Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1912-06-22
ELECTION 100
YEARS AGO.

Under the Constitution, before 1t
was changed by the X11th Amend
mcnt, the Electors did not vote for
Vice President. The candidate
receiving the highest number of
electoral votes, provided he received
majority was elected President,
and the candidate receiving the next
highest vote, if likewise a majority,
was elected Vice President. This
was the method until complications
arose in 1900 when Thos. Jefferson
and Aaron Burr received an equal
number of votes (73) which led to the
adoption of the X1Ith amendment
recurring candidates for President
and Vice President to be voted for
separately. In 1900 it was well
known that Jefferson and Burr were
candidates for President and Vice
President respectively, against John
Adams and c.. C. Pinckney. Natur-
ally they received the same number
Of votes, party lines being strictly
drawn, but no one voted for Burr
with the view Of clecting him Presi-
lent. Being a schemer of great
adroitment he Immediately asserted
his claim to Presidency. and the
election was thrown into the House
IF Representatives, where the vote
was cast by States, a majority OF
States being required to elect. There
we're sixteen States at that time, and
for thirty-five ballots the vote stood
3 to s. Finally, on the 36th ballot,
Jefferson received the vote of 10
States, Burr 4, and two States cast
blank ballots. Jefferson was there
fore elected. This, as before related,
led to the adoption of the Xllth
Amendment, to prevent recurrence
Of such a complication.
Gen. Washington was elected, on
each occasion without opositlon-
distinction enjoyed by no other
President. 1t is true that Monroe,
when he ran the second time, re-
ccivcd every vote but one, which was
cast by New Hampshire elector for
John Quincy Adams, who gave as
his reason for so voting that he did
not want any one to share with
Washington the honor of an unanl-
nous vote.
In the early days of the Republic
no regular nominations were made,
candidates being voted for by sort
of common consent. Electors were
privileged to vote for whom they
pleased. There is no law, even now
compelling them TO vote for any
particular candidate, but the moral
obligation is such that no elector
has ever dared to vote for candl-
date other than the one in whose
interest he ran.
1t was many years before national
conventions to nominate Presidential
candidates were held or thought OF.
In the early days, candidates were
put up by Congressional caucusses.
Finally, the people felt that men,
bers of Congress were arrogatlng to
themselves too much authority, and
for awhile candidates were brought
out and endorsed by State Legls-
latures.
The first general convention OF
the Democratic party to nominate a
candidate, met in Baltimore on May,
q. 1882, for the sole purpose OF
nominating a candidate for Vice
President to run on the ticket with
Andrew Jackson. John c. Calhoun
was selected.
In 1924 Calhoun had been elected
Vice President but the vote for
President was so divided that no
one received a majority, and the
election was thrown into the House
of Representatives, which elected
! John Quincy Adams over Andrew
Jackson. Four years later, Jackson
and Calhoun ran without any nom
nation and were elected over Adams