IEFFERSON-BURR IMBROGLIO, imbro ly6, a disputed Presidential election which resulted from a defective clause in the Con stitution and caused its amendment in 1800. By its original provisions, the person who re ceived the highest number of electoral votes should be President, the next highest Vice President. Each set of electors had informally agreed that to save the pride of the leading candidates (Jefferson and Burr, Adams and Pinckney) each pair should have equal votes, and with one exception never reflected that this meant a tie; one Rhode Island Federalist elec tor cast his second vote for John Jay instead of Pinckney, and there is ati unproven charge that Burr intrigued for an extra vote over Jef ferson. They, however, received 73 each, and the Federalist House had to choose between the two Democratic candidates. Rules were adopted for the balloting, among the chief being that the Senate should be admitted, that the balloting should be in secret session and that the House should not adjourn till a choice was made. The Federalists in caucus decided to vote for Burr; perhaps partly to spite the Democrats — Jefferson being their great na tional leader and the great Federalist terror, and the man the Democrats had intended to vote for as President—and partly because Burr as a New York man would consult North ern commercial interests, which the Virginian Jefferson might antagonize. They were right in this; Burr would not have laid the Em bargo. Their solid vote would have elected Burr by one (nine out of 16 States); but they could not hold their members, three of whom bolted and voted for Jefferson to satisfy public feeling in their districts. Thus Jefferson had eight States, Burr six. and Vermont and Mary land were divided. But the Burr electors in
the last two secretly agreed with Bayard of Delaware, who had also voted for Burr, that if there were likely to be bad blood and danger from prolonged balloting, they would stop it by voting for Jefferson. The casting vote thus lay with Bayard, who justly commanded con fidence; but as the agreement was not known the situation seemed much more perilous than it was. The balloting lasted a week without change. Some of the Federalists plotted to have it last till John Adams' term. expired, and then let the others fight it out, or leave it by special act to Chief Justice John Marshall (Federalist), as a sort of regent trustee. The Democrats countered by resolving either to have Jefferson and Burr jointly (one of them cer tainly being President) call a session, or to seize the capital by a militia force, call a convention, and revise the Constitution. Finally, after 34 ballots, the confederate electors decided that if Jefferson would give a guarantee for the civil service, he should have the elec tion after one more ballot; he gave the guar antee, and was elected on the 36th ballot by 10 to 6 (States). Burr became Vice-President ; that the attempt to put him at the head was mainly due to real fear for commerce is made probable by the fact that every New England State except the one (Vermont) which had no commerce voted for him to the last. This af fair resulted in the passage of the Twelfth Amendment (see CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES), which obliged the electors to specify their choice for the offices on distinct ballots, and enlarge the range of choice to three can didates in case of tie.