The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-01-15

Washington. Jan. Il.-William How
ard Taft was selected president of the
United States by the electors who
gathered today in the capital cities
OF the various states to cast their
votes for president and vice president.
Although the returns will not be
canvassed by congress until next
month, it is confidently anticipated
that Taft and Sherman have been
successful in today's election.
The principal business before to,
days sessions of the state electors
was the selection of messengers to
carry the news to Washington. Eacn
state selects such messenger. and
in most of them there have been
many candidates for the honor.
According to the law the state
electors, at today's sessions. will eff
feet their own organization, select
their presiding officer and tellers cast
their votes and select from their nrm-
Der the messenger to carry copy of
the results of their vote to be de-
livered to the speaker of the house
of representatives. Two more copies
will be forwarded by mail, according
TO the constitution of the United
States. Congress, having received all
of the electoral votes from all the
states passes on the result.
In theory these electors are free to
III ~ -
was designed to be the case by the
makers of the constitution-bu i'm
practice they vote for the candidate
nominated by the party whose cleo
toral ticket they represent. This they
do not in obedience to law but to
party pledge and custom, and in
American history there never has been
a case where this custom and party
pledge was violated.
AS they are pledged, and it is
known to whom they are pledged,
there is no uncertainty about the re-
suit, which is merely formal ratifi
cation of the choice of the people.
Certified copies of the returns of
these electoral colleges are then sent
to Washington, are there turned over
TO the president of the senate, on the
first Wednesday in February, in the
presence of the senate and house sit
ting jointly, and there counted. As
this is merely the official count of
the vote already counted informally
and known, this is mere formality.
There are some other interesting
facts connected with the election of
a president that are not generally
known. Men holding places under
the government are not permitted to
act as electors. In 1887 it was dis
covered after the electors were APP
pointed that North Carolina, New
Hampshire and Connecticut had select
ed electors who were deputy postmast-
ers. 4 congressional committee, head
ed by Henry Clay, held that their
votes must be rejected 1t happened
that Van Buren, was elected regardless
of these votes, but it might easily
happen in close election, that some
mischance would defeat the will OF
the states. Also, the constitution re
quires that the electors shall meet or
the same day. In 1857 a snowstorn
kept the Wisconsin electors from meet
ing until the day following the APP
pointed date The Georgia electors
have voted twice on the wrong day
In none of these cases did the IRE
gular votes count, and in none die
their loss change the result. The
states, and not the people, elect the
president. Thus, while in part the
electoral representation is based OF
population because there is one electol
for each congressman, in part it il
based OH states rights" because there
is an elector for each senator, ant
each state has two senators regardless