The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1912. THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1590, 6 November 1912, Page 6

The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1912. THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.

But for the war in the Balkans,, which is naturally absorbing all the attention of the world, we should doubtless have been told a great deal about, the final stages of the American Presidential campaign, which is just on the eve of coming to a close. Ordinarily the selection of the American President is the. most interesting event of the. year, for there is something at once .repellent and fascinating in the quadrennial feyej of the' United States.—th?' oratdfy, the chargcs of bribery, and the excitement of it all. The American people themselves will not be greatly distracted from their exciting game by' the terrific happenings in lurkcy, for after all America's present and future are a good deal outside the range of, the European political earthquakes. The latest advices are that the chances of Pit. Wilson are considered in New York to be very much better than those of either of his opponents, but wc arc. not told why it is considered safe to lay five to one on. him. The issues are so many and complicated that the.average voter will probably follow his party, although a great many Republicans may be expected to enter protest votes for Mit. Wilson, out of their disgust at the Taft-Roose-velt: quarrel. The Roosevelt people are hopeful that Democratic votes may be caught by the violent Radicalism of the Roosevelt platform; If there is one clear issue at all, it is the tariff. Neither Ms, Roosevelt nor Mr, Taft is prepared to advocate a hard Chop at the Customs duties, but Dr. Wilson, al though not a Free-trader, stands foi "the immediate revision of dutifo downward, unhesitatingly arid stead' ily downward." "The tariff," .he says, "was once a bulwark; now il is a dam. Trade is reciprocal; wc cannot sell unless we also buy," Mr. Taft is quite firm and uncompromising in his defence of the existing duties, but Mr. Roosevelt's attitude is vague and Unsatisfactory : he will not undertake to revise steadily downward, but he desires to create the impression that he is not in favour of tariff robbery, Although the "Progressive" movement has the appearance of being very powerful, it is ; very probable that when the votes are cast, they will only be a small section who will stand between the orthodox Democrats and the orthodox Republicans. According to the New . York Post, the Progressive movement is less an uprising of the than ati uprising of those well-intentioned persons who work for the people, It is remarkable that these earnest folk have not seen through the trickery and amazing egoism oi the ex-Presi-dent. Ho has embraced causes which he has in the past either opposed or ignored; his very candidature was. a gross breach of faith; lie has reviled Mr. Taft as violently as he i once fulsomely praised 7 liini; his weapon is simply abuse. Every opponent is a "liar" or a "crook : Dr. Wilson, Mr. Taft, ami everyone connected with them have been bought by the Trusts. /J?he antiRoosevelt New York Post's bitter irony in this comment upon a meeting between Mr. Taft and Dr. Wilson is just and; aeon rates The new spirit in our politic? wits out-i-aac-t! in Boston Inst night wlien one-Pre-sidential candidate so far forgot himself ns to gceet niiolli-el- Presidential candidate li'itli courtesy. could more clearly show wlmt reactionaries Gov. Wilson and President Taft are. Instead of nn InUrchdnje of epithets .suited to per--sous engaged is a brawl, these - two men,

leaders of their resjiective pnrfies, actually tventod encli other liUo genilotnen, After this, cither of them cannot hope to persuade any t?oniiilit- I'rogrcssiee tliiil. tlioy lire not in alliance ivitli Hie interests against the people. For, however if may once liiivo bed!, v,'(> know to-day thut a I'residonlia! candidal? who menus Ijttsiwss is incapable of opposing what ilis rival stands for without impugning the veracity mid personal honour of tjinl, rival. 'For (Jot. Wilson to have mil iced President Tall. ut all was had enough, but to linvß asked lot- an opiiorlunity of paying his rf*pccls to him whs a form of treason.

Loudly as he roars, _ the cx-Presi-dent rarely allows himself to be more definite than in this typical passage, which is in the trtiu vein of the demagogue of nil countries: "Wo stand against I ho doctrine, the Republican parly's larilY doctrine; thai; is a tariff for privilege. We stami against the Democratic doctrine—which in a tariff for destruction, and wo believe in a tariff for labour, a tariff (ij help our wngeworkcrs, and llio .iuslilicalioit for which is to ho fotiwd in the actual way in which it do?s holy the wage-en riier."

He is l out, that is to say, only for votes, and votes at all costs.

There is a prospect that the polling will not this year settle the matter at ones. The people in each State vote for "electors/' who constitute the Electoral College, which does the actual choosing of tne President. To secure _ election, a candidate for the Presidency must have ail absolute majority in the College. (The fact that ho. may not have an actual majority of the'popular votes does_ not matter. In 18GQ LincolS obtained an actual majority in the College, but'his popular vote was '1,886,352 out of over 4,600,000 Votes east.) Should no candidate secure the necessary _ majority in the College, the election falls jnto the hands of the House of Representatives. In the House some States have (nove representatives than others, and it so happens that although the Democrats have a majority of members, the Democratic and Republican States are _ exactly equal; and in the Voting- for the President each State has, only one vote. TTins a deadlock will occur at this second stageh and in- ■ terest will centre on the Vice-Presi- ' dency, for it is provided that if by March 4 next the House does not elect a President, the Vice-President ■ Shall take the Presidential Chair. Should the Electoral. College _ have | failed also to elect a Vice-President, then .the Senate must name fts_ VicePresident one of the two candidates receiving the higlicst number of electoral votes. A deadlock could easily be created in the .Senate, and then' the Secretary of State -would have to act as President, and summon Congress at onco Sri.order to foe an early date for a second popular election. Strangely enough, this is. quite likel.v to' happen: each step, Srobably, will follow in order should 'R. Wilson not obtain his initial absolute majority. According to Colonel .Harvey, orie of the shrewdest political observers in : America, Dr. Wilson Will fail by 51 to obtain the necessary 266 votes in .the College. Should this calculation turn :Oiit to be correct, Aineriea will deServe. the sympathy of everybody; one Presidential election in four years is calamity enough.