The Van Buren press., 1866-10-19
The CONGRESSIONAL ELEcrIoNs.--The

The CONGRESSIONAL ELECTioNs.--The
great importance Of the ensuing Congrcs
sional elections does not depend on their
relation to the carly admission of the
Southern Senators and Representatives,
but on their relation TO the next Prcsi-
dental election. Tho ten excluded States
made difference of seventy votes in the
electoral collegcs--fifty for their Re. re
sentatiyes and twenty for their Senator'S.
The Radicals are mancuvring tr c.,tia,i,,
these seventy electoral votes. To foil
their intention is the most solid adyan.
tagc that We can gain in the approaching
elections.
Happily, we do not need, for this pur
pose, to elccta majority, but only one
third of TIC members of the House. As
the laws now stand, those States are enti-
tied to their due number Of electoral votes
and the President of the Senate would
DC compelled to receive and count them.
To have the Southern electoral votes
counted, it is not necessary to repeal
law, but only to prevent the passage of
new one; n state Of facts which makes n
great difference in the Congressional
strength needed by the Unionists. To re-
peal an existing law requires a majority
OF. both Houses; but to defeat new
law which the President disapprovcs. re-
qures only one third of the members of
one House, and one vote additional II
we can elect one-third Of the House OF
Representatives, we shall cfectually coun-
tervail the chief object Of the Radicals in
their policy of exclusion. A gain of
twenty odd Congressman will give us
seventy electoral votes which we should
otherwise lose.
This point is of such vital consequence
that we desire to make it entirely clear.
To this end we ask perusal Of the joint
resolution passed previous to counting
the electoral votes in 1868 The follow
ing is an exact copy:
JOINT RESOLUTION DECLARING CERTAIN STATES
NOT ENTITLED TO, REPRESENTATION IN THE
ELECTORAL CoLEEGr.
WHEREAS, The Inhabitants and local au-
thorlties of the States Of Virginia. North Car
DINA, South Carolina. Georgia. Alabama, Mir
sissippi. louisiana. Texas. Arkansas and Ten
nesscc, rebellcd against the government ofthc
United States. and were In such condition on
the eighth Of November. 1864. that no valid
election for electors Of President and Vice.
President of the United States, according TO
the Constitutions and laws thereof was held
therein on the same day; therefore as
BE IL res0irea IN the Senate and House nj
Representatives. cf the United States Of Amcri-
ca in Congress assembled. Thaethcstates men-
62 GafS SJs IN ss M Rrcam9s taa aJet se shs is qpt
Vice-Presdent of the United States. for the
term of office commencing on the fourth day
be received or counted from said States con-
ccrring the choice Of President and Vice
President for said term Of Office.
Approved, February s, 1865
The Republicans cannot object to the
precedent set by this joint resolution, for
it is precedent Of their own making.
1t establishes the principle that whenever
the President of the Senate is not spe-
cially instructed by Congress to the con
trary, he must count the electoral votes
Of all the States, and declare the result
as all the votes make it. The joint res
olution passed in 1865, applied only to
the electoral votes Of that one election
Unless the President of the Senate shall
be again similarly instructed by new
joint resolution, in 1860, all the Southern
votes will have to be counted 1t is i'm
portant TO observe that the foregoing
resolution was not passed until after the
Presidential election Of 1864, and that
the recital in it's preamble, on which the
resolution is the recital of past histori
cal fact, respecting the condition of GER
tain States on the eighth Of November.
1t hence follows that the present Con-
grcss cannot pass such resolution rcla
ting to the next Presidential election. Ii
the Southern votes ore excluded, it must
be done by the Congress now to be cleo
ted. The country is quite safe on that
point II the Unionsts can elect one third
OF the new House Of Representatives.
The election of majority Of the House
though on many accounts desirable,
would produce no immediate advantage
above what would equally follow from the
election Of Union members enough to
support the veto. 1t needs majority
OF both Houses to pass law, and rs the
Republicans would still control the Sen
ate, it is only negative results that can be
expected from the next Congress To
block bad legislation, the veto and one
third Of one House are all that is ncces-
sary. The key Of the political position
is the next Presidential election The
seventy Southern votes will probably de-
termine it. Those seventy votes will be
counted if we can prevent the passage Of
a joint resolution like the above by the
next Congress, which can be easily and
triumphantly done by good management
and little extra oxcrtion in about TWEEN
ty districts where the Republicans had
tri0ing majorities in lS64.--.New York
World. t9l
EE Virtue paints its bloom upon the
check, sparkles in the eye, radiates from