New-York daily tribune., 1849-02-17
NEW-YORk TRIBUNE.
Counting the Electoral yote--Takes Day
Correspondence Of The Tribune

WASHINGTON, "Wednesday req -.
This day having been designated for the lorna
counting Of the Electoral Votes and declaration
the result Of the Presidential Election, the House
convened as usual, heard prayers aud listened te
the reading OF its yesterdays journal then await
ed the appearance Of the Senate for whom the
from, seats had been duly cleared Great bodies
move slow, and the intellectual greatness Of the
Senate retarded its coming quite beyond expec'a-
ton, if not beyond patience. Meantime attempts
were made by several Members 10 obtain the con
alteration Of resolutions not likely 70 provoke de:
bate. bu, they were all stopped by objection from
one quarter or another. 1t was plain that spirit
Of opposition to doing anything was in the sscen-
dent.
At length, the Senators stalked in and took the
seats appointed for them their usual occupants
having left them vacant Vice President Dallas
took the chair Of the Convention Of both Houses
The seals OF the return from Maine were first
broken. the votes therein recorded were counted,
and the result declared the Telers noted down
the totals, then the return from New Hampshire
was opened, the votes therein declared and noted
down. and so on as if every body did not know how
each and ell must come out. Thus the returns
from all the States were gone through, aud the
Tellers proceeded 10 add up the columns, (which
they might easily have done with their eyes shut y
and the grand total was duly declared-FOr Pfesi-
dent Zachary Taylor OF Louisiana 1853 votes
Lewis Cass Of Michigan ~ votes Whole No.
29O Necessary TO a choice i6i Gen Tay lor, hav-
ing a majority Of the whole number, was by the
Vice-Prcsident declared duly chosen President for
-four years from the fourth day Of March next. In
like manner, Milard Fillmore OF New-York was
declared elected Vice President, having 90 votes
10 Ia for William o. Butler o. louisiana The
business Of the Convention beng concluded, the
Vice.President pronounced it dissolved, and the
Senate took up their line Of march for their own
Chamber.
1t was now n little before O'Clock. The
Members had endured the intense labor OF doing
nothing either sitting in their seats or lounging
about tor almost two hours.
Even before Gen. BARROW from the Joint Com
mIltee could make the necessary report 10 the
House of the proceedings in Convention, half
dozen raised their voices It'll motions 10 adjourn.
The Speaker reined them in until the aeodlul for
mality was enacted At once, a dozen or more
sung out the motion to adjourn the Speaker put
il 10 the House, and an almost universal yeu OF
assent was given. The Noes were called but
scarcely heard, and quicker than you could say
Jack Robinson, the House was adjourned. l had
understood from most influential Member, who
presumed could rally thirty votes for anything,
that he would call the Yeas and Nays, but he
either deemed 1t hopeless had not time to raise
bis voice before the result was declared aud the
Members in full flight | suppose If an adjourn
ment could have been defeated for the moment by
getting the Yeas and Nays, there were enough
fully determined that nothing should be done to
have forced a speedy adjournment by stopping all
business and thus proving the folly OF resisting IT,
And vet this adjournment was hardly less than
a crime With but fifteen secular days OF the
Session remaining and one of these probably to
be thrown out as Washington's Birth Day TO say
nothing of the arrival and reception OF Gen. Iay-
lor-with not even one important Appropriation
bill finally disposed OF, and little besides Appro-
priation bills considered at all-with Postage he
forms in allegiance, Land Reform not looked at
Retrenchment Of any sort under the table, ana the
New Territories imploripg legitimate Government
and likely to plead in vain, though their wants
are imperative and urgent, it is downright dire
hction and wrong to throw away day after this
fashion. There was not Northern man In the
House who would not discharge his hireling, not
a Southern man who would not larrup his niger
were he to quit work in the middle OF day on
similar pretexts and in like emergencies
From those who deigned to justify this adjourn
ment | heard but two excuses for 1t, /. Con
sress nerer does anything else on the day
the votes for President are counted and
? We shall pass bills enough, probably too
many,-beiore the 4th OF March any how. Ad
mtting the truth of both assertions, deny their
pertinence and cogency. II Congress has hitherto
thrown away precious hours on this pretext, II is
hish time a better example were set, better
practice established; and, so far from the proba-
bility that many bad bills will be passed siiording
re sson for this adjournment maintain, that the
ust inference is strongly against It. The worst
measures of every Session are smuggled through
(oiten as amendments to good biilsl in the haste
and hubbub of the last day or two, when none but
the initiated have a chance TO understand them.
1t is easy to pass forty important bills in one Say,
but that 10 not legislating but gambling with all
safeguards Of Life, Labor and Property. 1t may
sometimes be necessary but woe to those who
create the necessity And if bad bills shall be
hustled through at the heel of the Session, or bad
provisions hocus pooused into good bills the blame
should rest on those who vote adjournments Ike
that Of to-day.