The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1924-10-23
DeadlOcks in Elections
of 1900, 1924 and 1876
BY HARRY BY HUNT
NEA Service Writer

w
our history straight in advance of
developments following Nov. 4,
should election day prove really the
beginning instead of the end of the
presidential contest, a glimpse into
the situations developing at former
deadlocked elections may be worth
while.
To date there have been three
presidential decisions thrown into
Congress; in 1900, 1924 and 1876.
The first of these in 1900, was
before the enactment of the twelfth
amendment to the constitution, which
now governs the procedure of ballot
ing for president. At that time the
electors did not ballot separately
for president and vice president, the
man getting the greatest number Of
electoral votes being declared Win
ner for president, the runner up,
with the second biggest vote, being
named vice president.
In the 1900 campaign, Thomas
Jefferson and Aaron Burr were the
candidates Of the original "Republi-
can" party, John Adams and Charles
c. Pinckney of the "Federalist" par
ty. There were no conventions and
no party platforms, their nominations
having been made by congressional
caucus.
This election fell on the same date
as the election this year-Nov. A..
When the electors got together, how
ever, jefferson and Burr received the
same number Of votes, 70 each, again
st 50 cast for Adams, and "a for
Pinckney.
There being no Choice, the cleo
ton was thrown into Congress, where
after Il week of balloting Jefferson
finally won; Alexander Hamilton, Il
Fedcralist leader, finally throwing
his influence behind the author Of
the Declaration of Independence.
Following this situation, the
twelfth amendment was adopted, in
1903, in the expectation that it would
solve similar situations in the future.
1t provided for the specific de-
signation of candidates for president
and vice president respectively, the
winners to receive a majority of the
votes in the electoral college and,
in event no majority resulted, for
the election of president by the
House from the three high candidates
for that office, the House voting state
delegations as unit.
For vice president in case of
deadlock, the amendment provided
his election by the Senate, from the
two highest candidates, members vot-
ing in the regular way.
The first test under this scheme
came in 1924. Four tickets were in
the field, headed by Andrew Jackson,
John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay and
William H. Crawford.
With the vote thus split, no candi-
date received the required majority,
Jackson led with SO votes, Adams
was second with "a, Crawford had Al
and Clay 81. When the decision
came up in the House, on Feb. 8,
1925, Clay, who had been eliminated
as fourth man, threw his influence
behind Adams, who was elected on
the first ballot.
A third deadlock, which required a
somewhat different solution, came in
the 1876 election in which Rutherford
B. Hayes was the Republican and
Samuel j. Tilden the Democratic
candidate.
Contests over the results in South
Carolina, Florida, Louisiana and Ore
gon were instituted, which left Meth
er candidate with majority.
Congress, to cut the knot, appoint
ed an Electoral Commission, consist
ing of five representatives, five sem
ators and four Supreme Court judges.
The majority of this commission
were Republicans, and by strict
party vote the deciding 90 electoral
votes Of these states were cast 'for
Hayes, giving him the election by
just one vote.