe ia to be estimated in only one direction andEth@. shortest and most or- dinary route must be chosen. Even with these precautions 1t Is rather an expensive aft&ir, costing at least SlS,- OO0. 1t must sbe confessed that thls special messsnger business Is some what behind the age.
 Mr. Fairbanks is supposed to re- ceive each of these precious documents inclosed in an official envelope rom the hand of the regularly appointed messenger. Let that forever dispose oF inc ffeauent assertion that the American Vice-Presidsnt has nothlhg whatever to do except to wait TOT something to turn up. He muft Ais9 give to each bearer of the certlneo vote a receipt Then Mir. Falrbanks- here a clerk might come to his relief will place the package, unopened and with the seal intact. in small steel 1afe which stands in one corner Of the Presidents handsomely appoint ed chamber in the Senate. This little safe is of exquisite workmanship and fla very ornamental. It is empty most Of the time, but begins to hll up snort iy before the time appointed for the opening of the envelopes in the pres ence of Congress. Only Mir. Fairbanks combination of the safe, but as an ad- ditional safeguard it Is inspected thor ouRhly by an expert and fitted with sII the modern electrical devices to prevent tampering. Armed watchmen are posted within the adjacent corri- flor. and the safe is guarded as If 1t contained the crown jewels Of an em- plFe. VIZ, nesday in February Vice-President Fairbanks and his private secretary will unlock the little steel safe and take carefully therefrOm the forty seven sealed packages. The assistant doorkeeper of the Senate will be on hand to receive them. This latter of- dciaI will take with him to the Vice Presidents chamber two wooden boxes made expressly to receive the envelopes when they are taken from the safe. with these boxes in his arms he will enter the Senate chamber shortly af- ter noon.
 At 12:B5 precisely, no matter what inc business in course of considern- ton. the Senate will pause in its de- liberation and having arranged itself