Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-01-22
CONGRESSIONAL.
Report Against Decreasing the
Presidents Salary.
The Election Of President and
Vice President.
The House Playing Hide and
Seek with the Indian APP
-eu preparation Bill.
The Delegate from Utah to be
Excluded on Account Of
POlygamy.
SENATE

SENATE
WASHINGTON, Jan. 2l.-Mr. Wright,
from the Committee on Civil Service and
Betrenchment, reported adversely on the
bill 10 abolish the system Of mileage and it
was indefinitely postponed.
Mr.. Morrill, introduced bill for the re-
lief Of certain creditors Of the District Of
Columbia. Referred. "a
Mr.. Dennis introduced bill to ineorpo-
rate the Washington City and 81. Louis
Railroad Company. Referred.
Mr.. Hamlin, from the Committee on
Civil Service and Retrenehmenty reported
adversely on the bill 70 reduce the salary
Of the President Of the United States, with
a a.request that it be placed on the calendar
with the adverse report. Il was 50 ordered.
= Tie unfinished business, being the feso-
luton from the Committee on Privileges
and Elections, proposing an amendment to
the Constitution, in regard to the election
Of President and Vice President, was
called up.
Mr. Morton said this was a subject en-
tirely above all party considerations. Men
of all parties could address themselves to it
independently Of the excitement which
now pervRdes the country. The purpose
Js7as to amend the Constitution so as to
bring the election home to the people as
near as possible, and at the same time avoid
the dangers which are threatened by the
present mode. When he looked back over
the history Of the country, it was matter
of SUNRISE to him that there had not been
trouble resulting from the imperfectiOns of
our system. There was no power row In
Congress or in the States to settle contest
ed election cases Of electors. The election
Of electors might be attended with fraud,
Fiolencs and tttidlt, and there vas 10
power to correct the evil. He
pointed out at some length the inn
perfectiOns Of the present system, and said
under Il too much power was vested in the
hands Of the President, or the Presi-
dent of the Senate, to whom the electoral
votes must be sent under seal. Six times
it had happened that the Vice President
had counted the votes where he himself
was candidate. Jno. Adams counted the
vote and declared himself elected in 1877. |
Jefferson eobnted the vote in 1901, when
there was a tie. Suppose there mad Deen
two sets of electors there from any one
Slate, one set making tie vote and the |
other eleCting Jefferson, there was no power !
to prevent him from counting thevote which !
would have elected him. Again, in |
1921, Mr.. TOmpkins, who was a candidate. |
uoanted the vote. In 1921, Mr.. Van Bu- J
ren did the same thing, and declared him |
self elected. In 1S4l. Richard NJ. Johnson |
counted the vote, and in 1861, Mr.. Breck- |
inridge did so. Although the count had |
been honest in all these cases, an instance |
might arise WHEN dishonesty on the part |
of the Vice President would elect. II |
did not seem 10 have occurred 10 the |
trainers of the Constitution that there /
might be two sets Of delegates, or fraud /
in their election. He next referred 70 the |
counting Of the vote in the presence Of the |
two houses Of Congress, and said that the /
two houses Of Congress were as witnesses |
only. They could not act as a
joint convention. Is 10 the dan /
gers and difficulties which attended /
the present system, they were many. In case
of the death or nOn-attendance Of electors
from any State, the other electors from that i
Slate might fill vacancies. Suppose the
electors from any other State were evenly /
divided, and if one died OF failed to attend,
the other side could select one, and thus
have a majority on their side. A majority
of one could cast the entire vote of the State
Of New York, and two and half million
people might be utterly silent in their vote
for President. Under the present system
ten States could elect the President OF the
United States. He sent to the Clerks desk
and had read, the twenty-second joint rule
Of Congress, in regard to counting the cleo
tOral vote, and said it was grossly
unconstitutional. 1t was the intention
of the frames of the constitution TO make
the election Of President independent of
Congress, but thistwenty-secOndr rule made
the election Of President depend upon eth
er House Of Congress, as either House
under this rule could prevent the counting
of the vote Of any State. In case the
House was Democratic and the Senate Re
publican, the former might throw out Re-
publican States, and the latter throw out /
Democratic States until no votes were left,
and then the election would be thrown into /
the House of Representatives. An election /
by the House Of Representatives had been /
twice tried, and both times the country /
came very near being shipwrecked. In an
election by the House, Nebraska, with her
1900 people, would have the same vote in /
eIectinga a President as New York with
her five million inhabitants. Under the \
present system the electoral vote never ap-
within ten per cent Ofthe popular
much as thirty per cent.
Mr.. Thurman said the danger to which /
the country was subjected had not been ex-
agerated by the Senator from Indiana, but
it seemed 10 him Thurman that the rem
edy proposed really failed to meet the dan
ger that there might be frauds in elections.
With the experience of Louisiana before
the country, he thought it needed no proof
of the great danger of counting the vote
for President here in Washington. If the
election Of President at the last count had
depended upon the vote of Louisiana or
Arkansas, the whole country might have
become involved in civil war, and so in
1869, when the acting Vice President an
nOunced that the vote of Georgia should
be counted if il did not change the re-
Ult, but if it did not change the result,
il should be rejected. He Twas much sur
prised when he looked at the report pre-
sented by the committee, and saw that it
provided for no tribunal for the settlement
of contested election cases in the electoral
college.
Mr.. Morton said some of the members Of
the committee were in favor of having the
Supreme Court of the United States settle
such cases; other members thought the
Circuit and District Courts of the United
States might decide them, and others that a
special tribunal should be created by Con-
gress for this purpose. The committee had
therefore come to the conclusion to leave
the whole matter to Congress for lis action.
Mr.. Thurman said he was not willing TO
cOnfide this great power to Congress. He
it TO be provided for in the COnsti-
tuition. The laws to operate on this great
subject should not be at the mercy Of any
dominant party. He thought the report
defective in this particular.
There were other features he objected to,
and he desired that il might be laid over,
to give him an opportunity to examine it
closely.
Mr.. COnhling said he readily cOncurred
in several things said by the Senator from
Ohio. But, without going into the merits
Of the proposed amendment, he said that
Congress would fall short Of an urgent and
important duty, if the 4th of March should
witness the dissolution of the two houses
without having devised some mode better
than the 22d joint rule, for ascertaininc the
viii Of the people in regard TO the choice
Tor President.
Pending the discussion, Mr.. Thurman
moved that the further consideration Of the
resolution be postponed until the first
Monday in February. But, as the Senator
RON, TnNfov, M rroc MT fhnr, ]