The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-12-09
acknowledgement
aov the Ffamers OF Ihe ConSii.
iutIOu Regarded the Electoral

tutlOu Regarded the Electors
Vote. 'of "" '' h.
Tho New York 1fmtI deyOtes al art
elS 10 the history Of the electoral vot
Or. more properly speaking, It dsyot'
,b,,r.lclo to showing tina, from the yer
5u,,s, Of tho government no instance hH
n,,prred to ,how that the two houses
C,pre,. have any power over said vol
I,cipe, The fac. thu, john Adams, the frs
p,,,iIeut ol the Senate, one Of tho iraper
Of the Constitution, opened and cOunte
,bo vots that elected Washingto
pr,lden. and himself Vice President
He did 20 In pursuance OF th
el,uss ia the Constitution declaring tina
4,hs President Of the Senate shall, Il
u,.eace Of the senate and House o
representatives, open all the certificates
.ud the vo.es shall then be counted
Jobu Adam, under this clause, certified
,h., h. had "opened and counted th'
vo,es Of the Electors for President AM
Vice Prssideu. Of the United ssates
There we're present in the two houses o
Congress, a. witnesses to the ceremony
. ,rmhs, ol The trMuers of'the Constitu
,iop, such men d, James Madison, Roge
She ru,su, Robert Morris and many others
The .Tras contends that John Adam
and ali bis associates among the Trainer
of the constitution Iheu and there present
understood that il w, the duty Of bis oi
t.. to open aud count lie vote Of itll
Electoral College Just az it should coml
10 hand, In other words that they dif
uos suppose that they had any power t
toyise The vote or to reject any vote OF
.ccoun! OF informality. Adams opened
uud counted the vote thascleaol himsel
President and Jefferson Vice President
and sent a notification OF The fac
to Jefferson 10 the following words
aTHe uuderWritten, Vice President Of th'
United States, and President Of the Sen
a;e, did, ia the presence OF the said Sen
ate aud House Of Representatives, opel
all The certificate, and count all the vote
Of The electors Thomas Jefferson, a
Vice President under Adams, opened ant
counted the vote 10 1901, and although
"he counted returns that were informal
thereby advancing his own ends, nj
"ltienl OF Burr or member Of eitheI
"Iouse OF Congress questioned his Con
".litutional right to decide what vote
"-honld be counted"
When George Cliuton, a. Vice Presi'
Zen, under Madison, notified ElbridgG
derry OF his election to the same position
under Madison's second term) he uset
the words employed BY Adams in hi
notification to Jefferson. Charles Piuck
usy, Of South Carolina, il conspicuous
iramsr Of the Consultation, in the course
Of sOms remarks in Congress in 1900, or
the subject Of the electoral yote, spoke a:
follows:
"By the Constitution, Electors Ot d
President are 10 be chosen 10 the manner
directed by the State Legislatures. This
,aII that iI said. In case the State Leg
i,latures refuse to make these directions
there is no power 10 compel them; there
il inO! single word in the Constitution
which can, BY the most tortured cOnstruc'
lion, be cxlenied 10 give Congress or any
branch or part Of our Federal Govern
nsnI, 4 righ: 10 make or alter the State
Lsgislature's directions on this subject
The right 10 make these directions il
complete and conclusive, subjsct to no
control OF revision, and placed entirely
With them, for the best and most un-
Aniwerable reasons"
Abraham Baldwin, another Trainer oil
The Constitution, in the course Of some
remarks on the power and authority
which relate 10 the election, returns and
qualifications OF members OF the Electo.
raj College, said "Shal! these he taken
away from that body and be submitted
to the superior decision and control oi
Congress, without a particle Of authority
tor |. in the Constitution"
After these citations, the Tine, pro-
reeds as follows:
"ln 1900, john Randolph, OF Roanoke,
and Ar. Davenport, Of Connecticut, both
conceded in the House Of Representatives
that the PrCsiden. Of the Senate was the
person 'desiguated by the Constitution for
counting out the votes, the iustness OF
Which concession wa' not then questioned
6y member Of the House. In the Joint
convention Of that year, Mr.. Hilihouse
observed that the returns from one OF the
States appeared to he defective, the Gov.
eFnor'"c"rt,scate not being attached. No
notice was taEenoI this observation either
b! The President Of the joint meeting
9r By Soy member present. On Feb,
u, 1921, Mr.. RlndoIp6 said he could no,
1FscoSHire in this House or the other
GoG'e, sing y or conjointly, the power TO
decide on the votes Of any State.
lie maintained that the Electoral
College was AZ Independent Of Congress
- Congress Of "them." Mr.. Floyd, oi
Virginia, protested against the asSump'
nol OF authority over the Electoral
vote Of State on the part Of Con
S's"; Mr. Archer, OF Maryland, was op
poiSd to tho Hoa.e undertaking to pro
sea In any nsnner as to the legality
T' The Electoral votes; 1t had no right to
uete'nlne whether vote should be re
ssIVed or rejected. These, In addition Il
HaM We have presented before, are the
gIscSd:nts and authorities which mus
uss51lne by whom the electoral vote
,pA' be counted in February, 1877. L
sae makers Of the Constitution did no
SaOW ~ what the counting clause meant, i
WI. laEe clearer light than the Conied
.S T.s breakers Of the Consultation car
,aeS we" upon i to illuminate their and on,
'0d'''tanding..