The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1916-11-23

inquiry VIII pIODdDiS INV $500
at this time:
ITO the editor of The Sun-Sir: l
find there are voters, and others as
well. who do not understand the rea-
son for selecting our president through
the medium of electors. Will you be
good enough to tell your readers why
the choice is not made solely by the
vote? "B. A. w.
The idea of the founders of the re-
public was to have picked men, re-
CARELESS of political party, choose the
president Accordingly they provided
in the constitution that each state
should appoint presidential electors in
such manner as its legislature may
direct
II was the design of the trainers
of our constitution to give the states,
as such, voice in the choice OF the
president. Accordingly they provided
in article H., section O. that;
Each state shall appoint
number of electors equal to the whole
number of senators and representatives
to which the state may be entitled in
the congress"
This gave to the smaller states a
representation among electors greater
than would have been theirs had popu-
lation alone been consulted. 1t is fol-
lowed today by alloting to each state
as many electors as it has senator's
and representatives combined. Thus
New York has two senators and for
ty-three representatives; and therefore
forty-five presidential electors. Rhode
Island has two senators, three con-
gressmen and five presidential electors
Yet the population of New York is not
nine but eighteen times that of Rhode
Island The two additional electors
are the states voice in the choice OF
president, as distinguished from the
voice of the people, though the ut
terance may be the same
In the first election of a president
in 1889 there were attempts to hold
popular elections in New Hampshire,
Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Mary
land and Virginia, but the choice of
electors was finally made by the legis-
lature of these states. Rhode Island
and North Carolina had not yet rati-
fled the constitution in New York the
legislature quarrelled too long about
the question of ratification, so that
these three states failed that year to
choose presidential electors.
Every one had Washington in mind
for the presidency, but he was not
nominated in the modern sense at all
When the electors assembled each ell
ector cast two votes, not distinguishing
one as for president and the other
as for vice president. There were
sixty-nine electors and each cast one
vote for washington. OF the Other
sixty-nne votes John Adams had thir-
ty-four John Hay had nine and
the rest were scattered, Washington
was accordingly declared president ant
John Adams vice president.
Four years later Washington's re.
election being almost unanimously de-
sired, there were no opposing electora
tickets named in any of the states
The late A. K. McClure's book says
THE presidential electors of tina
day were appointed in accordance will
the obvious spirit of the constitution
that meant to provide an entirely dis
passionate and Independent tribunal t.
exercise the soundest discretion in thu
choice of president and vice presi
dent. No pledges were asked or giver
by any one named as an elector ant
each one was free to vote according
to the dictates of his own judgment
Had there been opposition electora
tickets, they would have logically ruI
on opposing lines with distinct obli'
cations on the part of each side as t.
how their votes would be cast, but M
such question arose until the first bat
tie between Adams and Jefferson il
1895"
OF the election in 1892 it should b.
noted that there were fifteen states
and 1872 electors. In nine states thes'
were chosen by the legislatures; il
New Hampshire, Massachusetts,, Penn
sylvania, Maryland, North Caroline
and Virginia by the vote of the people
The 264 votes cast by the electors gav'
Washington 1872 and Adams n, Gin
ton was third, with so votes.
In 1895 there were, for the frs
time. two distinctly declared and op
posing candidates for the presidency
Adams and Jefferson. Adams receiveo
II votes and Jefferson g. Thus JEFF
ferson became vice president. Penn
sylvania, Maryland, Virginia and Nortl
Carolina cast divided electoral votes
Even in Jefferson's home state Their,
was an electoral vote for Adams, al
though Virginia was strongly Jeffer
sonian. The fine theory Of the fathers
that the electors could and SHOULD
act Independently of popular prefer
ence did not survive this politica
strain.
In 1S00-1S01 q fresh difficulty arose
Jefferson and Burr each received z:
votes of the electors and were tied FOL
the presidency. Now Burr had no
been seriously thought of for the
presidency. The votes cast for hin
had been intended to insure him sec.