The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-07-23
THE ELECTORAL SYSTEM.
II May Fall This Year as a Result of
Unusual Conditions.


conservative and progressive types,
believe that the United States are
headed today in the direction of these
doctrines.
Nomination of candidates for presi-
dent and vice-president by direct pri-
maries, made uniform in all States
by federal law.
Election of the president and vice
president by direct vote.
Abolition of the present electoral
college system.
Provision that the president and
vice-president may be elected by a
plurality of the popular vote, rather
than a majority.
The statesmen who hold this belief
are strengthened in it by what they
now consider to be the prospect that
the electoral college of 1912 will fail
in its purpose and be unable to choose
a president and vice-president.
In the possibility that the electoral
college may revert to its original func-
tion-that of a body exercising it's
own judgment as to candidates-they
see its extinction. So far as the con
stitution goes, these statesmen argue,
the electoral college has just as much
right to elect whom it pleases as it
ever had, so far as the custom of
years is concerned, they say it will
commit a revolutionary act if cleo
tors on the republican ticket in vari-
GUS States fail to cast their votes for
President Taft
The modern tendency in American
politics is toward direct action by
the voters, instead of action through
various kinds of representatives. This
has found expression in many of the
States through the direct primary
idea, and the initiative, the referen-
DUN and the recall. 1t is now being
applied through the federal govern
ment by the constitutional amend
ment providing for direct election of
United States senator's, which has
passed Congress and is to be acted
upon by the States. That this amend
ment will prevail few of the politi-
clans in Washington doubt. 1t re-
moves one more privilege from rep
resentative bodies and turns it over
TO the people for their direct action.
The argument for direct election of
president and vice-president will re-
ceive tremendous impetus if the cleo
toral college, which must cast a ma
jority of all its votes for candidates
in order to insure their election. finds
itself in deadlock and thereby
throws the issue INTO the House of
Representatives. Election by the
House is regarded as even more re-
mote from the popular will than cleo
ton by the college of electors, be-
cause il must be had by a body chos-
en- two years prior to the college IL.
self and also because the House must
vote each State as a unit and is not
permitted TO call the roll of its indi.
vidual members.
Political statisticians are figuring
that, on a vote by States. the present
House will either be a tie or will be
unable to cast a majority of all the
States for any single candidate. In
this event the Senate may choose a
vlce-president, who will become pres
ident. The statisticians figure an
other tie in the Senate. just to make
things more interesting. Some of
those who particularly reve in fig
ures and speculation already have got
the next presidency ciphered down to
Secretary of State Knox, who. in the
event of failure of all our methods
FOR choosing a president, would come
IN under the presidential succession
law. From Taft. Wilson and Roose.
welt TO Secretary Knox is a far cry:
II is simply a symptom of growing
i'm Sim fhaf ha al
may fail this year and in so failing
will write its own death warrant
IL is generally conceded that if the
United States come TO a system of
direct election of presidents and vice
presidents. a plurality of the popular
vote rather than a majority must rule
Many presidents who have had a
plurality of the popular vote did not
have majority. In two instances,
presidents who have had a plurality
were not chosen. Samuel J. Tilden
not only had a plurality over Hayes.
but he had a majority over all the
candidates. He did not become presi-
dent When Harrison defeated Gle
veland in the electoral college in 1888,
by vote of 2S3 to les, Cleveland had
popular plurality of 9S,017, although
not a popular majority.
Andrew Jackson, in his election in
1924, had only plurality of the popu-
lar vote. James X Polk had plu-
rality. and so did Zachary Taylor and
James Buchanan. Abraham Lincoln
in 1860 had a plurality over Douglas
of 491. 1876, but almost a million and a
half votes were cast elsewhere. The
president who had the smallest plu-
rality in our history was Garfield. in
1880. when he had only 7.0lS more
votes than Hancock. although he won
in the electoral college by PA to 1856
Cleveland in 1884 had only a plurality
as he did in 1892. when Weaver. the
populist, polled over a million votes
Mckinley had a majority of the pop
ular vote in 1896 and again in 1900.
Roosevelt in 1904 had the largest pop
ular majority ever given a president
1,736.264, while his plurality was p
545.515 Taft also had plurality and
majority in 1908. the former being