The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-07-21

showed majority for one candidate
tho Speaker would declare that can
didate elected message would then
he sent to the Senate, forthwith COM
municating the result. and a commit
tee Of three representatives would he
Immediately appointed to apprise. nrst
President TAFT. and then the President
elect (should he no another candidate),
of the outcome Of tho contest.
May Contest Electoral Vote.
should some member Of Congress
contest tho coming electoral vote dur
ing the procedure of counting 1T in
February, as described. this would be
the process:
Upon the Vice Presidents calling for
objections. Senators and Representa-
tives could present them bat they
would have to be made IN writing and
signed by at least one Senator and one
REPRESENTATIVE. Such objections could
properly rise only over such question
a which OF two state authorities could
properly determine what electors had
been chosen 40 reguliarly given cleo
toral vote from any state where this
electors had been lawfully certified To
and where only one return had beer
received. could be questioned The OBJ
| Jections being received the two
houses would separate the sen
ate returning 10 its own cham
/ her The majority OF one house
! clone would not be sufficient to rcjec
tho returns from any state. but bott
houses would have 10 vote the same
way. and they would have to do this
/ within five DAYS after the first meet
ing Of the two houses. or no recess.
would thereafter he allowed until tn,
matter was settled. There is no pros
nect however. OF such tactics heinz
| rcsorted to except in a case where tn,
I oil, 81 ~.
where the party seeking a reversal o
/ the Indicated vote had a majority IL
| both houses.
EIcctorni Commission Method.
Such a contest would not. therefore
! have to he settled by an electoral com
! mission such as Strengthened out the
/ Hayes Tilden tangle following the
election Of 1876. SO uncertain was the
result of that election that thoughtful
| men in Congress- foresecing great
trouble over the approaching count Of
! the electoral vote by tho president of the
/ senate 2ot TO work early in the winter
| and passed a law providing that in
/ case there should be more than one
return from any state. its vote should
] he decided by commission OF fifteen
J members. Each house was authorized
/ to elect FIVE members Of this body by
| oral vote. and with these were to sit
| four justices OF the supreme Court
who were to select hfth justice TO sit
> with them. and the senior justice Sc
J
/ commission.
such committee Of PHYSICIANS was
! forthwith appointed to sit upon the
/ body of Tilden and determine whether
/ ne was politically dead or alive. and
thus We have the famous electoral
| commission" IT consisted of eight Re
puhlicans and seven Democrats. the
| NTH justice chosen by the four APP
/ pointed justices making the odd Re
publican. 1t met February !. 1877, and
deliberatod upon the legality of dis
| puted returns for month the joint
| session Of Congress not meeting until
| March TO witness the canvass Of tho
/ electoral vote by the president OF tho
! Senate who on the basis OF the md
/ ings Of the commission. announced the
I election OF Hayes and Wheeler. II was
| the country's widespread dissausfac-
ton over this arrangement which
caused the passage Of law providing
that the states themselves should de-
termine contests of their clectora
votes but allowing that an appeal may
he taken to Congress I'm case OF such
| complications as would warrant the
/ above mentioned objections o. mem
bers. during the next official count
In considering all of these possibili-
ties which may arise between election
day in November and Inauguration day,
next March bear In mind one impor-
/ tant fact-one now frequently empha
sized by tho Roosevelt partisans-that
no law save the unwrittcn law OF
| party loyalty can prevent any repuo-
lican electors voting for progressive
or even democratic candidate. Once
| in our history this has occurred--ar
elector falling 10 vote for the nominee
of his party This was in 1920, when
| James Monroe received all of the cleo
toral votes but one.
This solitary ballot was cast against
him by a New Hampshire olector OF
his own party. who had Conscientious
scruples against any candidate receiy-
ing such a tremendous honor as the un-
animous electoral vote OF the states.
| In view OF the contrasting political
complexion OF the two houses of the
national legislature. it docs not re-