Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-11-05
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WASHINGTON, Nov. 5.-The next
electoral college will consist OF 53l
members, which means that the can
didate for president at today's cleo
tion, IL successful, must receive at
least 266 electoral votes. Political OBJ
servers are now asking what will
happen if none of the three leading
candidates for the presidency-Presi-
dent Taft, Colonel Roosevelt and Gov
ernor Wilson-receives the necessary
majority of the electoral vote.
The, law provides that the selection
of a president under these conditions
shall be thrown into the house OF
representatives. The election OF a
president was thrown into the house
in 1901, and the complication which
then arose resulted in the Twelfth
Amendment to the Constitution,
which covers the contingency which
many persons think may again arise
as a result of today's election. 1t
provides that the electoral colleges
shall meet and ballot in their respect
i've states; that they shal prepare
lists showing how they have voted,
which shall be transmitted to the fed
eral capitol and opened in a session
of the two houses of congress by the
president of the senate; that the votes
shall then be counted; that the per
son having he greatest number OF
electoral votes, If it be a Inajority,
shall be president, and that If there
be no such person the voting shall
take place in the house of represent
atives and by states.
Then comes the interesting pssibil-
ity that the house may not be able to-
elect The states in the house are
equally divided politically, although
the present congress is democratic by
numbers. In twenty-five states the
majority of the delegation is republi.
can and in an equal number of states
the majority is democratic. Then
there are four states where the dele
cation is equally divided, and mas.
much as each state is entitled to one
vote only, no votes could be cast in
these four states. This situation
would make it impossible for the
house to elect unless there should be
a combination between the Taft men
and the democrats, on the one hand,
or the Roosevelt men and the demo
Gratis, on the other.
If the house remained tied there
would be no election. The senate
would choos vice president, and he
would act as president. AS the sen
ate stands there are 49 republican
senators, "A democratic senators, and
three vacancies, one each in Colorado,
Illinois and Idaho. The vacancies will
probably be filled by state legislatures
soon after the first Of the year. If the
republicans managed to keep their
majority the situation would be as in
teresting or more SO than II the body
were evenly divided. Under the Con-
stitution the senate must choose be-
tween the two candidates for vice
president receiving the highest num-
ber of votes in the electoral college.
On the surface of things the republi-
cans, having a majority, would re-
elect Mr.. Sherman to succeed Presi-
dent Taft. But the republican con-
troll is only nominal, for among the
republican senators are several who
have declared for Roosevelt and John
son, and would not 1t Is believed, vote
for Sherman or Marshall unless COM
PEELED by a majority of the senate,
under a rule requiring that every sen.
ator present shall vote on every roll
call. to declare for one or the other.