THE MICHIGAN ... _. . . .. M ... Nomination and Election of the President Four k By Thomas 1H. Reed (this is the third of "Pro fessor ReM's articles on the 2arofis phases of our political systcjui. Nekt Sida's at ticle a cill discuss party orgaiz-'ation and miethods ) The greatest of all offices is not'fi~ed by direct vote of the people. The framers of. our Constitution felt that ,a very much Gbetter choice would be made by electors chosen in the several states for that purpose. These electors majlbe chosen in any manner which the legislature of the state may direct. They are nowv always chosen, by -popular vote, and at large. The intention of the framers was that the electors -shoild ekercise an independent choice. They thought tat" the people of each state would elect their best and wisest men as electors .anid that they would in turn choose the best ran in the country for the presidency. The rise of political parties, however, put an end to this dream. Since the second l4esidetial election in 1.792, the electors have always been party nominees pledged to vote for the parties chosen for the presi- dency. With but one exception they have always done so. One elector in 1i82o failed to cast his vote for President Ml!oniroe 'ltus preventing his being elected urtnanimiously. When in 876 the results of the pei prsdential election were long disputed and one additional, vote for Tilden w~ould have insured his eection and ended all difficulty, someone proposed to James Rus- sell Lowell, a Republican elector from Masschusets, that he exercise his legal freedom of choice-and vote for Tilden. Lowell: expressed his personal inclination to do 'so but declared that it would be a breah of :w 'public faith which he could not in honibr commit. When we. vote fr presidential- electors; ?therefore,- oftwhom there are as many from each state as there are Representatives and Senators in Congress. wve vote. merely for automata. Thie so-called electoal ollege is mrely a irecording device by whch the vote bf each state as a whole is giveni to some candidate for the presidency. {,TJhe electors being chosen fromt the state at large the whole electoral ticket of some party is ordinarily chosen.) This has had One very iiarked effect upon -our choice of presidents. It has over- emnphaized the importance of the large states.It is very much hinoe imiportant to carr-v Newv York with its 45 eectoral votes'biy a phtrt.ity of a thosan than it is to carry Ionwa .wth Its t3 electoral votes by o,- OOQ6. It mray therefore hiappen that a candidate for the presidency mray' have a popular ;ttjority and' yet nit achievre a mAJority 16f electoral votes. This actually occurred in m~g8 when Harrisonh.was elected over 'Cleveland. A still more important consequence. of the ovceritrrtanlce of the large states, however, is the fact that candidates for the- presidecy are almost nevernobin ated f rom any except a smal goup 61t large and doubtful states. A -candidate is supposed to be strong in -is own state.- The importante of-car- ryiig athe states of New York and Ohio in whkh courol slips easily 'front one party to another is so great as/to limrit the choice of presidential candidates almost' together to these two states. Pennsylvania is almost as large as New York buit it is rok vrihed lRepuiblican which makes it unnecessary to flatter, the ennsylvanians With a presidential candidate of their own. We have ,never had a ;presidet from ,a state farther; west than Ililois, fromn south; of the Masonr and Dixon line since Zachary Talr, or:Until the accidental succession of Calvin .efiClge froth Newv Erngland since the time of Van~lin :Pierce. At the~ last 'eigt presidential elections,' the President was ch6sen =Four times from Ohio and ttwice frot Ne? York.. If you happen 'to live in Michigan 1Ioa or At laaa you may be as eloqutent as Demosthenes, or as wise as Aristotle, but you will probably- inevr be president of the United States. The 'candidates for the presidency oif the 'United States are still nominated 'by great national conven- tionis. The Democratic pMarty allows each state twice as many' delegates as it has Senators and Represent a- tives in Congress. The' Republican party formerly followed the ftime pr'atlce. This dieat. of couse, that the handful of Republicans in the Southern states was -much over-represented. The Republican Conven- tion is now made tip of two delegates for each United States Senator,- one delegate .for each Congressional district in-which 2500 Republican votes were cast the last election and an additional delegate for each Congressional district in which io,ooo Sch votes were cast. The delegates are chosen in sonmc states by primaries but in the majority are still selected by conventions. The haioial convention always meets in-some great hall. The delegates and their alternates sit in the body of the hall while spectators crowd the galleries. Of, corse, there is little chanice'in such a gthering" for calm deliberation, and more than one national -convention has been stampeded- by the nisy and-contagiouis enthusiasieiof delegates and spectators. The national committee mnakes up what is known as the temporary roll of "the convention, that is, the list of persons ,who prima f ace' are entitled to sit as dele- -gates. The opening sessiwn is called to- order by the chairman of the national commrittee. The temporary chairmoan is then elected. This is somnetimets the, oc- casion of a test of strength of factions within the con- vention. The remaindier of this session is ocupied in naming ithe four commtittees on Credentials, V-ern a- nient°Orgatiizatioin,'Rtles ahd COrder of Butsiess, PI'at-, form 'and Resoluttions. The net session of the cn- vention is devoted to the reports of commiittees, of which tht on Credentials is first rendered. 