Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1912-09-06
If NEITHER CANDIDATE SHOULD
GET A MAJORITY.

An absorbing question to those who
seek out curious possibilities in poll
tics and election results is what
would happen in the event no candi-
date for president should receive a
majority vote in the electoral college,
and the election should, under the
constitution, be imposed upon the
house Of representatives, in which
the states in such emergencies vote
severally as units. The two great po'
litical parties being a tie in the unit
control Of the states, an election, with
the representatives adhering to party
lines, would be impossible, unless by
reason Of death or resignation there
should be such a change Of the unit
complexion as to permit an election.
or course, Vt is an extremely remote
possibility, but still the very exis-
tence CT the possibility exposes a de
feet in our grand scheme of repubh-
can government.
In the current North American Re
view, Editor Harvey speculates at
length upon the possibility in ques-
ton. The real candidates" says Ed.
itor Harvey, ARE Woodrow Wilson an
James S. Sherman, with the remote
possibility Of Philander c. Knox be-
coming acting president, pending a
new election in 1913" Rather start
ling, isn't it?
The basis is, Of course, the POSSIBLE
ity that the election may be thrown
into the house by the failure Of any
one of the candidates to secure 266
electoral votes, which Is a majority
of the electoral college. The house
of representatives is, politically, even.
ly divided. twenty-five states have
majority OF Democrats in their
house delegation, twenty-five a major
ity Of Republicans, and four, Maine,
Nebraska, New Mexico and Rhode
Island, are evenly divided. In an
election by the house the delegation
from each state casts one vote. 1t
would appear, therefore, that, should
the people fail to elect, Mr.. Wilson
would receive in the house the votes
Of twenty-five states, Mr.. Taft and
Mr.. Roosevelt together the votes Of
twenty-five, and the four states men
TONED would cast no vote, their dele.
cations being hall Republican and
hall Democratic. 1t Is conceivable
that in the voting the party lines
might be crossed, but Mr.. Wilson
would have to win over three states
In onder to get the requisite majority
Of twenty-five, and that Colonel Har-
vey regards as impossible.
Under the constitutional provision
the house failing to make a choice,
vice-President Sherman would act as
president, precisely as in the case Of
the death or disability Of the chief
executive. But II no president was
elected by the people, no vice-pnesi-
dent would be elected. The constitu-
ton provides in such case that the
senate, each senator voting indiyidu-
ally, shall choose a vicepresident,
the choice being restricted to the two
candidates having the highest number
Of electoral votes. This would un-
doubtedly be Marshall and Sherman.
A majority Of the senate Is required
to elect, but even Il Illinois and Col
orado should send Republican sena-
tors to fill existing vacancies, the
total Republican vote in the senate
would be but fifty.two. Colonel Har-
vey reasons that in this situation
Mr.. Roosevelt might persuade four
Of the so-caleh insurgent senators.
Dixon, Clark, Bourne. Works, Borah,
and Poindexter, 10 refrain from vot-
ing. which would prevent an election,
Thereupn. the secretary Of state
would, under the law Of. succession
enacted By the Forty-ninth congress,
act a. president "until a president b
elected" Under the Law. the acting
precedent would convene congress,
giving twenty da,s' notice. 50 con