The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1912-08-08
HOW NO PRESIDENT MAY BE
ELECTED.
What Will Happen in Case NO Can
didate Gets Majority for
President?

The MINNEAPOLIS Journal has look
de up what will happen in case none
of the three candidates for presl-
dent-Taft, Roosevelt or WILSON,
gets q majority in the electoral COL
lege this fall, and tells ABOUT IL DIS
follows:
The imminence Of a third party
movement that is quite likely 70
make itself felt in tho electoral COL
lege has set loose g flood OF specu-
lation as to what will happen III
the event that none of the three can.
didates secure 9 clear majority OF
the electors. 1t is seen that tnls
is a contingency distinctly possible,
if the independent Roosevelt move
ment goes on to finish.
The twelfth amendment to the
constitution, adopted in 1874, pro-
yides that in the event OF the 1allure
of a majority of the electors to vote
for one candidate, "the house OF
representatives shall choose immedl-
ately, by ballot, the president. Ihe
immediacy of this injunction makes
it necessary for the present mouse
to ballot for president the moment
the failure of the electors to elect
is officially declared.
The present house is democratic,
but the twelfth amendment PROVIDES
that the vote is to be taken by states'
a majority of them being necessary
to elect. and each state being settled
by it's own delegation. 1t chances
that the democrats have majority
of the delegation in three less than
a majority of the states. There
would be twenty-five democratic
state votes, twenty-five republican
state votes, and four states in which
the delegation is evenly divided be-
tween the parties. twenty-five
votes would be necessary Tor a
choice.
~ There is another consideration.
The constitution stipulates that only
three highest names on the elector-
al college poll may be voted Tor IN
the house. Thus there would be
no chance for compromises or dark
horses The deadlock would be APP
parently unbreakable. What then!
In such a case the senate takes
a hand. The amendment says: III
the house of representatives shall
not choose a president, whenever
the right of choice shall devolve
upon them, before the fourth day OF
March next following, then the vice
president shall act as president, as IN
as in the case of death or other con-
stitutional disability of the presl-
dent" .
Who would the vice president be?
The term of Vice President Sherman
expires March 4, 1913. But mean
while the senate would have elected
a vice president, a duty devolvlng
upon it in the case of failure OF
election in the electoral college.
And whoever the senate had elected
would succeed to the presidency, IN
view of the failure OF the house to
choose.
But here enters curious clrcum-
stance. For some reason the
twelfth amendment, while giving
the house choice between the three
highest candidates for president, re-
stricts the senate to the two hlghest
candidates for vice president. Prop
ably this is intended to make
choice in the senate certain, thus
preventing any interregnum. Inc
senate is republican, and it would
probably elect to the vice presidency
either Sherman or Roosevelt's run
ming mate, depending on which had
the higher vote in the electoral COL
lege. Or enough progressive sena-
tors might join with the democrats
to elect the democratic candidate
for vice president.
Thus the constitution provides a
way out, in the event of tie-up in
the electoral college.