The Coolidge examiner., 1933-01-20
President Elect
Franklin D. Roosevelt

own hall 3S minutes after the joint session
opened.
At the rate less than one minute will be de-
voted to consideration OF the votes cast by the
electors chosen in each state. Within that min
ute is to be included the time required TO move
the envelopes from the mahogany boxes and
to place them in the hands OF the Vice Presi-
dent, well as the seconds which will pass
while the presiding officer opens the envelopes
and while official telers scan the contents and
tell what they see.
Under the venerable plan the tellers finally
discover" the identities of the men who next
are to be President and Vice President The
names of those are then announced by the
president of the senate. Only when no candi-
date receives a majority of the votes cast does
this procedure go awry.
But to return to the official pretense" OF elect
ing a President February s. Connected with its
early history are two significant "ifs" If the
roads between Georgia and Philadelphia back
in 1877 hadn't been rough and If a certain
delegate to the constitutional convention from
Georgia named William Houston hadn't suffered
so much discomfort from the condition Of the
roads, the whole system might have been diff
ferent
The convention had almost decided to have
electors chosen by the people of each state jour
ney once every four years to the National Capital
to meet for the purpose of voting among them
selves to decide who should hold the two high
positions.
But Mr.. Houston rose to his feet during a
session on a hot July afternoon and with memo
res of the road still fresh in his mind told the
assembled delegates what he thought about the
idea. He directed the conventions attention
to the expense and extreme inconvenience of
drawing together men from all states for the
single purpose of eecting the chief executive +"
He said also 1t seemed improbable to him that
capable men would undertake the service un-
der the penalty of having to travel far from
home. only to turn right around and go back
to the journeys starting point.
suggestion was made that called for electors
of each state to travel only to their state capital
to cast their votes. Mr.. Houston approved of
that. Development of the plan then progressed,
producing the proposal that each state appoint
messenger to bring the votes of it's electors to
the seat of the national government. The dele
gates, worn out after many weeks of debate, well
coined the compromise.
These periodical trips were continued for more
than 130 years. The messengers, usually rela-
tives of the leading campaign contributors. state
house employees, political newswriters and such,
received 25 cents a mile for their travels to
Washington.
About four years ago, it was found that this
quadrennial sending of messengers was costing
the national government more than $4,000 Econ
omy demanded change so a law was passed
providing that the electoral votes or "certif-
Gates as they are formally called, be sent by
mail instead of by messenger.
This act, approved May %, 1923, reads as
follows:
1.-THE electors of President and Vice Presi-
dent of each state shall meet and give their
votes on the first Wednesday in January next
following their appointment at such place
in each state as the legislature of such state
shall direct.
1T shall be the duty of the executives of
each state, soon as practicable after the
conclusion of the appointment of the electors in
such state by TIE final ascertainment. under and
in pursuance or the laws of such state providing
for such ascertainment. to communicate by reg
istered mail under the seal of the state to the
secretary of state Of the United States a certi