Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1869-02-23
THE STORM IN THE JOINT CONVENTION.

the stormy scenes in the joint convention
of both Houses of Congress, for the coun-
ting Of the Presidential electoral vote
see nothing at which the old lady need be
painfully exercised. There was great
crowd on the floor of the House, as well
as in the galleries; the occasion was ex-
traordinary, coming but once in four years
the vast concourse was naturally in an ex.
cited condition, and if the actors in the
grand, though simple, drama being enact
ed-the Senator's and Representatives
had all been the coolest philosophers III
the world, every person familiar with
crowds knows they could not have main
tanned their coolness against the excited
magnetism of the Thousands around them
But | deny the right of any body to re,
quire these men to be incapable of excite.
ment because they are Senators and Rep.
resentatives, any more than other beings
merely human. Excitement in itself, is
no discredit to any condition of humanity
The motive is the characterizing point
And herein proper discrimination is
wanting on the part of those who animad.
vert on the excitement of the occasion un,
der notice. To the great credit Of oul
Senators and Representatives, be it said
not word was uttered, nor gesture
made, throughout all the excitement, on
personal account. The misuse of language
at least.-if not a mistake Of the rights OF
the respective bodies-on the part Of the
President Of the Senate, Mr.. Wade, as
President Of the joint convention, in assert.
ing-apparentl y-the paramount authori-
ty of the Senate, in the case Of the ques.
tons arising on the admissibility Of the
electoral votes of Louisiana and Georgia,
respectively, when the joint convention
only could have been properly intended,
very naturally and reasonably looked tc
the minds Of Representatives like usurpa-
ton, which, though in this case not di-
rectly consequential, might as a precedent
on some future occasion, enable the Sen
ate to throw out votes enough to defeat a
Presidential election OF course, their
objections to this, as it flashed through
their minds to be of any avail, must be
made Oh the instant.
This, Of necessity, hurried, and natural
ly excited, resistance to a believed en-.
croachmcnt upon the rights and dignity,
not of any individual, but of body more
directly representative of the sovereign
people of the Republic than any other
was all that occurred to elicit the unfav
orable comments upon the prcceedings.-
And at the highest pitch of the excite
ment, even bluff Ben. Bntler, the leader
of the resstants, Immediately took hi
seat the moment his own presiding off
Ger took the gayel and called him to or
der No. So far from my ~hand ant
heart is it to find these Representative
! blameworthy, hold them to have mani
tested the spirit which adds to our assur
ance Of the safe keeping of popular right
in the hands of this branch of the Ma
| tional Legislature. Who that has reat
} the history of the hard wrestling of popu
, lar rights from crowns and oligarchs, ant
1 of the insidous encroachments upon thos'
5 grudged rights again, can find fault witt
| sudden burst Of heated jealousy Of ;
seemingly usurped authority, even thougl
, after hours for fuller and calmer consid
Grafton of the situation may have reveal
. ed that the jealousy was unwarranted
HOTELS CROWDED.
! The advent Of visitors for the 4th o
March has already commenced, and GU
0 principal hotels are nearly full. Las
E evening guests arriving at the Metropoli
tan Hotel in the city; being to Washing
! ton as the Continental Hotel is to Phila
. delphia-were compelled to wait until tn
r departure Of the evening train north
: before rooms could be assigned them. ii
: public halls have appearance of tow
: hall in the country, on town meeting day
o THE PATRIOTIC CAMPAIGN FOR PLACES.
! Now comes the tug Of war among poll
2 tical placescekers here. They are a
G marshaling their forces and beating 70
g recruits. Those who are in are doing wha
5 they can to entrench themselves--unle
they haply have secured something els
{" more to their liking--and to make vigol
!, Gus defence against the numerous assailant
r of the position. One great advantag
the holder of position has in politics
It warfare, over one similarly placed in m
litary contests: although the defender of
G position is many times outnumbered b
b. those who are trying to capture is as bt
/ one Of these eager patriots can have po
ession at one, and as it is the positic
l. they all want, and not him who holds /
2 the contest becomes quite as much scran
T. BILE between themselves to get ahead Il