'There are usu ally disputes over the.-ight of some dleleg te-sto- ~sit _and , ocasiopnally the report of the Credentils Comimittee is fought upon the floor. Trhis -as notably the case in the Repuiblicani Convention of 112. The Con-inittee n'mPermanen~t Orgaization then presents a list of =nominees for permanent chairnman and other ofcers. The permanent chairman on being escorted to the chair delivers a political, hArangue which is us ally - known as thie "key-tie" speec. This session closes with the'.report'of 'the 'Coinmtittee on 'Platform and Resoitions. SOnletlmes there is debate upon the subtject ofi the vrious"plaiis of th platform. but ordinaril';the lt foritn"i iecdgizedas merely hoey to catch'fHies and-no treat weight is attached to it either in or oit fte'Convention. The'last 'thk of the !Convention is the'nomiinationi for president and vke&-president. As the r~ll 'of'te staites is called a :deleate from~ that state either non'n- hiates a candidate or 'yields the foor to some other delegation to make a nomiinatioh. There are often several' na'm s pr-seted to a Cofrvietion, nmost of thenr bing thse of "favorite sons,"' en prominent in their own stateAwhob are °thus out f6rward as a atter of comjplinflent , Ansimple ' risajorty' is stiffiient -for nom- ' 'iatiQn iiia epttbhicain Conve ition, A two-thirds ote is required- i} a Demo ratic Cnxvetion. This matkes It mnutth more diffclt .totis& arreyioads'htap come to -blows over pylitical difficulties. "Mot ptei- dential candidates "in reet' years htae tken the stnnW1 in their own behalf toirib g the cbiiitytrom ne ind to another. 'Mr. Aar 4nri,'etutned to an ~ldertia i- tion by remainings at hfoie ahd speaIt g frot~h. is "fromt porch" to delegati'onrs whob caeto see hzifrom~tit various parts of the coutry. Whther' lie vri'ud t ° pursued the same plicy if his eletion ad nt ten a foregone conluisi~rn no'be will -e er knowit. 'iiiay -'e safely asstmed, 'ow~vevr, that zznder criir~y cr cunistanee scaniiidates'fetr thte pr esilcy tvh psses the ift rif pni i 'pech"'andi are in pb seszin f t liir fulil health and vitality gill I66con' ti "xto t ie people as did rya, -Rooeelt =ad Wlsbn. One thing very Ycharatersitc"of the 'Aeical' peosle must 'be rnoted. No matterho hiktesy he presideintial election hlas beien fdttit, 's sin ts the results are'known 'an attibale of 1cqtie' hdle swees over the country. The def eaied prty bows to the decision, of the~ra~jrity 'and( goes into training forte next bout four: years henice.... --The-results .Ar t Ai~l .-. known within a few littrs lifter the'pollare cloe(: " When the electbrs have been chosen there remains only the formality of cating their tallos. Ior -tis-- purpose the electors of eah - sate assemble at their state capitol on the second Monday in January A id vote for President and Vi6e- resident spartey. Three 66-tificates of the rsult are ;prepared, &le of which is deposited with thet'Uited States Ditrict court, the second inailed't'&the {President of 4he ,gkiite and the third~tdespatched to'i-itby speca i -hsserik. On tesecohld Zednesday in'Eebttir, he =tiae-id the 1-ouse- f Repfesetatives h'x't in .joint es: i~n. The President f .the senate psth'lieretifitat frfi' each State. It .sthen 3hpnided'tt tit1elers frtii-e iei house'who'read it -to'he-iisserhil ly. f'lte iethis frmn anry State are dspte, the ittr is ssetled dtiaccir- ance i ih rthre provisitns of iiiAt f rmS7.'If dt)l houses, whflo retire to ther reective claii~ersfr'PMle purpose, agree, a vote'may ib e eeced on thle r8 ttid that it -iasr-not!been reg'ildy i ev h 'by th ' l~cts certified by'the Govefnor f. he ste ff a 4rsti t~ ar ises as. to cwich o'(f' - tit .. iore .s~ate 'ti~toitiWis the one legally ,etitied to 8d6eIine, wht ciletdr have been 'chosen, r Ii o' sti'h dieM iiiatiO'tia takenu place JA th'e tte a iily Ft~hoe voes are cbimi'tetd 'khiich 'the twQ ouss-cmcr'n4ddm'-~ -c' by lawful electors. 'at no candidate has a Taorty ;catthe tiffce -ao Presidenit, it becdnes Pe dty of the i' bse +of -ke=:e sentatives 'to ele@thle Pr'sfinieh Ct, Uner siilrclr- cutistanices the ice l'i rsdt ~s chotn iby tie eate.: The Houise of Repir enttves 'c~oses ti h '~i t from the three highest imkdates. 'The tng is by states, each state 'having one; vote, the w ay the vrote of the state shall be cast being deternined by the ma- jority of the 'mtembers of tile 'H-ose from that state. I f they are evenly divided. the vote of the state is 'lot. A fiaj6'rity 'f stat'es is necessary for a clioic& In choosing a Vice-President the Senate votes -by ballot, the choice being confined to the two highest candidates on the list. Only twice, ii 8z and in i425 have presidents been elected by the Hdtse of Repre- sentatives. P easons for Sendinzg It to the Varsity '1. Quality Every garment is washed spot- _...... essly Jean -before senit to steam pre ses, which iron Without *ijut ing 1 h efabric. 2s Ser vice W=atk delivered oNTIME to Ny-oui ,room.,No delay! N 3 . Ecioy Low prices, 10 per cent AsaV-nmg o~n cash cards. Darning, rending~ free: Less wear on your lie~n. 4. Dependability r..,_, ., .: . , .. i Students 'for 0 years have intrust- ed their clothes to us without dis- appointment. .. .o The lirutus 'You can depend on the Varsity" ".' ,44:r 1 /e '9 ,- "*/ -, ','o~ .New shipments of this, th m os t popular shoe on the: camPus are arriving.. Wide soft to e blucher i n tanp !Ioor and Scotchgrai Ten Dollars 'Phone 2076 or 2077 ';w f f - - 111111111 . 114111 1 . . 1