One hundred years ago
THE ten million and a quarter adult males who now take part in the election for the American Presidency, decided on Tuesday for Mr Harrison, the Re- publican candidate. Of the 401 mem- bers of the Electoral College, 233 will vote for him, and only 168 for Mr Cleveland, who clearly has not bene- fited by his recent anti-British action. It is believed, though the figures are not yet known, that the Democrats polled a heavier vote than ever, and that Mr Cleveland may even have a majority of the mass vote; but what is needed is a majority of the 'Electors'. These are distributed to each State in proportion to its population, but as each voter votes for the whole 'ticket', a majority of one in a populous State may have an enormous effect. New York, for inst- ance, has thirty-six Electors, and in 1884 all voted for Mr Cleveland. This year, though not 5 per cent of the people have changed their opinions, the thirty-six Electors are Republican, and the change makes a difference of seventy-two in a College of 401. It does not appear that Mr Cleveland's tariff policy lost him many votes, and it is noted as a most curious fact, that in the North he gained in the manufacturing and lost in the farming districts, the explanation being that Free-trade has made more way in large towns than in little villages.
The Spectator, 10 November 1888
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