The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-02-12
The Georgia Electoral Vote.
ryTER Es77yG SCENES IN THE JOINT CON
rryTrOy OF TIE TWO HOUSES.

IN Wednesday. while counting the votes
FIR President and President,
Mr.. BUTLER, of Massachusetts, then
rose and said :: Mr.. President, ] object to
the votes of the State of Georgia being
counted, and l send my objections in VIII
ting to the Chair.
The objections were read by Mr.. PhulN
as follows
81 object. under the joint rule, that the
| votc of the State of Georgia for President
ond Vice President ought not to be counted
and I object to the counting thereof be-
cause. first. among other things, the vote
of the electors in the electoral college was
not given on the first Wednesday in Decem-
her. az REQUIRED by law, and no excuse IN
| justification for the omission of such legal
duty ia get forth in the certificate OF the &C
,ion Of the electors second, because, at the
dotc of the election Of such electors, the State
of Georgia had not been admitted to repre-
eeutation as State in Congress, since inc :
rebellion of her people, or become en,l,ieu
III ereto third. that, at said date, Fald o's'e
| If Georgia had not fulfilled, IN due form'
| el the requirements OF the constitution
and laws of the United States known as the
| reconstruction acts, so as to entltle sala
State of Georgia to he represented ms state
| of the Union in the electoral vote OF the
| several States for the choice of President
and Vice President fourth, that the cleo
tion pretended to have been held IN the
State Of Georgia on the first Tuesday IN
| November last past was not free, Just,
| equal. and fair election, but the Peep e 0!
| the State were deprived Of their just rights
| therein by force and fraud"
REPRESENTATIVE PRUYN then, by dircc-
ton of the PRESIDING OFFICER, read the
concurrent resolution of the two Houses in
relation to counting the vote of Georgia.
Senator EDMUNDS made the point of
order, that the objection was not in order,
the two Houses having, by special rule in
the case of Georgia, made substantial
change in the standing joint rules.
Representative BUTLER /: | desire to
call the atte ntion of the PRESIDENT to the
law. thnt the votes must be counted or re-
iected BIZ the convention Of the two Houses.
Representative WOOD: | call the gen.
tleman from Massachusetts, to order. The
rule forbids discussion.
The PRESIDING OFFICER: Debate ID
not in order.
REPRESENTATIVE BUTLER: Have not a
right to state the question
The PRESIDING OFFICER: The gen.
tlemnn has stated his objection in writing.
Mr.. BUTLER: And the gentleman from
Vermont Senator EDMuNDsl did not state
his in writing Ia palpable bit, which was
received with much laughter, the PREsI-
DING OFFICER contcntipg himself for all
response with exercise with the gavell. /
claim az n point of order that the objection
of the Senator from Vermont is not well
taken, and desire that question to be de-
cided by the two Houses.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (speaking
with much hesitancy of manner: The
CHAIR is very much disposed to hold the
Senate and the House to their own doing-to
the Joint resolution which they passed
the nurnort of which is, if we understand
it, that if the votes of the State of Georgia
did not alter the result of the election they
might be counted, and if they did alter the
result, they were not be counted.
This simple, natural, and very explicit
declaration of the meaning ofthc concurrent
resolution brought down the House and on
the floor and in the galleries there was gen
eral outhurst Of laughter and merriment, ac-
companied with clapp;ng of hands, stamp
ing Of feet, and other like manifestations OF
lproarious mirth.
Senator DRAKE: submit the point OF
order that the concurrent resolution does
not dispose Of the first ground Of the ohIec-
ton taken by the representative from Mas
sachusetts-to Wit, that the vote Of Georgia
was not caet on the day required by law
and insist, therefore, that that point must
no determined by the votes Of the two
Houses separately.
The PRESIDING OFFICER: The con-
current resolution declares that the vote OF
Georria shall he announced by the Vice
President DrO TEN. in certain special way.
The CHAIR is very muth disposed TO obey
the directions of both branches of Congress
u this matter.
Mr.. BUTLER: With great respect for
the decision of the CHAIR, yet as this Is a
matter of high constitutional law, and NJ in
| other times it might make great trouble, !
propose that the matter shall be considered
| in both Houses. TCountervailing exclama-
tons of "No, no ~ " Yes, yes :" from the
opposite sides of the chamber-thc senator's
House appearing to have formed a junction
with the Democrats and with considerable
number of Republican members who were
adverse to Mr.. BUTLER's position.
| The PRESIDING OFFICER rose to face the
storm, and then irresolutely, and as if he
| felt himself utterly embarrassed by the
persistency of Mr.. BUTLER, he took his seat
again, without venturing to express an
opinion or to make ruling. This incident,
too, provoked considerable laughter.
Mr.. JONES, Of Kentucky,-as if to add
to the complications of the question, and tC
the embarrassment of the PRESIDING
OFF1cER-put forward an objection to the
counting of the vote of Georgia in the man
ner indicated in the concurrent resolution
and said he would proceed to write out his
objections in due form. He submitted that
under the twenty second rule he had n right
to object to that concurrent resolution
! especially as it was passed subsequently tc
the election.
While Mr.. JONES was sitting down at his
desk to carry out his threat
The PRESIDING OFFICER las being the
easiest way out of the difficulties by which
he vas beset) rose and said that, objection
being made, the Senate would retire to it,
chamber and deliberate.
Representative SC0FIELD: On what
Laughter
The PRESIDING OFFICER On the OBJ
lection made by the gentleman from Mas
sachusetts.
Mr.. JONES, Of Kentucky, as he saw the
senators rising to depart, demanded tc
know whether his objection was not in
order.
The only response he received was the
repetition of the order that the senators
should retire.