The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1876-11-22

somebody, somehow or other to set
lie the status Of the Democratic
House Of Representatives, in that
oint Assembly. The Constitution
says that the sealed packages shall
be opened in the presence of the Sem
ate and House Of Representatives,
and shall then be counted. The last
House, as I understand the matter,
took no action on Joint Rules at all,
but the Senate adopted all the Joint
Rules but the 22nd, and so notified
the House. Now if the adoption OF
the Joint Rules some years ago, was
as is claimed by US, such q contract
as to require the consent Of both the
contracting parties to their abroga-
tion, then the failure of the last
House to respond to the notice of the
Senate left all the Jeint Rules in
force, the 22nd among the number.
If, on the contrary, the original con-
tract was such one that either par
ty might annul it at pleasure, and
the Senate did by the re-adoption of
the Joint Rules but the 22nd, annul
the previous contract and sought to
make a new one, to which PROPOSE
ton the House of Representatives
did not agree, wholly or in part, then
there are Joint Rules, and it will be
for the Senate and House either be-
fore or when they meet on the End
Wednesday in February to adopt new
rules entirely. The question will
probably engage the entire attention
of both Houses when they meet on
the 1st Monday in December, and
will doubtless be productive of much
debate, and if anything like a fair
proposition is evinced by the Senate
some satisfactory basis of settlement
will probably be reached before they
come together to count the electoral
vote. . a
This is the peaceable aspect of the
case, but there is another and more
warlike aspect that is by 70 means
improbable, considering the revolu-
tionary character of the Republican
party. Let US suppose that the two
Houses fail to agree on any solution
of the difficulty, that they should
come to dead lock as they did last
winter on the financial estimates, and
that when they met together to count
the electoral vote, the matter should
stand as at present. Then when the
President of the Senate decides, as
he undoubtedly will in favor of the
Hayes returns from Florida, Louisi-
ana and South Carolina or either of
them, should there be double sets,
the House would be forced to with
draw and refuse to be party to the
fraud. The Senate would continue
the count, and doubtless assume the
position that the failure Of the House
to be present was matter that con-
cerned only itself. That it had a
right to be present and witness the
count as spectators if it chose, but,
that it's refusal to be present, in no
way vitiated the count and, was a
mere withdrawal of an authorized
witness leaving another authorized
witness present. This plea would
be more specious than either sensi-
BILE, right or just for any witness to
the legality of judicial proceeding
must of necessity be vested with au.
thority to protest against and pre-.
vent frauds in the proceeding, what
ever if may be, else the compulsory
witness might be made an admitting
participant in the fraud or crime
The House having withdrawn would
in obedience to the Constitution cleo,
the President. Then there would be
two Presidents elect. One elected
by fraud in the Senate, and one cleo
ted by the House under the Consti
tuition, and still another already ir
the White House who is exceedingly
anxious to stay there. Who then il
to decide upon the rival claims o
the two Presidents elect? Not Con
gress, for Congress would be divided
Grant, unless / mistake the charac
ter of the man, would hail the oppor
tunity to hang on as long as he coult
and if driven to the wall, would final
ly abdicate only in favor of Hayes
Just how the matter could be brough
before the Judicial branch of tn
Government and how far it would b.