The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1876-11-25

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Prom a sar Correspondent Of dc New York Tribune
u -
TIE rNN'iDA''i q mr. "i''AN VIEW
4 perIlous Timc-An Inauguration oftwo Presidents
ThfeaisaedmA Recognition Of Hayes By the Senate
Congress not Empowered to Throw out the Vote
ora state
WAsu,Narox Nov 19-In n recout
Latter 7 discussed most Of tho ouestions
and situations likely To arise from n pres.
,Jon,;,l slection 90 close and ~ 60 donh,-
I'M an ;ssne that one of the great noli,icol
nort;ss &c Tho countrv would not ocnu;csco
,eaSilv in the fairness Of the declared re-.
M, did MT mint ont the most dan.
ssrous rock which the complicated system
- ,bo Elsctorol Collooe and the connt NV
~ ,wo Houses have nIaced in Americans
sourso hecouse T Wished 10 learn wbether
~ nor;l wore renllv Imminent of tboir
vo.rino mon il There nav move N bc
.h.nJant seo.room far the Shin of Stote
~ s;tber sidc of tbis rock Int inst now
~ Americans anxio,,slv peer into the mists
~ The uncertoin futnre the wav looks
,,.row and Tho rock looms nm with terri
IA menace Th;, danger L not ~ n
wrangle in Congress over The electoral vote,
al an nffnrt 10 hinder the announcement
az tho result, or; of nm attemnt To resist the
INAUGURATION of n President Itisadou.
ble Inauguration that Americans have To
fear, and two Presidents, each claiming to
b. properly installed in Office. each backed
by n show Of legal and constitutional au-
t6ority-one supported BY the Senate and
the other by the House. How can such
a phenomenon arise ? Much more easily
than many of the contingencies that have
been discussed as likely to grow out of the
situation.
Let us suppose the doubtful result in
Florida and Louisiana to be converted by
tbs Returning Boards of these States into
Republican victory, against the protests
of the Democrats. The Electoral Colleges
assemble, and the result is 1856 votes for
HAYES and 1874 for Tilden. The Repub-
leans fortify themselves with evidence
sustaining the legality of the action Of the
boards, and the Democrats gather testi.
mopy to show that such action was parti.
san and fraudulent Matters drift along
until the day fixed for opening and count,
inc the returns in Joint convention of the
two Houses The Democrats then object
10 the counting the votes of those States.
but the President Of the Senate. using his
powers as chairman of the Joint conyen-
zion. refuses to consider the objection.
orders them to be counted, and announces
the election Of HAYES. As soon as the
the convention dissolyes the House passes
N resolution DECLARING that owing n ;ts
,obieesion To the counting of the votes of
Lou;sisna and Florida those votes were
moi lecallv counted that mo election has
+ taken nlace and that II il the dutv of the
House 10 elect n President The follow.
inc clause in the Constitution il cited
.uTbe nerson having the greatest number
of votes for President shall be President.
q If such number be majority of the whole
number of electors APPOINTED and If no
nerson has sucb majority then from the
nersons having tho HIGHEST numbers mt
,exceed;no three on the l;st of those voted
1 flor as President the House of Represen.
tatiyes shall choose immediately. by ballot.
the President" Acting under this clause
tho House elects Samuel ]. Tildou. On
the 4th of March the Republicans in
aupurate Rutherford b. HAYES with the
customary ceremonies, under the protec-
\ ton of the army, and at the same time
the Democrats inaugurate Samuel j. Til
den without ceremony, probably not in
u Washington, and BY the administration of
the oath. No formal Inauguration is es-
sential to clothe President with all the
A mowers of his Office. The Senate has al.
ready been summoned to meet in execu.
tive session by President Grant before his
term exp;red: Tilden calls Congress to.
petber in extrn session. The Democratic
House responds and recognizes him "a
. President. The Senate sustains HAYES
Both issue orders of the army and navy
each calls upon the governors of the states
to support him as the lawful Chief Maeis-
trate.
Here are all the conditions of civil
war far more terrible than the one we have
passed through because il would not be a
war of sections but of parties. This horri.
bic specter n not creation of heated
Imagination, The position the two politi.
cal parties are now assuming leads loci.
cally If nersisted in. 10 the exact results
have described. The only escane from
disastrous consequences would be for the
people to refuse to second the politicians
and exclaimipg, like Mercutio. IA plague
on both YOUR houses - insist upon some
arrangement that would insure the pres.
eryation Of the public peace. The right
of the House to elect President under
the circumstances detailed would assent.
inc 10 the arguments Of the Democrats
be by no means conclusive for If their
objections TO the count Of the votes of
Florida and Louisiana were valid, and
these States were thrown Ont far Tho
reason tbat their electors were not law6nllv
Amounted then ridden would have CON.