The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1912-07-23
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DUTY OF ELECTORS.

A candidate for ii s.Gential oicctor
on the republican ticket in Ohio has
announced that he will vote for Col
Roosevelt. if elected, no matter II
the state votes for Mr.. Taft. This is
strictly within his rights under the
constitution and is in direct line with
the original idea in framing our con-
stitution, but it is not in line with the
present ideas of what is honest in
politics. The original idea of the IA
theirs in framing our method of elect
ing a president and vice president
was that the electors, chosen by the
people of the staes. either by popular
vote or through the medium OF the
legislature, should vote for the two
persons who in their estimation
would best fill the offices, the only
limitation being that they should not
vote for two men residing in the
same state with the elector.
The object OF adopting this meth
Cd was to remove the selection
from any sudden gust of passion or OF
personal popularity on the part OF
some designing person. 1t was
thought this method would lend dig
nifty to the selection of chief magis-
trates, and 50 hedge it abe" that cool
second thought might take the place
of momentary enthusiasm on the
part of the people. For a hundred
years, however, it has been the rule
that the wishes of the voters should
govern, and only once, up to the
present time, has any elector had The
temerity to break the rule. That
was in the second election of Monroe
Every state had voted for him and
It was expected he would receive
the unanimous vote of the electors,
but one elector in New Hampshire
cast his ballot for John Quincy
Adams. 1t is said he did this for
the reason that he thought NJ man
after Washington should be elected
by a unanimous vote.
Up to 1910 it frequently occurred
that both Maryland and Vermont dl-
vided their votes, but those were
the days before parties became a
fixed part of our political system.
1t has occurred on some occasions
that while the state ct large voted
for the candidate OF one larty. one
or more opposing electors pulled
through. Thus ia 1892 Clevelnnd
received one vote ia Onto aGa Ole
in Oregon, alt,oHeI each Of those
states went republican, and Harrison
got vote IL California and North
Dakota, while the popular vote was
for Cleveland. and Michigan divi9"c
her vote. giving Cleveland FIVE
In 1874 strong effort WIS made
in the senate to amend the consd-
tuition so as to do away With the
electoral college letting Zach state
vote directly for president and vice
president. The vote being certified |
10 congress, that body was TO give
the successful candidate as many |
votes as the state had in congi"ss
1t was argued in tavor of this plan
that it would avoid any political
treachery on the part of an elector |
ny voting contrary TO the wishes of
a majority Of the people of the state. |
Such a plan would prevent just such
attempts as that threatened by the |
Ohio elector Under present political !
methods an elector is only the mouth
piece of a majority of the people OF
his state, and it would be regarded
as political treachery for him 10 vote
contrary to tho wishes Of the MAJOR
ity. Just to suit ms own personal
Observation-Disclosures Post.