The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-05-16

majority Of the whole OF the electors lawfully
appointed: but the court shall, in these duties,
disregard eri ors OF form, and be governed by
the substantial right Of the matter. IL lie
further provided that IL no person have such
majority, the state of the votes shall be immedi-
ately certified to the House Of Representa- ives,
which body must forthwith, from the three
persons having the high, st number of votes for
President, choose the President by viva vcce
vote. This vote 10 to be taken by States. the
representation of each State having one vote;
and if the vote Of any State does not show q
majority for any one candidate it shall not be
reckoned A qaorum Tor this purpose shall
consist OF q number OF members from two
thirds Of the States and O. majority of all the
States shall be necessary to choIce. The
voting must continue until President shall
be elected, or until the 4th day OF March
next following, when, il no President has been
thus chosen, the Vice President shall act as
President as in case OF death or other constitu-
tional disability of the President. 1t is fur
ther proposed that the electoral votes for Vice
President shall be counted and determined by
the Supreme Court in the same manner, but IL
no person is found to have majority the SEN
ate is to choose che Vice President from the
two highest on the list by majority vote of a
Qaorum OF that body, TO consist OF at least two
thirds of its qualified members. No person
constituionally ineligible tothe office of Pres
ident shall however, be eligible to that of
Vice President. The proposed constitutional
amendment provides, in conclusion, that no
person holding the Office of Justice Of the
United States Supreme Court shall be eligible
for election as President or Vice President
until the expiration of two years next after he
shall have ceased to hold office as member OF
that Court"
This must be regarded as very i'm
portant movement. The propositions
thus presented in brief bear evidence Of
profound study and discreet fore thought.
That the SUPREME COURT of the United
States should be the forum where this
proceeding is to be conducted, and the
result determined and declared, must,
we think, strike every mind as emf
nently just and proper. Apart from it's
wisdom and familiarity with all Con-
stitutional law, it is, as body, more
entirely separated from political preju-
dices and placed above and beyond all
partisan influences than the Houses OF
Congress can be. Their own position as
Judges can not, in any case, be influ-
enced in any manner by any result that
they may find and declare. And, in or
der to remove the members of that
high tribunal more completely from
any possible feeling of personal
interest in the result, it is provided
that no member Of that Court shall be
eligible to the office OF President or Vice
President Until two years after he shall
have ceased to be q member of that
Court. So that, should a Judge of The
Supreme Court find himself indulging
| in aspirations to the Presidency, he
must step down and out from his high
place in time to prevent his wishes OF
ambition from influencing his decisions
| while there. And this is we'll.
OF course this proposed amendment,
even If adopted, can have no bearing
| upon the Presidential election of the
present year. But 1T is not too soon to
let the subject be presented for the con-
sideration of the country.