The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1876-05-11

Counting the Electoral Votes.
1t is a proof of the apprehension with
which the determination of the result of
the next presidential election is looked for
ward to that for two years congress has
been attempting to contrive fair and sat
isfactory method for counting the electoral
votes and has failed to do it. The senate
recently passed Senator Morton's bill to
regulate this proceeding, but on motion of
Mr.. Thurman it has been reconsidered,
and the bill is now again before that body.
The chief difficulty is the unprovided for
contingency of two or more different re-
turns from the same state Senator Nor
tons bill directs that when this case occurs
that return shall be accepted and counted
which both houses agree to recognize as
the lawful one.
But here arises the difficulty. If the
contest is close, and both houses are Dem
ocratic, may they not recognize the Demo
cratic return whether it be the lawful one
or not? Or If both houses are Republican,
would they not recognize the Republican
return although it was clearly illegal?
Would partisan congress be able to resist
the temptation to choose its president by
so trihing an act as rejecting the lawful re-
turn from a state, and counting an unlaw-
full one in its place? The Louisiana exam
pie is before us as warning; it teaches
that if Republican president and senate
can recognize false and usurping state
government because it is Republican, there
is no relying on the virtue of Republican
congress where the supreme prize of the
presidency is at stake. Perhaps we ought
to add that neither can Democratic CON
gress be relied on in such test 1t is a
temptation that ought to be removed from
both parties.
But suppose the two houses Of congress
be of different politics, and they disagree
about two returns from state-what then
BY Senator Morton's bill, neither return is
to be counted and the states electoral
vote is lost But this is not satisfactory
it is obnoxious to several grave objections.
In the first place, each state ought to have
voice in SO important junction as elect
ing president. and it would be unjust &c
permit the partisan act of ore house OF
congress to diyest it of this high privilege
In the second place, may not this shift T.
evade one difficulty by throwing out both
the returns from a contested state invite
another and more serious difficulty? II
the Republicans could manage to secure
the rejection of the votes of four or five
Democratic states, like Missouri, Ken
lucky Maryland, Virginia and Tennessee
they would assure the election OF thei
candidate or, it the Democrats cou!C
manage TO have the votes of two or three
Republican states like Massachusetts, Hi
nois and Pennsylvania rejected through
disagreement, the contrary result woult
. L. T.
therefore present temptation to fabricat
duplicate returns from states for the puy
pose of producing disagreoments and hav
ing the votes of certain states thrown out
Senators Thurman and Bayard espresso
the apprehension that such fraudulen
fabrications of returns would be encour
aged by the bill, and this is why the senat
recOnsidered its vote and brought the bi
up for review. Mr.. Thurman believe
that the house would never assent to
with this Objectionable feature in it, and q
lie is anxious that some exact and decisiv
method of counting the votes shall be pre-
vided, he moved the reconsideration.
But who shall decide between double re
turns from a state. when the two house
disagree? There is n diversity of opiniO
on this point, but the more thoughtll
senators concur in selecting the suprem
court as the umpire. They propose tha
the court shall sit in its chamber Will
the joint session counts the elector;
votes and, when disagreement betwee
the two houses arises on double return
from u state, the question shall be instant
ly referred to it, and be summary dec
ded, without argument or delay. TIL
would certainly be much better than Sci
atOr MOrton's plan of leaving the vote {
the contested state uncounted; it would N
sure its being counted one way or the otht
most probably in the right way, since tn
supreme court is further removed irol
party influence than any other body {
learned and eminent men in the country
1t may not be generally known that unde
existing regulations Democrats conten
that the president of the senate has autho
ity to count the electoral votes, while tn
Republicans insist that the two house
have this authority 1t is certain thu
down TO the advent of the Republican pa
ty, and even on the election of Mr. Lincoln
the vice-president or president Of the sci
ate alone exercised the power, and Senate
Morton, in the debate last week, declare
that in 1905, Mr.. Jefferson, being the
vice president, counted the vote of Georgi
in his own favor, when there was no lawfl
return OF the vote ofthat state. TIL
Indiana senator mentioned the fact as a
example Of the danger of confding this in
portant duty to the vice-president. 81
the Tact does not possess the signifcanC
that Senator Morton claims for it. 1t WI
a well known fact that Georgia did vol
for Mr.. Jefferson in 1904; no one denie
it; and although the only certificate froI
the state was an informal memorandum
the result from the governor, Mr.. Jeffe
son had either to count the vote on tn
memorandum or throw 1t out. He chol
the former, and his decision was wise ar
just.
The whole subject is now fairly befo
congress for the third time in two year
and 1t is to be hoped that it will be settle
on basis that will place it beyond Il
reach OF parties, aud assure the COUNT
OF the Installation of that president wi