El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-10-15

the best piece of timber in the whole
structure was the electoral system for
choosing the president The friends
of the great instrument pointed with
pride to the fact that there was one
clause in it that even it's enemies did
! not disapprove, not even when Adams
/ prayed himself into office But time
! has shown that what was regarded
| as the strongest safeguard Of the lib
/ critics of the people has most often
/ proved the greatest menace to the IN
/ tegrity of the union once it was
/ amended, and several times laws have
| been enacted to reinforce its prOvls-
: IONS and its whole spirit has been
! transformed through the Will of the
I people and vet it is still an unsatis-
I factory way Of choosing a president
/ when those great crises come where
/ a vote or two decides which Of the
/ great political parties shall for four
( years assume the responsibilities Of
/ executive government.
Counting Is Faulty.
Its weakness lies not so much IN the
/ method of casting the vote. but main
/ " in the method Of counting It, There
! are so many problems that nave not
1 been settled which hurt nothing so
! long as there is not a close election,
but which invite all sorts Of clashes
/ when the scales of political fortune
need only the weight of hair TO
turn them. Can a state vote on any
other than the regular Gay laid down
by law Can an electors vote be
counted when he is cOnstitutlonaliy
ineligible to vOte2 What procedure
/ is TO be taken if the governor Of a
state refuses to certify the returnS-
Does the president of the senate
l count the votes or are the two houses
( to count them, he serving as presld-
/ ing officer
If the reader is properly to under
! stand all the issues that a counting
I of the vote may involve, it viii be well
: TO examine the method by which II IS
l officially ascertained who is elected
president and vice president AFTER
! the returns from all the electoral col
/ leSes are in the hands Of the presl-
dent or the senate, and II any stare Is
slow about sending in its returns, the
/ state department is authorized TO
send a messenger to the judge or the
federal court Of the district in which
the electors met to get the third copy.
the senate and house meet in the hall
of the house of representatives, with
the president Of the senate presiding,
the speaker Of the house sitting on
his left Each BODY previously APP
points two telIers, and when the pre-
siding officer opens the votes Of the
states in alphabetical order, he hands
/ them, state by state. to the tellers,
who, after reading them in the pres
ence of the Joint session, give OppOr-
tunity for any objections to be filed
Objections Must Be Written.
Tt is required that such objections
shall be in writing, and that they
shall state clearly and cOncisely, with
out argument, the grounds upon
which they are based. They must be
signed by at least one member OF
each house. If such objections are
filed on the vote of any state. the
Joint session breaks up. and the senate
returns to its own chamber. and each
body then decides its course on the
objections. If they both agree to re-
nnnecrpn
rejected. Otherwise they are counted.
For instance. If a question should come
Up about the electoral vote of Kansas
when the counting takes place next
February. if the Kansas vote should
be objected to and both the senate
and house should vote TO sustain the
objection, then Kansas would get no
vote But If the senate should vote
one way and the house the other, then
Kansas vote would be counted The
only ground on which votes may be
rejected, even by concurrent vote OF
the two bodies. is Irregularities in
casting them
Governor Certifies to Votes.
In case there should be two sets OF
returns from a state the one having
title to regularity shall be counted,
but in case where rival officials claim
the right to certify electors elected TO
the secretary of state, if the TWO
houses each voting separately sustain /
the one side, il gets the right to vote. /
fled by the governor of the state is /
recognized For instance, suppose the
quarrel over electors in Kansas should /
reach such an accurate stage that it /
could not be settled in the state; sup !
pose that two sets Of electors should /
meet and cast the vote of the state, Z
each making its returns to the presi- |
dent of the senate, then the two 1
houses of congress. acting separately {
would have to decide which set is en-
titled to be counted. If they failed to I
agree, then the set whose election /
was certified by governor Stubs :
would be counted.
When the congress is in joint ses-
sion it cannot be dissolved until the
count is completed and the result an
nOunced. If any question is brought
up which requires separate action, a
recess may be taken until the next
calendar day at 10 o'clock But il the
session extends beyond five days, then
there can be no more recesses until
the count is finished, and a deadlock
exceling any all night fuibuster in
history might ensue-
The presiding officer is forbidden to
declare any man elected All he can
do is to announce the state of the vote
which announcement shall be deemed
a sufficient declaration of the per-
sons, If any, elected. If there is no
choice, and the election goes to the
house and to the senate, the practice
has been to announce that fact and
adjourn the joint session.
1t is interesting to follow the count
ing idea up through the years of
American political history. The first
count was held in New York with -
present. John LangdOn was
elected president pro tempore of the
senate for the sole purpose of open
ing the certificates and counting the
votes in the presence Of the house"
The house was advised that the senate !
was ready to proceed with that duty, (
and asked to meet ii in the senate I
chamber Mr.. LangdOn counted the /
votes and no voice was raised in pro-
test. In the second election the an
nails Of congress state that a special
president pro tempOre was chosen to /
preside over the joint session. but J
John Adams, the vice president would :
not have il so, and he counted the ]
votes that made him vice president (
The second time, and also announced
he result
adams Declares self Elected. I
In the third electoral count John I
ADAMS again presided, and in cOnclud-
ng the joint session said: I now de-
.lare that John Adams is elected pres !
dent of the United States for four
-eaTS, to commence with the fourth
lay Of March next and that Thomas
jefferson is elected vice president of Z
he United States for four years, to
commence with the fourth of March 7
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