Milford chronicle., 1936-11-06
By W. B. RAGSDALE

great deal of paint, the machiner
built by the carpenters of the Con
stitution for elevating men to tn
head of the republic remains Verl
much like it was in 1887 when theI
laid down their hammers.
Tuesday saw the thirty-seventl
time 1t has been used to elect Z
President. It has put % men intC
Office, reelected nine of them. Six
Viee-Presidents have come into the
White House by death. Two OF
these, Theodore Roosevelt. and Cal
vim Coolidge, were reelected.
The two changes in the Constitu-
ton were by the twelfth and
twentieth amendments. The twelfth
specified principally that the elect
ors should select one man for
President and another for Vice
President, making plain which was
to be which. The twentieth changed
the date of Inauguration from March
4 to Jan. 20, and empowered Con-
gress to take care of the situation
If no President or Vice-PFesident
had qualified before that date.
Found Much Material
The Constitution makers, sweat
ing through a long summer in
Philadelphia, found much material
to discard when they set TO measur-
ing on electoral ideas. They. decided
against a direct popular election.
chiefly for fear Of the influence
populous states would exert. Just
one member, Colonel Mason OF Vir-
nn
that did not sign the Constitution
expressed doubt that the people !
would exercise good judgment
They also discarded plans to have |
the state legislatures choose a Presi-
dent; threw out one to have the
governors Of the states elect one.
They debated long over whether his
term should be for seven years.
Much more debate went ON before
they decided upon the four year
term.
They decided that the President
should be chosen by electors. Each
state was told 10 appoint a number
of electors (equal to its total num-
Der Of national representatives and
The method of appoint
cretion Of each state legislature.
First Election 17Ss
The country set out on its first I
election during the autumn OF 1888.
On July 26, New York became the s
state to ratify the COnsti-
tuition. North Carolina and Rhode g
Island refused their assent and did I
not take part in the first election.
Sept. 13, 1888, Congress directed I
hat electors to choose a President ]
md Vice-President be appointed on {
he first Wednesday of the next G
January, that they meet in their c
espective states and vote on the O
lrst Wednesday in February and b
hat the new Congress meet in New 7
,ork on the first Wednesday in c
larch. in
Mails and travel We're slow. But a
uring the autumn and winter the n
'ord was spread along the snowy T
ountryside, The first name that m
earned fully-syllabled to all tongues H
as that OF George Washington.
Delaware, Others Tardy Sc
In Connecticut. New Jersey, Della N n
are, South Carolina, and Georgia, -
le governors did not call the legis- g
ture in the time to provide for an 10 10
ection. New Hampshire and Mas a9 .9
chusetts providing a complicated - ~
stem OF choosing electors in which =,
he people did some voting. The "a 10
sw York legislature talked so long M ~,
did not get around to arranging ".
take part in the choice of the el,
ST President Pennsylvania, Mary
nd and Virginia held popular cleo - ~
ms but the voting was light. Re uel
rms were slow. They did not even ~, ~
te on the same day. eiS
When Feb. 4 came, the day for
J electors to meet in their respec- Ol
Q state, two men from Maryland ,lis
two from Virginia did not show IN
Ice kept one of the Maryland Wa a,
n from getting there. The others va va
the gOut. pre-
The new Congress. meeing in New ~,
rk, did not have a quorum Of the Ne'
ate until April 6, more than a g siie
nth late. Il was April 80, almost Sel
months after his term had . p
rted, by the time they got through NJ ~
business Of counting the electoral
2 and arranging for the inaugu- M M
on OF George Washington. He IN
ID on a balcony OF the federal
ehOuse on Broad Street, held his
It hand high for the oath, and r.
swear II. So held me Cod" anc,
Only One Contrary Vote INN,
he original theory had been that mi
presidential electors should budt
else their free will in the selec- purr
of their first and second choices men
President. But almost from the gent
nning they were subject to such sura
al stress that they did not dare m
stigma Of political traitors that prop
ID be laid upon them Il they is pl
rated from their fellows and BUSH
for any but the candidate Of veste
party. an 4
st one instance Is recorded Of these
lector who voted contrary to the or /,
uctions Of the ballot In the are
election, one chosen on the cies
ralist ticket In Pennsylvania AS
for Thomas jefferson instead woul,
1hn Adams. Adams got in By wisel
votes. iasfin
e fourth election demonstrated
under a party system, for which Est
yprovision had been made, Il than
necessary for one candidate to try ii