Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-16

iiounee mat TACT and adjourn the ioint
session ~ ''
~ is interesting 10 follow the counting
'dea up through the years OF American
political history The
voCcS counted first count WAS held
- Al &C., ia New York. with
twelve enat ors
present. John Langdon was elected
president pro tempore OF the Sen te Tor
the sole purpose of opening the certii-
Gates and counting the votes I'm the pres
ence OF the House. The House was a6-
vised that the Senate was ready 20 pro-
coed with that duty, and asked to NEE; IL
in the Senate chamber. MIR. Lanedon
counted the votes and no voice was
raised In protest In the second election
the annals ~ Congress state that a sce-
eial president pro tempore was chosen to
preside over the JOINT session, hut John
Adams. the Vice President. would not
have IL so. and he counted the votes that
made him Vice President the second
time, and also announced the result.
In the third electoral count John Adams
again presided. and in concluding the
joint session said: II nov declare that
John Adams is elected President OF the
United States for four years. 10 COM
menee with the fourth day OF March
next: and that Thomas Jefferson is elect
ed Vice President of the United States
for four years. to commence with the
fourth of March next. And may the Sou
ereign Of the Universe, the oTdainer OF
civil government on earth. for the pres
ervation of liberty, justice and peace
among men enable both to Discharge the
duties of these offices conformably To
the Constitution Of the United States.
with conscientious diligence. punctuaaity
and perseverance," This is the only
l,s m
presiding officer has twice declared
himself elected to Office and the only
time that IL ever was done with a prayer
and a benediction.
Thomas jefferson presided over tie
count of 1891. when he and Burr tied for
first place. "a
Jefferson Ties Burr though all who
~ MI, voted for BUR-
only to be Vice President. There was
some irregularfty about the Georgia re-
turns. and il they had been thrown out
the election would have gone into the
House with three candidates instead Of
two Jeffersons enemies charged tina;
he had counted these votes waen he
should have rejected them, but most au-
thorities Justify his course. He declared
that there was no choice and that the
House would proceed TO elect a President.
1t was this historic trouble that led 10
the twelfth amendment to the Constitu-
ton.
Aaron Burr presided over the joint ses-
sion in the second jefferson lection. and
refused to take the responsibility OF the
count upon his shoulders. saying TO the
House of Representatives.: You Will
uyil neQ6 10 nj he M
as the Constitution and the law directs.
But the Senate, jealous of its preroga-
tves, next day required Burr TO certify
that he had counted the vote
In 1917 Indiana sent in Its electoral
vote, although Indiana was not A state at
the time the vote was cast. II was
protested, but Congress lodged by simply
authorizing the presiding officer to state
that If the vote of Indiana We're counted
II would stand much for so-and-so and
SO much for so-and-so; but that If the
vote of Indiana were not counted the re-
suit would be so-and-so The same thing
happened when Missouri came into the
Union and again when Michigan came in.
Such alternative announcement has
been made in several other instances
but the margin Of the successful candi-
dates i'm these instance always was large
enough to win without the questioned
votes. Congress never borrowed trouble
by deciding an unnecessary issue.
The repeated rows of the civil war and
reconstruction periods are too intricate
and involved TO be
Joint Rule gone into here. II
me- was during the for
famous 'twenty-second Joint rule" which
permitted the electoral vote of any state
to be thrown out simply by a disagree
ment of the two houses. WAS PASSED. The
folly of this rule is disclosed b. thu
experience of Arkansas in ls':;. The Ho4se
voted to accept and count the Arkansas
vote. The Senate. observing that Their
was no seal of the state OF Arkansas Oh
the returns, threw them out. Aftorwarl
IL Was discovered that the state of Al
kansas at that time Rad no official seal
that they had disfTanchsed more than
half million people in twenty minutes
simply because they did not know the
state had no seal.
Many vexing problems have come up In
connection with the counting. Should the
Georgia vote have Been counted when IT.
electors got mixed on the date? Should
the Wisconsin electors have had their
votes counted when they were DELAYED
by a snowstorm7 These and MANY other
questions have arisen ana have not al
fected the issue. But suppose they should
come I'D when the result would hinge
upon their determination? suppose they
should come no In the present three cor
nered fight and in the present temper or
the people, That is why SO many de-
nands are being made for an overhaul
ing of our election machinery. Those
who demand change want machinery
that will work in foul political weather
as we'll as in fair