The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1876-11-16
HOW THE VOTE WILL BE COUNTED

1t may Eow be assumed with good |
degree of assurance that Governor Hayes |
has been chosen President by one, and |
probably by eleven majority in the cleo
toral college. No sooner does this con-
viction force itself upon the minds OF
Democrats than they begin. to protest
against the election Of a Republican
President by the votes Of Southern
States. In 1861 they objected to the
election of Lincoln by the votes OF the
Northern States now they reverse the
rule and intimate that there will be
trouble because the South does not show
a solid front for Tilden. These NUT
terings have not yet been heard beyond
the circles Of excited partisans about the
rooms of Democratic Central Commit
tees, but they viii speedily get into Dem
ocratic journals. When these journals
take up the question it will be charged
that there has been fraud in Louisiana,
Or South Carolina, or Florida, or North
Carolina (if that State goes Republican,
as it is likely to do,) and perhaps in all
those States: and the Confederate House
of Representatives VIII be advised to
object to the counting of the votes of
such States. To carry out this plan of
notification of vote of the people re-
sort will be had to the celebrated rule OF
Congress known as the twenty-second
Joint rule. Under this rule it is prac-
ticabie to defeat the will of the people
by the arbitrary action of either house
of Congress. In word TO the counting
of the vote of any State the concurrence
of both houses is necessary under the
rule. But article twelve Of the amend
anents to the Constitution provides
simply: ''The President of the Senate
shah, in the presence of the Senate and
House of Representatives open all the
certificates, and the votes shall then be
counted" It is probable that the cleo
toral vote of last Tuesday viii be count
ed under the plain and simple provision
of tue Constitution above cited. And
Cor this reason Early in the first session
of the rty-fCurth Congress the House
adopted the twenty-second joint rule,
with the other rules OF the Forty-th1rd
Congress, and reported their action to
the Senate. At the suggestion of Sena-
tor Morton, and on the motion of Sena-
tor Edmunds, the report was referred to
the Committee on Rules. with a view to
the amendment Of rule twenty-five. The
committee were, however, unable to
agree, and at the heel of the session the
old rules as adopted by the House We're
reported back but by an oversight the
report was never acted upon. 1t fol
lows that the twenty-second joint rule is
not now in force and as there can be
no Joint rules without the concurrence
of both houses, It remains with the Sen
ate to determine whether the electoral
vote shall be counted directly under the
constitutional provision. or under the
twenty-second joint rule Should the SEN
ate choose to readopt IT'D or under some
other rule to be agreed upon by the two
houses 1t is highly improbable that
the Senate will consent TO the re-adop-
tion of the twenty-second joint rule. 1t
can scarcely be doubted that the present
House would, by an arbitrary act, at
tempt to defeat tie viii of the people
Inter Ocean.