Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-08-05
FIVE STATES TIED;
: UNABLE To ACT IF
HOUSE MUST VOTE
Survey of Senate Shows
That Body, Too, May
Be Blocked
BY ROBERT T. SMALL
Especial Leased Wire to The Journal.)
Downright, 1924.)

Copyright, 1924
WASHINGTON, Aug. IF SEN
ator La Toilette and his associates
succeed in their ambition to obtain
sufficient electoral votes to throw
the presidential election into the
- house of representatives, five of the
sovereign American states would
find themselves unable to vote and At
would be this disability which would
make it impossible for either Presi-
dent Coolidge or John w. Davis 10
let a majority vote Of the forty eight
bn1monwealths.
1t is no mere speculation that
deadlock would ensue in the house.
1t is a mathematical certainty un-
less, of course, some Democrat or
Republican should break away from
party affiliations sufficiently to
throw some of the tied states into
either the Davis or the Coolidge
column.
In voting for a president, where
majority selection has not been made
81 in the regular election, the constitu-
ton provides that each state dele
cation in the house of representa-
tives shall have but one vote. 1t is
r. the unit rule Of the Democratic ma
tional convention carried to the ex-
treme. New York state, for instance.
has As representatives in the house.
Twenty-Five are Democrats and TWEEN
ty-one Republicans. Therefore New
York's one vote would go$te Davis
if ali the Democratic representatives
stuck together for him.
Five States are Tied
The constitution also provides that
a presidential candidate must re-
ceive a majority of the states. II so
happens that there are twenty state
DELEGATIONS in the house controlled
by the Democrats and tWenty-tnree
4 controlled by Republicans. This
leaves five states in which the num-
Der of Republicans and Democrats
is the same 1t is to be presumed
that these Democrats and Republic
ans would stick true~to their colors,
making it impossible for the states
to vote one way or the otner:
The tied states are Maryland, Mon,
tana, Nebraska, New Hampshire and
New Jersey.
The Democratic states in the house
are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas,
ana. Mississippi. Missouri, Nevada,
New Mexico, New York, North Caro-
lima. Oklahoma, South Carolina, Ten
nessee, Texas, Virginia and West
Virginia.
The Republican states are Call
fornia. Colorado, Connecticut, Ida
no, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas
Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan'
Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, Ore
CON, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,
South Dakota, Utah, Vermont,
Washington, Wisconsin and Wyom-
ing.
The voting strength of these states
in the electoral college is as follows:
Democratic states ........ 20
Republican states .......... 26l
Tied states ................. %
Total .....,......,..'''' ooI
House Deadlock Likely
A majority in the electoral college
necessarily is 1885, so it will be seen
that even though the constitutional
rule of one vote to each state,
whether that state be New York
with AZ representatives or New Mex
leo with Just one lone congressman,
would seem at first glance to be
thoroughly unrepresentative, the
result happens to pan out just about
the same The same states that
can not represent a majority In the
house under the one vote rule would
fall five votes short of giving r can
didate a. majority in the electoral
college.
1t is perfectly apparent, however,
~ hn n10
congress would be far from an eX
preston of the peoples will. The
congress which would attempt to
elect a president in 1924 is the con-
AsreSsewhich was elected in 1922. In
the latter year neither Calvin Cool
idse nor John w. Davis had appear
ed on the horizon as presidential
probabilities.
1t would take % states to elect In
the house. The Republicans fall
two short of that number; the Demo-
Gratis five. Therefore, under the
constitution the senate would be call
ed upon to elect vice president, who
in turn would become president in
view of the failure of the house to
act.
Might Tie Up Senate
In the senate each senator has a
vote but unless the Democrats or
the Republicans could win over some
OF the La Toilette group of sena-
tors there could be no result in that
body There is a general presump-
ton that the La Toilette outfit in
the end might vote for Mr.. Bryan,
the Democrat, as against General
Dawes, the Republican.
In case neither president nor vice
president is chosen by March 4, next,
Secretary Hughes would become act
ing president and cSG the new con-
gresS into SeSSsSs- elect the chief
executive of the nation.
So much of chaos abounds in the
possibilities of throwing the cleo
ton into congress 1t is small wonder
that both Democrats and Republic
cans ara trying their utmost to avoid
such contingency.
fire Sweeps Town