Show VIOLA TED IN ELECTIONS it t Rule of the Land Is Followed Only in a PerfUnctory Perfunctory Per- Per f ry F Fashion r INTENTION INTENTION iONG LON SINCE FORGOTTEN of f Washington the He Nearest rest Approach to Fol Fol- owing the Regulation BY FREDERIC J. J HASKIN fine En most it conspicuous failure of the tho st tion of the United States is it its ts Tempt to proscribe the method of ne fIe fIe- e edu du t the tho o president of of the tho United e cs In 10 a n perfunctory fashion the im o of oC the constitutional method lye e. e been e n followed ollo but c even cn y n tt these c rills 1115 ere T changed chanced when tho they inter inter- cd eel with tho popular and extra tra conditional con method No si rc president tut not n Washington tou ever has U chosen by the method l 1 laid id d' d down dam the co constitution bi is iI all the more oro when L n in the thc light ight of oC the tho f fact act ct that Mth Tt of th tha constitution that J not r jc to to- severely rc h hostile when hen it was as Irn ln for r liou Jn IJ 1 by the States was wa the provi provision ion very r elation of or the lr president and aDd Mr MT Hamilton hc re the thc chief eIef er authors of of uie be belo lo doeu u I It I t t and aud who were its champion dc- dc iJ drs rs it it wis f referred to to the thc tes both said aid in ill the be that Tf for or the thc president dbl tho l l part of the thc constitution vh eli haJ hadnot J bee been m assailed and anti tho h p. p feature n even cven tho the opponents h e eon admitted was good La every one k OWR tho constitution de thai hai the states Select by l Jyl j prescribed r s tib l by lW tho state t tE J ji S ij cj- cj r o ol of elt lon to th e o or pr e f i sen rs bf of that in those electors should of r f 1 a man mali to be pres t-df t i of f th the country It was v-as oas v ilah ant and purpose of ot the fathers selectors el dor ahva's choose choe c and distinguished citi- citi i inot not n a Im supporter porter of an any an political rl tri who should preside o over c the HaD uan ua- ua In n D' D from th the lofty station of i a n man Abroad a for parl too wise for for too national for section section- m. m h tin tail of tho the Hour When en the te th f constitution was being eng ormed the to the convention md d a before their eyes in the person cr of ofie ie e president of the convention con such a a. iati lall The electors electorS' chosen to name name tho the president the le lr's of tho the tatt tates alP and tho the people of tho infant re- re all cro unanimously agreed oo hat that II man should be ho made mado the first resident Ho ftc was vas G George Washing Washing- m Th In Justifying Ju the tho conception held by bj bylie lie IC convention of the presidential of of- oc cc c and the confidence re re- in him by b- the states and tb the peo pee Jc Le President Washington ton declined to toa toa toa a a a parti partisan a l lut invited but invited into his his' cabIt cabnet cab cab- net It t 1 Hamilton and Jefferson the two t eminent re-eminent leaders of of- f th the tho two schools of political thou thought ht rom torn tt whom om flowed out political arty Arh th that t have ha since divid- divid d l th the people of this country into two 1 or factions B But t oven een in this first election cledion the residential electors were given no DO lib Jib r of or a action hon They They- were chosen for he purpose of voting fo for Washington ton nd ud they so eo ted Four Foar years cars later he lie same ame thing thine was repeated repeat d and Washington was For the first time HUJO thor there T were rp rivals Continued on pa page page e 2 CONSTITUTION VIOLATED IN ELECTIONS Continued from page page page-i. 1 for the presidency u i-u in i 1796 1706 and al although l l. though there were no nominations and no formal foral party formal party aty or organizations the electors elec elec- eec tors tons chosen in i the tho states obeyed obee the mandate of the party pary powers that chose them whether the people in popular popular pop pop- ular el election ton as u in some Bome states Bates or pop the legislatures as as in other states stat stats and if I they were Federalists the they voted for forJohn forJohn John Adams Adas and and if i they were Demo Demo- Dem Republicans cratic-Republicans they voted for Thomas Jefferson Jeferson How Jete Jefferson on Was Chosen Four years year later laer tho absolute loyalty of the electors to the party pary mandate was wa such that tat there thee was no election electon and ad th the issue isue of the presidency was waa wa sent to t the house houe of representatives The constitution originally provided that each ech elector eletor should hould cast his votes for two candidates for president president and that the one ODe haying having the hi highest hest number num ben ber of votes vote vote- being a majority of the whole should bo be president t and tb the tho one having the next highest number of votes vote being a majority of the whole should shoud b ba be vice president If I the electoral elec clee toral tora college vc h had bad been n indeed ind d a deliberative delb body this probably would woud have resulted in the second choice for president president dent always boin being mado made vice president pres But the loyalty of the electors electon to t tho the mandate of th the people was w such that as as' as early as 1800 Jef Jefferson Je- Je Jefe fers fe ferson n and nd Burr Bur cry the two Demo bemo- bemo emo- emo I Republican cratic-Republican I candidates candida each cach te each received 73 votes The therefore there bere there fore w tto th the tho house houe of representatives represents represents- tives where due duo to the tho to patriotism of Alexander Hamilton Jefferson Jeferson who ho was the tho real real choice for president was elected This This' was followed immedi immedi atly by the amendment am of the const constitution to t provide for fr a a separate ballot balot of the tho electors for the office of vice president As was w inevitable this further departure from tho the original nal constitutional scheme resulted in the succession to th the vice presidency being used as a a minor and ad inferior office ofton often of of- ten ton section bestowed to placate a faction facton or a a In this thi year of 1800 for the first time there