The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1908-03-12

which day shall be the same
throughout the United States" i
It was by act of Congress that
the Tuesday afte the first Mon
day of Novem Der was fixed as
the day of national elections.
This date was fixed after most Of
the States had erased to elect
presidential electors through |
their Legislatures ard provided |
for direct voting by the people
for such electors Many great
lawyers and politicians have held
that the language of the sec
ond paragraph of Article IL. OF
the constitution clearly indicates
that the trainers of the cOnstitu
tion Il q uu intend that the 2. IS
iients of the United States
should be elected by popular vote.
That - lion SAYS:
Each State shall appoint, in
such mann.r as the l. gislature
thereof may direct, "a nun Der Of
electors, etc."
In the early days of the Re
public a majority of the States
chose electors through the me-
dium of their Legislatures. and
and as late as 1924 eight of the
twenty four States followed that
custom. South Carolina contin-
ued to choose electors through
it's Legislature as late as 1860.
Historians and students of
American political history are
generally agreed that it was the
intent of the trainers of constitu-
tion that the election of presi-
, dent should be, so far as possible.
removed from popular clamor and
r prejudice, that electors should be
: chosen by the States and that
! they should then meet free O1
political influence and ballot fol
u the man they deemed best fittec
n to fill the office OF head of the na
: tion There we're no organized
, political parties in the early day:
of the Republic and no party ma
tional convention was held unit
II 1882. There was no regula1
- form of nominating candidates
for the Office of President in th'
- early days. State Legislature
49, recommended candidates by res
- olutions, but the race for th
- Office was an open one and presi
dental electors were free to vot
n as they pleased.
80 Contrary to popular belief
- George Washington was not tn
unanimous choice of his. country
men for President, either for tn
- first or second term. He was il
- both cases a plurality success i
~ the Electoral College. Ten State
- that had ratified the constitutio
- took p art in the first nations
election. Six of those ten State
chose their electors through tn
.. medium of their Legislatures
- The electors in 1889 balloted O
~ Wednesday, January 7th, of thu
- year, and the result was declare
l,a by the Congress on the first We
~ nesday of February. The resu
49, of the ballot in the Electoral CC
-, lege was George Washington, 6
"a John Adams. "a; Samuel Hur
of ington, 2; John Jay, 9; John Ha
ta cock, 4;R H Harrison, 6; Geor
ho Clinton. 8; John Rutledge,
- John Milton, 2; James Arr
IA strong, /; Edward Telfair, l, a
,on Benjamin Lincoln, 1. If the
,+o was any popular vote for lectC
or in any State no record of su
~. vote was preserved.
;e At the second national electi
th held in 1892, the vot'
;n,. of the country we're
hon ginning to divide into so;cal
;+r political parties, one known
nf the Federalist party, led by
49,, exander Hamilton, and the otI
,o,u known as the Democratic.
g.. publican party led by JEFF
,o,,o son and Madison. Both part
;ah supported Washington for
,',so election as President, but
4ho members of the Electoral Coil
49, did not follow instructions
49, scattered their votes. Th
.tion were ihUoen 0O"OG' IL Olo
,oto. at that time and six of IL
,bau chose electors through t.
haro Legislatures. The vote in
o+o. Electoral College resulted as
.ates Dws: George Washington,
oic, John Adams, II; George Gin
20 Of so; Thomas Jefferson, 4; A,
wing Deafness Cannot be Cure,