Page:The American review - a Whig journal of politics, literature, art, and science (1845).djvu/132

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118

The Result of the Election.

[Feb.,

States.	Clay.	Polk.	Birney.	Aggregate.	Plurality		Whig^[1]		Dem.^[1]		El. Vo.
States.	Clay.	Polk.	Birney.	Aggregate.	Clay.	Polk.	Maj.	Def.	Maj.	Def.	C.	P.
Maine	34,379	45,719	4,836	81,933	——	11,341	——	8,039	3,252	——	——	9
New Hampshire	17,866	27,160	4,161	49,187	——	9,294	——	6,728	2,566	——	——	6
Vermont	26,770	18,041	3,954	48,765	8,729	——	2,387	——	——	6,342	6	——
Massachusetts	67,418	32,846	10,360	131,124	14,572	——	1,856	——	——	12,716	12	——
Rhode Island	7,322	4,867	——	12,139	2,455	——	1,227	——	——	1,227	4	——
Connecticut	32,832	29,841	1,943	64,616	2,991	——	524	——	——	2,467	6	——
New York	232,482	237,588	15,812	485,882	——	5,106	——	10,459	——	5,353	——	36
New Jersey	38,318	37,495	131	75,944	823	——	346	——	——	477	7	——
Pennsylvania	161,203	167,535	3,138	331,876	——	6,332	——	4,735	1,597	——	——	26
Delaware	6,258	5,971	——	12,229	287	——	144	——	——	144	3	——
Maryland	35,984	32,676	——	68,660	3,308	——	1,654	——	——	1,654	8	——
Virginia	43,677	49,570	——	93,247	——	5,893	——	2,946	2,946	——	——	17
North Carolina	43,232	39,287	——	82,519	3,945	——	1,972	——	——	1,972	11	——
Georgia	42,100	44,147	——	86,247	——	2,047	——	1,023	1,023	——	——	10
Alabama	26,084	37,740	——	63,824	——	ll,656	——	5,828	5,828	——	——	9
Mississippi	19,208	25,126	——	44,332	——	5,920	——	2,960	2,960	——	——	6
Louisiana	13,083	13,782	——	26,865	——	699	——	349	349	——	——	6
Arkansas	5,504	9,546	——	15,050	——	4,041	——	2,021	2,021	——	——	3
Tennessee	60,030	59,917	——	119,947	113	——	56	——	——	56	13	——
Kentucky	61,255	51,988	——	113,243	9,267	——	4,633	——	——	4,633	12	——
Missouri	31,251	41,369	——	72,620	——	10,118	——	5,059	5,059	——	——	7
Illinois	45,528	57,920	——	103,448	——	12,392	——	6,196	6,196	——	——	9
Indiana	67,867	70,131	2,106	140,154	——	2,314	——	2,210	104	——	——	12
Ohio	155,057	149,117	8,050	312,224	5,940	——	——	1,055	——	6,995	23	——
Michigan	24,237	27,703	3,632	55,572	——	3,466	——	3,549	——	83	——	5
												161
South Carolina^[2]												9
	1,298,942	1,337,132	59,623	2,694,697	52,430	90,578	14,799	63,207	33,901	44,119	105	170
↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 These columns express the excess over, or deficiency from, a majority in each state, obtained by the Whigs and Democrats respectively. They are important to show the precise amount of disturbance created by the third party, wherever it intervened. Where but two tickets were run, the majority for one is, of course, equal to the deficiency of the other, and each is half the plurality. ↑ South Carolina does not entrust the choice of Presidential Electors to the people, and we have therefore omitted all further notice of her in estimating the popular elements of the numerical result. She took no part in the Convention which nominated Mr. Polk, and has, since the election, expressed her distrust of the principles which are to govern his administration. She stands pretty much aloof from our national politics, and is both inconsiderable and but little considered in our party combinations.

It will be perceived by a reference to the above table, that in three of the states of the Union, New York, Ohio and Michigan, casting together sixty-four electoral votes, neither Mr. Clay nor Mr. Polk received an actual majority. Of the remaining twenty-two states in which electors were chosen directly by the people, ten gave majorities for Mr. Clay, and twelve for Mr. Polk. Of the whole aggregate popular vote of 2,694,697, the Whig candidate fell short of an actual majority by 48,407 votes; and the President elect by 10,217 votes; the plurality of the latter over the former being 38,190. The largest numerical majority cast in any state was 6,196, in Illinois for Mr. Polk—the largest numerical plurality in any state was 14,572 in Massachusetts for Mr. Clay.

The first important deduction to be drawn from the above tlata is, that Mr. Polk, on no basis of calculation, received the suffrages of a majority of the actual voters at the election. In the aggregate vote we have already seen how far he fell short of this. But if a majority of ballots had been necessary to the choice of electors in the several states, he would also have been defeated; the twelve states in which his party polled majorities, furnished but one hundred and twenty electors, eighteen less than the requisite number.

Another notable fact, apparent upon the figures, is the smallness of the majorities thrown for either candidate in all the states which can fairly be said to have been contested. Leaving out Missouri, Alabama, Illinois and Kentucky, (where no third party intervened, and where the state of opinions was so unequal as to offer no motive for a close contest,) the largest majority in any state was but 3,252, in Maine.

Again, it is worthy of remark, that in three instances at least, a very small change of votes throughout a most extensive territory and among a vast population, would have reversed the result. Thus in the State of New York, a change of 2,554 votes—but little over one-half per cent. of the aggregate of that State, and less than one-thousandth of the entire vote of the Union,—would have elected our candidate; in Pennsylvania and Georgia together a change of one per cent. of

[asterisk-1] 1.0 ^1.1 These columns express the excess over, or deficiency from, a majority in each state, obtained by the Whigs and Democrats respectively. They are important to show the precise amount of disturbance created by the third party, wherever it intervened. Where but two tickets were run, the majority for one is, of course, equal to the deficiency of the other, and each is half the plurality.

[2] South Carolina does not entrust the choice of Presidential Electors to the people, and we have therefore omitted all further notice of her in estimating the popular elements of the numerical result. She took no part in the Convention which nominated Mr. Polk, and has, since the election, expressed her distrust of the principles which are to govern his administration. She stands pretty much aloof from our national politics, and is both inconsiderable and but little considered in our party combinations.

[1]

[2]