Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-09-27
ELECTORAL COLLEGE
MAY Be DEADLOCKED
BY FALL ELECTIONS
Iron-CIad Precedent Governs
Plan of Naming Chief
Executive
BY FREDERIC j. HASKIN

WASHINGTON, d. c., Sept. 20
Every four years, at precisely one
o'clock on the afternoon of the Sec
ond Wednesday in February, the
honorable, the senate of the United
States, headed by it's president, and
in charge of it's sergeant-at-arms,
presents itself to the bar of the hon.
orable, the house of representatives
The sergeant alarms of the house
of representatives makes a formal
announcement of that fact to the
y speaker, who, in the name Of the
house, invites the senate to enter.
Then the speaker yields his chair
and his gavel to the president of
the senate, takes another chair inn
mediately to the left, the senators
are seated on the right of the pre-
siding officer, and all is in readiness
to count the votes of the electors,
to determine who has been chosen
president ard vice Iresid ent Ct the
i. United States of America.
Everything is done in strict ac-
cordance with the statute laws, even
mAA&he requirement that the speak
lit at the left of the, president
ree senate, when the two houses
an gress meet in joint assembly,
IS whole business comes down
he fathers, even to the phrase
oS& ''the honorable the senate"
Tie fathers were those wise men,
who met after the American people
had won their independence from
King George, and adopted a consti-
tuition which would permit the peo-
pie to have as little to O. with di-
rectly choosing the chief executive
as possible, purpose declared in
so many words by it's authors.
Hamilton Gives Reason
In the siXty-eighth number of the
Federalist, Alexander Hamilton said
that small number Of persons Sc.
lected by their fellow citizens from
the general mass would be liable
TO possess the information and dis.
!, cernment necessary to so complicat.
ed an Investigation. He said it was
peculiarly desirable to afford as lit.
tie opportunity as possible to tu-
multi and disorder.
Hamilton further said that the
mode of appointment of the chief
magistrate of the United States was
almost the only part of the system
which escaped without censure, and
that even the opponents of tho
great document admitted that the
selection of the president was we'll
guarded.
The fathers were afraid that the
people might interfere with the
choice of the chief magistrate. There
fore, they provided that each state
should, in any manner suitable to
itself, appoint a certain number of
electors equal to the whole number
of the particular states representa-
ton in both houses of congress.
That was to insure that only men
In the better classes, responsible and
sober men of goodly property, should
have anything to say about the
choice of the president.
Then the f. ilors went further and
wrote into the tuition: "The |
congress may determine the time of |
choosing the electors, and the day
on which they should giv1 their
votes, which day shall be the same
throughout the United States.''
That WIS done so that the cleo
tors in one state would have no
motion of whom the electors in OH
err states were considering for the
job, all to the end that the sober
second thought. and right judgment
of the men OF high standing might
be recorded.
Did the scheme work? Not once.
Tn the very first election Virginia
permitted the people to appoint the
electors in popular election and
every elector in that first meeting
knew that it would be fatal not to
vote for George Washington.
Majority Vote Needed
The second article of the constitu-
ton provides that the candidate re-
ixyit1c ha 1oI. oINo,, ~ A1o
toral votes, if it be majority, shall
be president, and the person receiv-
ding the second largest number vice
president.
That this method was wrong was
shown in the third election when
John Adams was elected president,
and Jefferson, the leader in opposi-
ton to every policy President Adams
stood for, was elected vice presidnt.
Here was a danger not taken into nc
count by the fathers. If Adams
had died during his term of office,
jefferson, the head of minority
party, would have come into control.
In the next election jefferson and
. Aaron Burr had the same number
of ELECTORAL votes, but not a ma
>jortA OF all, and in consequence the
ELECTION WIS thrown into the house
pf representatives. A bitter struggle
ensued. Sick members were brought
in on cots to vote. The house bal
loted SO times, and finally jefferson
was elected president by one vote,
and Burr became vice PRESIDENT. This
brought about the twelfth amend
ment whereby the president and vice
president are to be voted for sep
arately.
The second time the election was
thrown into the house was in the
tenth election. Adams was elected
although General Jackson received
the largest number both Of electoral
. and popular votes.
But although the spirit OF the in
stitution has never been obeycd, its
letter is binding and au-rowerfui,