Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1860-10-12
THE PR RESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN
CONGRESS.


sSa CONGRESS-. .
One of our correspondents has taken
up the exploded absurdity that, on the
failure of the House to elect a Presi-
dent, (there being no choice by the
people, the present Vice President be-
comes President for the next four years,
The Constitution is not at all ambigu-
Gus on the subject. When no candi-
date, has received majority of all the
electoral votes, the House is required to
choose from the three who have re-
ceiged the higest number of votes. In
like manner, the choice of Vice Presi-
dent is to be made by the Senate, from
the fUo candidates who are highest on
the list The Constitution further pro-
yides that, in case no President is chosen
by the House prior to the 4th of March,
then the Vice President thus chosen
shall become the acting President.
In the present contest, should the de
vices of our opponents for preventing an
election by the Electoral Colleges pre-
vail, there is no doubt that the three
candidates constitutionally eligible by
the House will be Lincoln, Breckinridge
and Bell. It is manifest that, constitu-
ted as is the present House, on which
the election would devolye, no election
would be possible, unless the choice
should fall upon Lincoln. Such strug-
gle as would be had in the House would
be really the most unfortunate and dan
gerous thing that could happen to the
country. Conservative men everywhere
must deplore, and should earnestly en-
deavor to avoid such a result There is,
it must be conceded, scarcely a posi-
bility of any election by the House.
It is to be remembered that if there
is no election of President by the Elec-
tors, there will be none of Vice Presi-
dent. In that case, the Senate will be
required to choose Vice President, as
we have stated, from the two candidates
who receive the greatest number of cleo
toral votes. These will be Hamlin and
Lane, Cor possibly Everett.) There is
decided Democratic majority in the
Senate, of the Breckinridge and Lane
stamp. The election Of Lane by that
body would thus be easy, if his name
goes up along with Hamlin's. In that
case on failure of the House to elect a
President by the 4th of March, Joe
Lane becomes President. In our judg-
ment, the whole Presidential question
narrows itself down to the choice of
Lincoln by the electoral Colleges, or of
Lane by the Senate,
Let us suppose, however, that the
name Of Mr.. Everett, instead of that of
Gen. Lane, comes before the Senate
How can he get elected? A decided
majority of the Senate is opposed to him,
not single Senator being primarily IN
his favor, and there. being only two
Douglas Senators to carry out the Bell
Douglas coalition by voting for him
It only requires resort to the neces-
sary tactics on the part Of the Democrats
to staye off an election until the new
Senate comes in on the 4th of March.
They will then. choose President of the
Senate pro tempore, who would become,
by virtue Of his Office, President of the
United States. That man would proba-
bly, be John G. Breckinridge.
1t will thus be seen that no party has
to gain, IN any erent, by throw
ing the election into the House, save
only the BreckinIdge and Lane party.
The more thoroughly the subject is ex-
amined, the palmer this truth will ap-
pear. Lincoln might be elected in the
House; yet his friends too clearly fore
see the inevitable consequences Of such
a struggle in Congress at this time, to be
willing thus to disturb the peace Of the
country, and still further to produce
alienation and discord, even were his
election there certainty. On the other
hand, neither the Douglas nor the Bell
Everett party has, under any circum-
stances, whether acting apart or together,
The slightest chance of any profit from
defeating an election by the most direct
popular method provided by the Consti-
tuition. AS the canvass advances, these
truths will become more and more evi-
dent, and will lead Union loving men,
opposed to the Breckinridge party, to
look with favor upon the election of
Lincoln and Hamlin, as the only means
of defeating Disunionism-Gn. Gaz.
Injury dome to Sheep by Dogs I'm Ohio. |
We have obtained from the Office of
II n IN