The Washington times., 1912-07-11
THE SELECTION OF ELECTORS.

already regularly chosen for the Republican ticket,
have announced their intention Of voting for Roose-
velt in event the Republican ticket wins in their
respective States. re-.
Briefly, the situation is this Presidential
electors selected according to State laws or State
party rules. In States the party State conven-
ton selects the list of State electors for its party;
in other States the several districts select their cleo
tors district conventions, and the State conventions
select only the two electors-at-arge; other States
have supplementary laws which enable electors to
be put on the ticket if certain number of voters
petition it to be done. In short, the manner in
which Presidential electors are chosen depends en-
tirey upon State laws or rules laid down by State
party organizations. The national organization Of
party has nothing to do with the
These electors are the men who really elect
President. The people do not vote for President
directly; they merely vote for electors who are
pledged to vote for certain candidate. There is
nothing legally binding upon any eector to live up
to his promise to represent the sentiment of the
people who vote for him with the understanding
that he is, in turn, their representative, to vote
for a certain Presidential candidate. He is simply
representative of the people, and if he berays the
trust imposed in him there is no legal or political
recourse to which the people may resort compelling
him to do as he promised or nullifying his vote in
event he does not do as he promised.
This crude method, for such it is, makes it
possible for the Electoral College to elect Pres-
dent whom the people do not want; it might elect
a man against whom the people had actually cast
an overwhelming vote, or even man who was not
even candidate at the election. THE ONLY
SAFEGUARD THROWN AROUND THE ELEC-
TORAL COLLEGE is THE SAFEGUARD OF
PUBLIC SENTIMENT, WHICH DEMANDS THE
ELECTORS VOTE FOR A MAN WHOM THEIR
CONSTITUENTS WANT.
There is the crux of the present embarrassing
situation for Taft, Special Privilege, and the Steam
Roller. Millions of men who have been affiliated
with the Republican party do not regard Taft as
the actual nominee of the Republican party. They
believe and have ample proof to sustain their belief,
that his nomination was stolen; obtained by dele
gates who we're fraudulently seated after the
delegates elected by the people to vote against Taft
had been fraudulenty unseated
In great many Western States the progressives
control the party machinery, and by means OF such
power they control the selection of the Republican
electors from their States. These States going
on the theory that Taft has no legal or honorable
claim to the nomination and therefore is not
entitled to expect the support of Republican electors
in the Electoral College
They are also acting DIRECTLY IN ACCORD
WITH THE WELLESTABLISHED FACT THAT
HE ELEClONAL CoLLESE Sf1OULD
THE SENTIMENTS OF THE PEOPLE. The
people in their States want Roosevelt for President
The electors chosen therefore, instructed to vote
for Roosevelt. THE THEFT OF THE NOMINAL
TON FOR TAFT HAS NOT CHANGED THE
SENTIMENT OF THE people, very formida-
Bile fact, which the Taft managers are just beginning
to realize
IN PLACING ROOSEVELT MEN ON THE
TICKET AS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS THE
REPUBLICANS OF THESE PROGRESSIVE
STATES ARE ONLY ACTING IN ACCORDANCE
WITH THE SENTIMENT OF THE GREAT
MASSES OF THEIR PARTY, ONLY CARRYING
OUT LOGICALLY AND HONESTLY THE IDEALS
AND PRINCIPLES THAT THE PEOPLE
SHALL RULE" ONLY REFUSING TO BECOME
PARTY TO THE CRIME COMMITTED AT
CHICAGO.
If Taft and Special Privilege and the Steam,
Roller do not like it, they have their recourse-they
may start party of their own in these States and
fight it out-just as the Roosevelt men are doing
in States where the Bosses still in the saddle
and are preparing to repeat a smaller scale the
outrages committed at Chicago
The Taft campaign committee is facing the awful
fact that regularity" is relative term; one NAV be
| regular" from the standpoint of the people, or he
may be Irregular" from the standpoint of the Bosses
A great many Republican organizations in the
Western States are preferring to be regular from
the standpoint of the people, and the electors the,
select will, as result, vote for Roosevelt from
whom the Steam Roller stole the nomination a
Chicago.