Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1912-09-18
PRESIDENTIAL. POSSIBILITIES

The serious tangle in which the
coming presidential election may con-
ceivably cad seems to have tangled
the minds of our readers SO We set
down again in response to a batch OF
inquiries the poss Utilities of the case,
near and remote.
The beginning Of the trouble Is the
fact that under the constitution a
president-and vice-president-must
get a majority Of the electoral college
to secure election. (See the twelfth
amendment which superseded article
II, Sec. l, paragraph 81 And, OF
course, as any prognosticator can fig.
ure out for himself, the chance in
the coming three-cornered election Of
no candidates receiving majority Is
not to be ignored.
That is only the the start Of the
ta,ngle, however. Suppose neither Mr.
Taft nor Mr.. Wilson nor Col. Roose.
welt gets majority of electors. Then
the election of a president goes to
the house and the election Of a vice
pres ident goes to the senate.
The situation in the house is q
most extraordinary one. The constl
tuition provides that in choosing 8
president the votes shall be takeI
by states, the representation Of each
state having one vote, and MAORI
ty of all the states shall be necessary
| FOR a choice. Now, by turn OF fate
which might not happen. again IL
half a century, the house, voting b,
/ tates, Shows a majority for neither
| party. The delegations Of four states
are evenly divided; land the demo
Gratis, though having a large MAORI
~ in the body, are apparently thre'
states short Of the necessary twenty
five.
| In the senate the situation is no
much more promising for choice
The republicans are expected to keel
their nominal majority by a slende'
margin. But a good slice OF thel
majority is progressive or insurgent
And it is difficult to see how al
agreement could be reached upo1
either Mr. Sherman or MIR. Johnson
| inasmuch as q majority vote Is requ
site here, too. :,
One odd point is the fact that tn
house votes upon the three highes
candidates for president, while tn
senat e votes upon the two highes
candidates for vice president s.
any sort Of a cross-matcher e1ecu
live is conceivable-Wil6On and SheI
man, Taft and johnson. Roosevelt
and Marshall, and so on.
If the house is unable to elect I
president by March and the senat
is unable to elect vice president b.
| March some grave titutiona
questions may arise. One natural.
Turns to the succession provisions-1l
/ n
the constitution and the statut
passed by congress pursu ant thereto
But the language of the consul tutlol
provision is not as satisfactory as
might be. 1t reads:
In case of removal Of the prea
dent from office, or of his death, res
ignation or inability to discharge In
powers and duties OF the said Office
the same shall devolve on the ylct
president; and the congress may D!
Jaw provide for the case OF removal
ueath, resignation or inability, bot
Of the president and vice president
declaring what officer shall then &c
accordingly until the disability b.
removed or president shall be elect
ed" = Il. i,
| congress, under this authority, hal
| named the various cabinet officers II
succession statute, beginning Will
| the secretary OF state.
Considerable perplexity has beer
expressed over the language quotec
above. It is certainly not apt Ian
suage to describe the case which ma.
now conceivably arise, where's one
presidents term expires naturally am
gap exists simply through the fail
ure of the machinery to produce
new president But it may Well b
construed to cover such a case. Il
which event, the honorable secretar!
Of state. whoever he might be OF
March 4, 1913. would step into tn
| White House.
Various other possibilities hav'
been suggested. One is that the pow
er of the house to elect presiden
does not expire on March 4. Crht
language which has been taken u
imply the contrary is to be found II
the twelfth amendment.) II this Y
true the new house could take VI
the task. Also distinction ma!
perhaps be drawn between the houst
and the senate on this point, and ey
en- If the power OF the house ta1le<
the senate might proceed to the cleo
ton OF a vice president. Lastly, con
gress has a power to determine thf
time Of choosing the electors undel
which a call for special election
could possibly be justified.
We present this long tale Of doub'
and confusion to show the possibiai
ties which always lie in a three-cor
nered election under our present sys
tenn. An utter failure in the presi
Dental line is practically sinconcelv
able. But it seems worth pointing
out that the constitutional provision
is by no means as definite or certain
as it might be on this al-importan'
point.-New York Evening Sun.