Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1912-04-12

| f''" 'o,Vi' more votes than
Harrison, hut Harrison scored
/ maJorities in states that counted.
IN the electoral college Harrison
mad 233 votes and Cleveland los -.
Four years later Cleveland had
0oO'SlO more votes than Har-
rlson, while in the electoral coll
lege Cleveland mad PIT votes and
Harrison l45.
The story of he proceedings in
the convention which framed our
constitution, wherein the presi-
dental vote is concerned, is in
terestinS. In truth. the fathers
see0ed to feel that il would be
well to reach conclusions by indi-
rection with respect to the presi-
dency Then, too. there was
regard fer the relative preroga-
tive Of states as states. Of course,
the theory was that the electors.
chosen 10y states, would meet,
take up the election of a president
as now bu.incss consider the
relative merits of rival candidates
and decide. as in original propo,-
tion. and without reference to
party preference declared at the
polls.
So far was this theory carried
that in our early elections, until
the constitution was amended, The
business of the men in the electoral
college was to declare the man
having the highest vote elected
president and the man having the
next highest vote vice president.
Were that process still The law. at
the election held four years ago.
Mr.. Taft would have become presi-
dent and Mr.. Bryan, second in the
running, vice president. Under the
pi esCnt arrangement the elector
is merely dummy: that is to say
he has no function except to vote
in accordance with the majority
recorded al the pO Is in lis state.
Washington, for his first trem, was
elected in 1889. Prior to 1904
the constitution meanwhile having
been amended, the people voted for
presdiet but not for vice president.
As FIR the elector, they hold no
joint session. They meet in their
several states, vote. canvass the
vote, certify thereto and send re-
turns to Washington under rules
provided by statute. The presi-
dent Of the senato. in presence of
the returns. "and the vote shall
then be counted" and the person
having the greatest number of
votes for president shall he presi-
dent. If such number shall he
majority Of the whole number of
electors" Otherwise, from the
persons having the highest number.
not exceeding three. the house Of
representative snail Immediately.
by ballot. choose "a president. but
in this ballot each state shall have
only one vote. In the pesent house
the democrats have majority Of
sixty odd. OF course, Il part of
this majority comes from states
where the congressional delegation
includes moro republicans than
democrats so that il would be le
to attempt to make foecasts, il
being impossible to guess, in case
Of Roosevelt, independent ticket.
how the republicans would vote.
The present congress would deal
with the subject it exists until
March 4. 1913.
The complications are many.
In the house of representatives
Massachusetts,, fo~ instance, has
four democrats and ten republic
cans: Michigan has two democrats
and ten republicans: Nebraska
/ has three democrats and three re-
puhlicans; Maine has two demo-
Gratis and two republicans; Rhode
| Island has one democrat and one
rcpul lican. Eleven democrats
represent Illinois districts and that
state has fourteen republican
members, but whether these four
teen. in the last resort. could
unite either on Roosevelt or Taft
rather than let the democrats get
the states one vote, is question.
The same in New York. In the
house that state has fourteen demo.
10