Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1868-07-11
THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE QUESTION

The joint resolution passed by the Senate
yesterday, excluding from the Electoral Col
isge votes of States lately in rebellion, which
shall not have been recrganized, provides that
none OF the states whose inhabitants Were
lately in rebellion, and which are not now rep
resented in Congress, shall be entitled to repre-
sentation in the Electoral College for the choice
of President and Vice President Of the United
States; nor shall any electoral votes be re-
oeived or counted from any of such States un.
less at the time prescribed oy law for the choice
of electors the people of such State, pursuant
10 the acts of Congress IN that behalf shall
have since the ith day of March, 1867, adopted
8 constitution of State government under
which state government shall have been or
eaDized and shall be in operation, and unless
such election Of electors shall have been held
under the authority of such constitution and
government, and such State shall have also
become entitled TO representation in Congress
ursuant to the acts Of Congress in that behalf
The resolution will doubtless be acted upon
by the House at once, inasmuch as the Pres
ident is quite1nre TO veto it, and Congress is
impatient to adjourn at the earliest moment at
which important and needed measures can be
carried over the veto. Aside from the political
view, the necessity for the passage of some
such measure as this TO avert serious difficulty
in the insurrectionary States at the approach
ing election was shown in the late debate in
the Senate.
As set forth by Senator Howard and others
the purpose OF CongressIs to remove all I'M
certainty, di-putation and cayil TO the kind
of electors for President and Vice President
whose votes are TO be counted; and to declare
unequivocally that electors chosen under any
other constitutions than those inaugurated
under the reconstruction acts shall not b. re-
cognized by Congress as proper electors
At the present time there is in each OF the IN
surrectionary States a sort of dual government
one State government having been inaugurated
under the proclamation Of the President, and
IN others government organized or in the
process Of organization under the reconsIruc-
ton laws. President johnson. we know
regards the latter description of governments
as bling utterly unconstitutional and void,
maintaining that the governments which he
inauguratsd and launched into being by virtue
OF bis own ipse dixit are the constitutional gov
ernments Of those States, and his purpose is.
so far as practicable, to maintain and uphold
those governments.
Unless remedy is applied. we may have
electors of President elected under and BY VIZ
Tue OF the johnson Constitution, and another
set OF Presidential electors elected under the
reconstruction acts of Congress, end IN pursu-
anee OF constitutions adopted under those acts.
Ii will be insisted on one side that the election.
chosen under the johnson Constitution are the
emily persons to be admitted into the College of
Electors, and that those electors, and those
only, are entitled 70 give the electoral votes of
'he state: while, on the other hand, il will be
insisted by the friends OF reconstruction that
those electors have rig hts, and that the elect
ers chosen under the reconstruction acts are
the proper and lawful electors
serious complication might arise from this
state of affairs and without regard to the point
how either political party will be affected by
the result, 1t is certainly desirable that the
question shall be definitely settled prior to the
adjournment of Congress