Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1924-10-17
BRYAN5
IF VOTER
LAF0LLE7S
Coolidge or Cha6>
Choice of Citizens,
Deadlock Menac9
Threatens.
LITTLE DOUBT WHO
SENATE WOULD NAME
Analysis of Situation Shows
Danger of Nebraskan Co
ing to White House.

Davis is vote for Bryan. 1t Is gen
orally believed that Davis cannot pos
sibly muster the necessary majority
Of the electoral votes to be named
President A vote for LaFollette IL
& vote for Bryan. It Is not claimed BY
the most enthusiastic supporter Of La
Toilette that he could by any remote
chance be elected What he could do,
however, Is throw the election ints
the congress. with the chances favor.
ing the naming Of Bryan as vice pres
ident The house being unable to give
a majority to any one OF the candl-
dates for President, as 1t Is at pres
ent organized. the senate, under the
Constitution, would elect a vice pres
ldent and the vice president elected
by the senate would become President
on March 4. That Is why a vote for
Davis or LaFollette Is vote for
Bryan, and vote for Coolidge Is
vote for Coolidge.
The official counting Of the electoral
votes Is not done until February. The
Twelfth amendment to the Constitu.
ton provides as follows for the con
duct Of the congress In case the elec.
toral college makes no choice:
Constitutional Provision.
"And If no person have such ma
jOrity, then from the persons having
the highest numbers not exceeding
three on the list OF those voted for
az President. the house Of. representa-
tiyes shall choose Immediately, by bal
lot. the President. But In choosing
the President. the votes shall be taken
by states. the representation from each
state having one vote; a quorum for
this purpose shall consist Of a mem
Der or members from two-thirds Of
the states, and a majority of all the
states shall be necessary to a choice
And II the house OF representatives
shall not choose a President when
ever the right Of choice shall devOlve
upon them, before the fourth day OF
March next following. then the vice
president shall act as President, as
In the case of the death or any consti-
tutional disability Of the President.
"The person having the greatest
number of votes as vice president.
shall be the vice president, If such a
number be a majority of the whole
number Of electors appointed. and II
no person have a majority, then from
the two highest numbers on the list,
the senate shall choose the vice pres
ident; quorum for the purpose shall
consists Of two-thlrds Of the whole
number Of senators and majority
Of the whole number shall be neces-
sary to a choice"
Meets In February.
Complying with this provision of the
Constitution, when the time comes In
February for the Presidential electors
to report, and It is discovered that
there is no majority choice for Pres
ident, then the house and senate will
begin to ballot. But this official re
port of the electors does not occur
until a month before 1t is time for
the next administration to take office.
From election day. November 4. IN
Ill some solution Of the tangle is found
and the untahgllng of the knot can
not come before February-the coun
try will be facing the possibility OF Il
deadlock, or the putting of a man into
the highest office OF the land who was
not voted for as President. who was
not even selected by his party for
President.
II LaFollette could secure enough
votes to keep Coolidge from having q
majority Of the electoral votes. throw
Ing the election of the President into
the house. the house and senate would
act independently of each other In
their votes. That is. the senate does
BOT await the result of the effort OF
the house to elect a President before
proceeding to the selection Of the vice
president
Vote Is BY States.
As each state, no matter how large
Its population and Its representation
in the house. has only one vote. II is
obvious that those states having a
majority OF representatives of one pc
lltlcal fulth will cast the vote Of thai
state for their party nominee As
there are 4S states. and a majority
of all Of them is necessary to the
selection of a President, a successful
aspIrant must have the votes Of Of
least % states.
II should be emphasized that II is
the present house OF representatives
and the present senate that vote for
President and vice president In the
event Of the election being thrown into
the congress. New congressman and
senators elected this fall will have
nothing whatever TO do with 1t.
The present house Of representa-
tiyes Is so made up that there is little
likelihood It can make a choice Dem.
ocrats make up a majority Of the
delegations Of 20 states, while % state
delegations have Republican maJori-
ties. In s other states the repre-
sentstlon is evenly divided, and those
states would have no vote to cast.
Those states are Maryland, Montana,
Nebraska, New Hampshire and New
Jersey.
Some Not Regular.
The % states showing a nominal Re
publican majority might not all vote
for Coolidge. There are a few where
the Republieanism of some representa-
tives is open to question. and II La.
Toilette should carry those states, 1t
Is not unlikely that their votes in the
house would go to LaFollette, despite
the Republican label borne by such
congressman. Should any Of these
states vote for LaFollette, or II the
states should vote as they line up
on paper-20 Democratic, % Repub-
lean, and unable to vote, no
choice could be made, as 25 stntes are
needed to elect the President.
Attention would then center on the
senate. Here the state rule does not
apply. Each senator Of the 90 has
a separate vote. For a quorum, two
thirds Of the 90 must be present, or
81, and for a choice of vice presidant.