The Washington herald., 1912-11-03
THE POLITICAL SITUATION

THE POLITICAL SITUATION
The campaign is approaching it
close On next Tuesday the America
people will choose their next Presi
dent. The chances are still largel,
in favor of the Democratic candidate
simply because the Republican party il
divided in nearly every State. Ii
States with large Republican plurali
ties, like Illinois, the Republicans car
experience a detection of even IS pei
cent and still carry the State. Ir
other States, like Missouri. which was
carried four years ago by the Republi-
cans with a plurality of only 61o, and
in Indiana, where the Republican plu-
rality was about 10000, the dominan,
party cannot lose many votes without
suffering defeat The trouble is. SO
far as the Republicans are concerned,
that there are too many States with
narrow margins of safety
President Taft and the Republicans
have made gallant fight against
enormous odds. If they lose. they can,
with entire accuracy place the respon-
sibility upon Roosevelt's shoulders. 1t
is. of course, impossible for him to be
elected, inasmuch as it would take
eight out of every ten Republican
votes to assure him victory, and he
cannot approach anything like this
percentage. At the same time, it has
always been possible for him to defeat
President Taft. and, apparently, this
has been his sole object. Acting un-
der his instructions, his followers in
every State have placed third tickets
in the field for the purpose of dividing
the Republican vote, and in California
and South Dakota they have not al
lowed the Republican electors to 60
upon the ballot. The best Democratic
asset in the entire campaign has been
Theodore Roosevelt, even though he
has asserted that the election of Wood
row Wilson and Democratic admin
istration would plunge this country
into a panic beside which all other
panics have been as child's play. More
than this. he has predicted, in his con-
fession of faith, that Wilson's election
would be followed by an era of de-
preston which would indefinitely con-
tinue
1t is one of Mr.. Roosevelt's numer-
ous inconsistencies that he has ma
terially aided to bring about the very
condition of affairs which he paints in
such despairing words.
There is, of course, possibility that
the election will not be decisive. In
that event, the House of Representa-
tives must undertake to make a choice,
and, as is generally known, that body
is evenly divided as to the political
complexion of its State delegations.
Under the provisions of the Consti-
tuition, each State casts one vote.
There are twenty-five States with Re-
publican and twenty-five States with
Democratic delegations. while four
States-Maine, Nebraska, Rhode Is-I
land, and New Mexico-have delega-
tions composed of an equal number of
each party. The House will, there
fore, be unable to elect, and the Senate
will be compelled to act.
Merely as a matter of information,
in the event that there is no landslide,
it may be interesting to state that
should any Presidential candidate fail |
to receive the votes of a majority of
the States in the House, it will de-
volye upon the Senate to choose 4 |
Vice President. Upon such an cleo
ton each Senator has an Independent
vote. In so voting for a Vice Presi-
dent the Senate is, by the Constitu-
tion, restricted to the two candidates
for Vice President who received the
highest number of votes in the cleo
toral college. The Vice President thus
elected becomes President of the
United States.
In the event, therefore, that the
election is not Conclusive next Tues
lay, the selection of a successor to the
ate Vice President Sherman becomes
If importance, because the next Presi:
lent may be either Marshall, Johnson,
" the man named by the Republican
National Committee at its meeting in
chicago on the 18th instant. If VIII
on and Marshall and Roosevelt and
'ohnson get more electoral votes than
he Republican candidates, the Senate
must vote upon Marshall and johnson,
nd, by the same token. johnson may
e eliminated from the possibilities.
Everything is, of course dependent
pon the outcome on Tuesday, but