The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1875-01-22
.F0RTY-THIRD CONGRESS,
WAsHISGToN, January q.
sen ATE.

/ SENATE.
The Vice-Presiient laid before Senate
the message Of the President in regard
tC strengthening the coast defences, sim
! liar to that read to the House of Repre-
sentatives yesterday. Referred.
Mr.. Wright, from the committee on
| Civil Service and Retrenchment, reported
adversely on the bill to abolish the sys-
TEN Of mileage, and was indefinitely
postponed.
The Chair called the Committee to
business on calender.
Mr.. Hamilton, from the committee on
Civil Service and Retrenchment reported
adversely on the bill to reduce the salary
Of the President of the United States
with request that it be placed on the
calendar with IN adverse report. So or
dered.
The unfinished business being reso-
luton from the committee ON Privileges
and Elections, proposing an amendment
to the Constitution in regard to the cleo
! ton of President and Vice President, was
called up.
Mr.. Morton said this was subject
entirely above all party considerations;
men of all parties could address them
selves to it Independently of excitement,
which now pervadcs; the proposition
was to amend the Constitution so to
bring the election home to the people rs
near rs possible, and at same time avoid
the dangers which are threatened by the
present mode; when he looked back upon
the history of the country it was II mat
ter cf surprise to him that there had not
been trouble resulting from the imper-
fcctSn of our system; there was no pow
cr now III Congres, or in the States 10
settle any contested election
cases; elections might be-
attended with fraud, violence and tumult,
and there was no power to correct the
evil. He pointed out, Mt some length,
the impcrfcctions of the present system.
and said under il too much power was
vested in the hands the Vice President,
or President of the Senate. To whom
electoral votes must be sent under seal.
Six times ii had happened the Vie" Prrsi-
dent had counted the votes where ne him
self was II candidate. John Adams coun-
ted the vote and declared himself elected
| in l7g7. Jefferson counted the vote in
| 1901. when there was Il tie.
suppose there had been two sets
of electors there from any one State, one
set making tie vote and the other elect
ing Jefferson. There was 40 power to
prevent him from counting the vote,
which would have elected him. Again
in 1871 Tompkin-, who was candidate,
counted the votes. In 1899 Van Buren,
did the same thing and declared him
self elected. In 1871 johnson counted
the vote and in lSgl BrrcEinbridgr did
50; although the count had been honest
in all these cases, an instance might arise
when dishonesty on the part of the vic"
president would elect. 1t did not
seem to have occurred to the
trainers Of the constitution that
there might be two sets Of delegates, or
fraud in the election he next referred to
the counting of the vote in the presence
of the two Houses Of Congress, and said
that the two Houses of Congress were aS
Il witness to the affair, only they could
not act IA II Joint Convention; us to tie
dangers and difficulties which attended
the present system, they were many in
case of death or attendance of elect
nrs from any State. other electors from
that State mi ght fill the vacanir,; sup
pose the electors from any State were
evenly divided. and if one died or failed
t. attend, the other side could select one
and thus have majority on their side;
the majority of one could cast the entire
vote Of the State of New York; and two
and 4 half millions Of people might be III
tcrlv silent in their vote for President;
under the present system ten
States could elect President of the
United States. 1t was now an election
by States, not National. In lsjG there
were thousands of Republicans in States
who did not vote because there was no
electoral ticket in the field Therefore
Fremont and Dayton, under the present
system, were defeated. NAM men were
practically diSfranchised because there
were not men enough in their State. OF
their own way of thinking. I" put an
electoral ticket in the field. He sent To-
the clerk desk and had read the 22d
Joint rule of Congress, in regard to the
counting of the electoral vote. and SAID 1t
was grossly unconstitutional; it was the
intention of til" trainers of the Constltu-
ton to make the election Of President
independent of Cungrc,-. bat this I'D
rule makes the election of President de-
pend upon either llou," of Congress a.
either House, under this rule, could
prevent the counting of the vote "t any
State. In case the House WAS Democratic
and the Senate Republican, the former
might throw out IT." Republican States
and the latter throw out the Democrats
until no votes we're left and their election
would be thrown into the House OF Rep
resrutative-. An election by the Hous"
of Representatives, had been twice tried,
and both times the country cam" very
near being shipwreckcd. In th" election
by the House Nebraska would hav"
the same vote in cIcctinS the president Is
New York with her 100000 inhabl-
tant> Under the prrscn: system the "'e'-
toriul vote never approached within ten
per cent Oft the popular vote, and IN some
instances it varied as much a. thirty per
cent He reviewed at some length the
report of the Committee which accom-.
pancs the proposed amendment.
Mr.. Thurman said the danger to which
the country was subjected had not been
exaggerated by the Senator from ind'-
ana, but it seemed to him, Thurman J
that the remedy proposed really failed to
meet the danger. That there might
be frauds in elections and with the eN-
prriencc of Louisiana before the country
he thought it needed no proof. Th" great
danger of all was the counting OF the
vote for President here in Washington.
/ If the election Of President At the last
count had depended upon the vote oi
Louisiana or Arkansas, the whole couh-
try might have become involved IN
civil war, and 50 in 1869 when the acting
Vice President announced that the vote
of Georgia should becountcd if 1t did not
change the result. but if il did change
the result it should be rejected. II" Wa'
mush surprised when he looked at the
resort presented hy the committee and
SAW that it provided for no tribunal Tor
the settlement of contested election cases