The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-11-09
Counting, the Yo.ns 20

Coiicein is s'exffessed IN s6ihe quatters
about tlIe'tuethdd,b of counting tibb7 vcsAs
tDr, Pre9ident and MICS President, upon
| the IDEA thet the election will be close and
may be atteRded With possible danger
This anxiety is misplaced, ahd these fears
may be'dismissed. Tn the fiTst place JMr.
Tilden's majority %. States in, the, electo-
raj college, and Of the popular vote, too,
viii be SO large as to furnish no 'pretext
for dispute. :. ',lissle 10 hfe fiiri
Ipa In the second place, the Constitution
proTidey the only existing mode ly which
the election shall, be formally verified /;
FOR after all, il ID nothing pere than q
Notification Gs7ai result F:atIffeaddy deter
m!neds aiTIaticlauss.in the Consultation
il. explicit enough, when not broken into
fragments. 1t says, Article H., Section
"The electorsshalt meet in their re-
spectivei States,a and vote By ballot for
two persons, Of whom one at least shall
not be an. inllNbitant of the same State
with themselves. Aid they shall make
n liss of all the persons voted for, and of
the number of votes for each; which
list they shall sign End certify, and trans
NIT sealed TO the seat of the Government
OF the United States, directed to the Pres,
ident of the Senate. The Senate and
House of Representatives, open nll the
certificates, and the votes l'shall be
counted" ~
The net of March ], 1902, was passed
to carry this clause Into effect. II pro.
vides how the cleetdrs shall be chosen,
when they shall meet, ard to wkom their
certificates, shall be sent. Also, that
Congress sha be in session on the second
Wednesday in February "fort the purpose
of counting and declaring the vote."--
The practice has been-for the two Houses
to meet in jnint session on that day, and
for the Senate to appoint one teller and
the House twOG to record the votes as
read from the certificates Of the electors,
which had been previously "direcied to
the President of the Senute..n ~ 4
On the 9Th of February, 1865, the Re-
publican Congress adopted joint rule,
which placed it in the power of either
House to raise objection to the counting
of any vote, and declared 'tno vote OBJ
jected to shall be counted except by the
concurrent votes Of the two Houses. 1t
is easy to sec that, with n Republican
majority in the Senate and Democratic
majority in the House, very serious diff
culties might arise in high party times J
like the present a-e',a
This joint rule is now dead, Us the
House, at last session refused TO readopt
it, and with very good reason. So the
count will take place under the constitu-
tional provision above cited, unless tho
two Houses should come to an agreement
as to another mode, which isi hardly
probable. While no trouble is to be nm.
pretended. the desperate Republican
leaders who have control of the Senate
will stop Mt no means within reach TO re.
tain power. Hence it is desirable, not
only to elect Mr.. Tilden, but to elect him
by so overwhelming vote that the COR
rupt and wreckless managers at WASH
ington will be owed into submission and
silencej and the Administration of Grant
will godnwn into disgrace, without the
voice of disturbing faction to distract
public attention.