Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1869-02-19
The Counting Of, LIE Electoral Votes.

=. The Counting Of LIE Electoral Votes.
One Of thomost disro putablo sconcs
which evot: disgracod a delibera,ivc
body was enacted in the Hall Of the
House of. Representatives before the
joint convention Of both Houses of
Congress, at the counting Of the Pres.
idential vote on Wednesday the 10th
inst. The authority o; tho presiding <
officer was openly dcfed, and but for
tho timely interposilion of Sxeaker
.Colfax, in ordering the Seryeant.at
Arms to arrest the refractory mem
bers, the excitement would likely huvc
eliminated i'll blows. aad the cffusion
Of blood. 80
The primo mover in the disturb
ance, as Was TO be expected, was Ben
Butler, who, under tho pretext Of
'vindicating tho authority Of the
House, sought an opportunity to give
expression to the vanity and scIf:asscr-
tion of his nature, and by provoking
a collision with tL,o Senate, perhaps
hoped to crafty Lis auimosity. to the
President elect by interposing obsta-
cles to the counting Of his electoral
votes. The only matter Of surprise
seems to be, that i'll SO important u
function Of tho Government us tho
counting Of the Presidential votes,
which was prescribed by the Consti-
tuition, and has been exercised every
four years since, there should. be the
want:of any fixed rule or established
precedent, regulating the mode Of pro-
eeedure, the power Of the two Houses
and tho authority of the presiding
Officer. Tie Constitution of the
United States merely directs that the
President Of the Senate shall open the
certificates Of election, and that the
votes shall be counted in the presence
of the two Houses. In 1865 the 22d
joint rule was adopted by Congress.
which provides that if objection be
made to the counting Of. the vote from
any State, the two Houses shall meet
in their respective chambers and
decide the Question without debate.
This resolution had, however, been
only recently modified by another
concurrent resolution which provided
for the counting of the vote of Geor-
gia specially-directing that the. vote
should be counted if it did not change
the general result ; otherwise not. It
was the enforcing the joint resolution,
and pronouncing an appeal therefrom
in the joint session to be out of order,
that had excited the ire of Butler and
other refractory members of tho
House. '.T. .. " III;
" Tho following arc the leading Incl.
dents of this boisterous session: Ac-
cording to a joint rule previously.
adopted, Senator Wade, Presiding
Officer of the Senate, took the Speak:
:ef's'chair, and the Speaker took q
chair beside him, and to his left; Sen:
sstor 4.Copklin : and Representatives
Wilson, of Iowa, and Pruyn, of New
York occupied places at the Clerks
desk, as Tellers. . .. ... -
Tho Presidipg Officer, without any
preliminary, q motion or Formally,
handed. TO the T.ellers the, ELECTORAL
vote Of New Hampshire open; Sega.
t:tor Conkiing read the certifcates in
&tnll the result being that New Hamp.
shire had given for Ulysses, S. Grant,
of Illinois, ,fye, vsses for President
forg Schuyler sColfaxt oS Indiana, Eve
votes for Vice President. =. ,i:.
Tho counting Of the VOTES pro.
.seeeded auie4yfnptil, tho vote; Of, Lou!
-isiapa was reached, when Mr. Mullins
objected to the counting; of the votes
Of this State. Louisiana, it will be
.Fec9llectsd, cast its electoral vote, fo1
Seymour and Blair; and hence the
aeppositien of the, extreme partizan
ring Of Il, the Ii Rsspplpb Rspplpb blican party Rbo
desired soncst :gesg ageges ; X 70, 7deay.to' that
State ;its 3 EEitgshhts. in the Unions and
.sinsstsa that no, ,valiaa 4 election st 9 bad besa
sbslds The Senate aaslsg retired fst
sdsiberatiep, and the 4j.9sHq jr.s9ssHqlt ;Mass ghat gt
.sfsh House rse9lysd to Il sseesiss ssg .shs
.u6te of T,on;s;ano ~
The hadies met again. in joint ses
sion, and after easesal: States gwere
scalled, sGsosgia sa,f fss.ose eehsd, and
-,Ralles ekisstsa sso tin Of III
vote as fsuoysss sas gx@ ;a, ,ssssa'