were nominations for president The Federalist members of congress hold a conference in the senate cham chain ber ely early in the year and agreed to support M Mr Adams for a second term A few weeks later the Democratic Re publican members of congress hold a secret caucus s and agreed to support aged t Jefferson Jerson for president and Burr Bur for v vice president These Thee conferences were not however howver formal in fn not foral character and i ad their decision was t not presumed to be anything more moreS than the expression of of tho the general sense of the supporters o of the two two wo parte parties The fact that the nominations were made mae was wai not formally formally for for- mally mally- maly announced d. d and no report of the proceedings of ot these conferences ever teT was published Hold Ibid Regular Cau Caucus s F Four ur yc years rs later bow however ver formal fora nominations for the presidency were made A re regular ular caucus of the Dem Republican members member of oil congress con COD gress ress was held o on February 25 25 1804 1504 at at which Thomas Jefferson Jeferson and George Clinton were unanimously nominated for the offices of president and vice ice president respectively The FederalISt Federalists Federal did not no 1 hold d a caucus but by a general agreement of a more formal character than ever over before th they r su sup sun sun- ported Charles C. C Pinckney for pres press press- dent and Rufus Kin King for vice dent In the election election Jefferson Jeterson ro no re received votes vote as a against only 14 for Pinckney The Tho victorious and dominant Demo Demo- Republican cratic-Republican cratic party party- then assumed that the con congressional caucus CR was the accepted means means of choosing the president dent This Thi- grow oW out ot of the fact that political part d divisions appeared in incon con congress ross before they were defined amon among th the tho people and th that t even after the ts bad had been almost almos annihilated annihilated an an- in the electoral electora colleges they they still possessed considerable strength in ni i congress gh The Tho members members' of c congress assumed that the they were the political as well wel as tho the le legislative o representatives of the tho people and felt themselves obligated to bear the burdens of at party direction and administration in addition to tho the constitutional con constitutional duties dutes imposed upon them That That- this thi was not a usurpation but a a perfectly natural conclusion is 18 apparent ap ap- ap parent when one remembers that they had always before them and at nt close ral range e the thc example of tho the British parlament parliament par par- lament in in which then theD as IS now the tho members of of the te house of commons are aro supreme in political part party matters awell a as aswell well wel as in policies olcie of le legislation mater That there should be a political party power and authority outside of con congress e WS was at that time undreamed of ot In the Democratic te Republican congressional caucus held beld January 23 1608 1808 James Madison received 83 of the 89 80 votes cast for president and aDd Goor George o Clinton received 79 of the tho 88 votes cast for tor vies vice president Th The Federalists without with without out holding holdin a caucus a again ain by common a agreement le accepted accented eted Pinckney y and Kin King who vho had bad been their candidates four years before Madison Maon When th the next election year rolled around Madison Madson was wa role by the unanimous vote vot of the Lan Langdon don of t N New Hampshire w was tras s nominated nom lasted Dated for tor vieD vice tT pre president id nt receiving 84 64 of the 82 votes cast However Lan Langdon Lang Lang- don declined the nomination on account of his ago ago he he bein being 71 and 71 nd 7 and at a second sec ace ond end caucus held beida a few weeks later E Elbridge El- El bridge e Gerry Gery was WI nominated By this time tho the Federalists Federalists' strength th in congress con gress had bad eo so diminished that no attempt attempt at at- tempt to hold a caucus was made but buta a national a-national convention the tho ho first in i ou oui history was wal hold in September 1812 in New York It I was merely merely a a mass meeting of Federalists from rom Now New En Eng England England land and the middle states bearn bearing no resemblance to the tho national convention convention conven convene tion aa as we wo know it except in name This c convention nominated DeWitt Clinton for president and Ind Jared In lager er soIl soll soI for vice vico vic president Is Its candidates wore defeated and it does docs not appear that tho the convention ide idea was wil received with any d degree degreef of f approbation by the tho people At any rate the tho ides idea idea was dropped to be any revived again u under d r very vor different circumstances There was a considerable contest for tho presidential nomination for the first time in 1816 Tho The Democratic lie lican caucus was was Tras held on March 16 10 James Jael Monroe Monro defeated William H. H Crawford for tho the n nomination by a a vote of 65 to 54 Against Monroe tho the Fed Fed- cral re the tho vote voto of only three states and in th those se three the electors were chosen by tho the legislatures and were not by the It I was eg the last expiring ex cx- pining gasp of the Federalist party later there was n absolutely no tie opposition to the election re-election of Mon Mon- roe roc The Federalist party had died and there was general agreement in the Republican Democratic party that Monroe Monroe Monroe Mon Mon- roe should be given von a second term For that reason the con congressional caucus ancus although h duly called caned wag wad wa attended by only a few r members of congress n ess and no formal nomination was made This destroyed ond the continuity of precedent and illustrated that weakness that was ws responsible for the downfall of the caucus It I Wa was the fr free for lor a all 1 I r race ce of 1824 that finally dethroned dethroned King Caucus and nd prepared that the th public public- mind for fOT the erection of the system Tomorrow Tomoro CONVENTIONS I NATIONAL CONTONS n. n n. King IL-King King Caucus Detro Dethroned d |