Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-02-20

WASHINGTON, Feb. Il. IS

w ASHlNGTON, req. II, 1915.
Editor Rutland Herald The public
event of the week has been the counting
of the electoral vote on Wednesday.
Not that any real Importance is attached
to the event, for the true import and eff
feet of the electoral vote was strongly
surmised by knowing ones long ago, but
the affair afforded fresh food for curl
osity, and enHui, the society distemper
born of nightly revels and daily gossip
and yearning for something fresh,
clutched with avidity at the performance
which transpires once in four years,
with the regularity Of comet. 1t is
not claimed that they saw much, but
then it afforded ton sufficient provoca-
ton to splash through drenching rain
storm to the Capitol, to join in solid
phalanX about gallery doors, waiting
hours for them to be opened, to be
squeezed out of shape and temper
able discipline for the coming Inaugural
ton ball-and when at eleven o'clock
the doors are thrown open, to rush pcll
nell and quarrel over choice seats.
The occasion was also thought to
justify setting apart a portion of the
House gallery to the select few who
possess the " shiboleth" of NJ G. No
doubt this occasion would have justified
such distinctive privileges if any justif-
cation could be found for patrician iusti-
tutions in republican America. It
would have mattercd less, however, had
not such dignified preference been pro-
nounced for that part of the ladies gal
lery which contains the ladies retiring
room, and the female portion of the
vulgar public denied those accommoda-
tons which Uncle Sam has provided for
all, and which even common ladies may
be supposed to require on public and
dress occasions. Mrs. Congress, in coy
seclusion, viewed with equal equanimity
the jamming process in the opposite gal
lery and the high deliberations in which |
her lord and master participated below,
while the wives and daughters of Smith, |
Jones, and neutrality-suspicious. |
we won't attempt to chronicle their i'm |
pressions, or even the remarks which /
rose above the noise of the chamber
At one o'clock the Senate formed in
procession and marched to the Repre- /
sentative hall, where they were received I
by members standing and given seats
among the members. The Vice-Presi-
dent called the assemblage to order and
proceeded to "biz " by announcing the
State, opening the package and handing
it to three tellers in front of him to be
announced formally
Slight irregularities in the returns, pc
euliarities of circumstances and a pre-
fearo on the part of statesmen
of establishing questionable
precedents called forth numerous objee-
tons. When objection was made and a
point of issue raised, the Vice President
would announce the retirement of the
Senate, when both bodies would consid-
er the matter in separate session Thus
they were kept assembling and retiring
from one until nine o'clock in the even
ing. The only material result from any
objection raised was the throwing out of
,he votes of Louisiana and Arkansas.
This was very properly and easily done
from the fact that to count either would
have been to countenance a shameful
degree of fraud and corruption, and to
throw them both out made no difference
in the result. The imperfections of our
system OF electing and determining the
elections of the Chief Magistrate, as il
lustrated in this instance, is provoking
much comment. Not again for four
years will the public witness a more
congregation of the Representa- ,
tive intelligence and character of the
Yankee nation than our House of Com /
mons, with our seventy-four Senators .
'andwitched in, presented. We do love /
10 witness an assembling of talent and
and in this instance we felt
ike swinging our hats and shouting de-
lance to the world. BY the way, we
missed our member from the third dis
.rict on that occasion. There was Zone
vacant chair" We hope, however, soon
o see the portly figure of Gov Hendee
Melting away the accumulated frosts of