The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-11-03
THE POSSIBLE PROCESSES.

There has been much current mlslnfor
nation disseminated. partly through
the uncertainty of questions asked ano
the indefinitenoss of what the inquirer
was trying 10 get at. But concisc
connected story Of the whole matter
will surely be welcome.
To begin with. then, on Tuesday
next tho voters in the several State
| of this Union will vote on candidates
President The people do not vote
direct for either Of these high off.
| cials. Under the Constitution, the
electors chosen bv the voters in the sew
cral States are the ones who really and
| officially directly elect the freside eDt
and Vice President. These electors so
chosen meet on the second Monday OF
January next after the election (Which
will be Monday, January IL, 1870
and vote by ballot on the candidates
for President and Vice President a dis
tinct and separate ballot for each.
They make a record of these ballots
and lists of all the persons for whom
they vote. This record and lists arc
sent to the Vice President of The
United States. (tbls time the President
pro tcmporc of the [, >. Scnate.) who
in the presence Of the Joint session OF
the Senate and House Of Representa-
tivcs TO be held on the second Wcdncs
day (tho 18th day. of February next
opens all the certificates from the clcc-
tors from the different States. II 1T
is found that majority of all the
electors have voted for any one person
for President, he shall he declared the
President elect. The same is ease of
the Vice President.
But if on the count of the votes Ger
titled by tho electors, il is found that
no person has majority for President
or Vice President, then tho election FOR
President goes TO the House of Rep
resentatives, each State having ono
vote, and the selection being made from,
the three candidates having. the high
est number of electoral votes. There
are forty-eight votes to be cast, that
being the number Of the States. At
present the Republicans have ma
iority Of Representatives in twenty
two of the States. The Democrats also
have a majority Of Representatives in
twenty-five of the States. Ia four Of
the States, Maine. Nebraska, New
Mexico, and Rhode Island, there is d
tie in the delegations, 1t will require
twenty five States voting for any can
didate to elect him President. The
of the House eecting, there
fore, is not good, in case the election
should 90 to the House.
In case no one has a majority of the
votes for Vice President, the
election for that office goes to the
Senate. The Senators vote not by
States but individually and choose be-
tween the two persons having the high
est number Of electoral votes. The Re
publcans have an apparent majority
in the Senate, but the Progressive
Senators who hold the balance Of power
are liable to refuse to agree TO vote
for any nominee Of the party caucus.
But if the House fails to elect a i
President by the 18th day of March
next. and the Senate elects a Vice
President, the person so elected Vice
President succeeds to the Presidency.
If the House fails to elect a President
and the Senate fails to elect Vice
the old officials go out of
office, but there is none TO take their
place. The law at present provides
that in the case of the death or dis
ability of the President and Vice Pres
dent, the succession shall be TO the |
Secretary of State and to other Cabinet |
officers in turn in case there should |
be no Secretary of State, and so on.
But the law does not provide that such !
lency In case Of the failure in the |
electoral college and in the House and |
Senate to elect President and Vice |
President. Indeed, the terms Of the |
Cabinet officers themselves may have |
expired, and the country might enjoy |
an interregnum in which bureau chiefs
would be supreme until another Presi- |
lential election could be held
But every one hopes that the elec-
ton will be through the electoral col |
ege, as usual. The Republicans hope |
and expect the reelection of Presi |
lent Taft by a substantial majority in |
The electoral college The Democrats |
are claiming the same for Governor
Wilson. There are even misguided |
people who affect to believe that Col. |
onel Roosevelt will receive majority |
IN the electoral college, This, how.
ever, would be hopeless proposition. |
1t is fervently TO be desired, however, |
hat there will be popular choice at |
,he election on Tuesday next, giving !
'lear majority in the electoral college; |
For prospects OF election otherwise than |
through the electoral college are at the |
present time the worst that have ever |
been presented to the American people, |
ASKING HELP ABROAD.
III