The Washington times., 1912-11-04
DEATH Of UTTER
MAY HAVE EFFECT
ON THE ELECTION
Loss From House Adds
Rhode Island Temporarily
to Democrats.
By THEODORE TILLER.

Adding one more complication to a
Presidential election which may be
thrown into the House of Representa-
tives. the death Of Congressman George
II. Utter. Republican, Of Rhode Island.
is announced today.
Mr.. Utter's death NAV have a vital
bearing on the Presidency, in the event
the duty of election dcvolves upon the
House. II doesn't break the existing
deadlock: but. for the present, il adds
one more Democratic state to the list.
Furthermore. the death OF Mr. Utter
illustrates how fate may take a hand
In shaping the destinies of the nation
Tor the next four years. II breaks the
lie and means Democratic advantage.
Mr.. Utter was a stanch Republican
from one OF the four tied" States pro-
hibited from voting In the event no
candidate receives Il majority in the
Electora> College and the election went
TO the lower branch OF Congress. HIS
death makes Rhode Island not an even
ly divided state, but Democratic
state. so far az voting purposes 20.
As the House delegations now stand,
the vote for President would be as fol-
lows:
Democratic, 23.
Republican. q.
Tied, 3 MAINE, Nebraska. New Mexl-
co.
A majority Of all the States in the
Union, or twenty-five, each State hav-
ing one vote. is needed to elect a Prcsi-
dent. For moths, since the possibility
Of the House election of President
developed by reason OF the peculiar
political conditions of today. the vote
tn Nt.it 4 .I
not voting.
Seat Vacant; Breaks Tie.
So far as the Sixty-second Congress
is concerned, RhCde Island is REPRESENT
ed In the House by Congrcssnan
O'Shaunnessy, II Democrat. If sp"-
c!al election Is held and "A Democrat iy
elected to succeed Mr.. Utter 1t makey
doubly sure the casting of the Rhode
Island vote for Wilson and Marshall
provided, always, that the House is
destined to elect.
If the Utter seat remains vacant, the
tie Is broken. Mr.. o Shaunnessy would
caucus with himself and decree that
hhode Islands vote shall be cast for the
Democratic candidates.
In the event of a special election,
wherein the Republicans elect a success
sor OF that party to succeed Congress-
man Utter, the state would go back
Into the tied" column.
The story IL a speculative one but
there are thousands of voters and poll
ticians who would not be surprised 10
see the election of the twenty-eighth
President thrown into the House. \
landslide for any candidate, Of course
louts all such conjecture but IL Wilson,
Taft, and Roosevelt should SO divide the
electoral vote that neither has Il ma
,ority in the Electoral College, the Con-
4,ttt al .l,.G,
elect. and the lower body of Congress
has been tightly deadlOCked since the
beginning Of the campaign, as there
were twenty-five States with Demo-
twenty-five with Republicans, and four
evenly divided.
Puts Democrats Step Nearer.
Congressman Connel. a New York
Democrat. died last week, but his death
did not change the complexion of the
overwhelmingly Democratic Empire
State delegation.
Rhode Island. however. had but two
members in the House, and the passing
OF the Republican Representative pos
sibly will have a far-reaching effect. 1t
puts the Democrats II step nearer the
needed control Of twenty-five States: IL
broadens the opportunities for trading
In the event of an apparently intermin-
able deadlock. and increases the tense
ness OF the situation in the event the
election tomorrow Is not decisive one.
With the death of the Vice President
and two members of the House fresh in
the mind OF the public, one turns to
Maine, Nebra ska. and New Mexico. the
three remaining tied States. The
death OF member from either OF
these States would tip the political
rcales In the House either toward the
Republican or Democratic END, and
would bring about an unprecedented
situation
II must be borne in mind. of course
that the expiring SiXty-second Congress