The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-11-08
Counting Of tho Electoral Vote
IOF President and Vice Presi.
dent by Congress-.

Now that the election is over the
next matter in hand, the counting Of the
vote by Congress, becomes one Of great
Importance. It's specially important in
view Of recen! declarations Ike those Of
Mr.. Faulkner.
Much has been written about tho joint
ruIea governing the House and Senate,
but from the proceedings Of tie last scs'
sion OF Congress i. would appear that no
ioiD, rules aye in existence. The record
shows that when the House met last win
ter, on motion Of Mr.. Randall, it adopted
the Join. rnlcs in Barclays Digest The
concurrcn: resolution waI certified to by
the speaker and clerk, and sent to the
Senate. When it was announced Sena-
tor Edmunds rose in his place and stated
that there was no necessity for immedi'
ale action, AZ he was convinced that the
rules ought to DO amended, and for this
reason he entered = motion, which
prevailed, which referred the House
resolution on the subject 10 the
Committee on Rules. After some
delay the Committee on Rules Of the
Sen.te brought IN substitute for the
House resolution, TIE most important
ameudmcn. Icing urged by Senator Nor
ton with reference to the tWepty.second
Join. rule, which prescribe' the manner
for counting the electoral vote. lnshort,
the Morton amendment abtogated the
RICH, Of either house to object to the
counting Of the vote Of any State, as was
provided !or by tie rules Of Barclays
Diee.k Alter good deal OF discussion
in the Senate, in which the importance
Of amending the rules was urged BY Sen
a,or Morton, Senator Thurman moved
All amendment It being only technical,
and having no effect to impair what Mr..
Morton sought to accomplish, the latter
accepted the Thurman amendment, and as
thus amended the concurrent resolution
Of the House adopting the rules eel
forth in Barclays Digest was passed. II
was returned to the House for its concur
rent action. The Committee on Rules Of
that bodv, Of which Speaker Kerr was
chairman, proceeded to consider the Sen
ate amendments, and had agreed to re-
port the Senate substi:ute to the House
for its action, when some OF the Demo
Gratis in the Senate, fearing that they had
made i mistake, entered motion to re-
consider the previous action Of the SEN
ate on the subject, and the motion was
carried. The effect Of this was to recall
the resolution from the House. 1t was
recalled, and up to the end ofthe session
was not again acted upon. About ten days
before Congress adjourned the House
passed resolution resembling for the
rest OF the session the joinst rules Of the
two Houses. When it reached the SEN
ate, Senator Edmunds said the PROPOSE
ton was absurd inasmuch as there were
no joint rules to suspend, and the resolu'
ton was laid on the table.
Now, in point Of fact, there being no
joint rules, the Constitution will alone
prescribe the manner OF counting the
vote. 1t provides that on the second
Tuesday in February, in the presence OF
both houses Of Congress, the Vice Presi'
dent PRECEDING, shall count the votes Of
the several States, and the persons having
the largest number Of votes shall be de.
clared elected respectively President and
Vice President. This being the only rule
which can govern the count, neither
house Of Congress can object to the reccp-
ton Of the vote Q! any State.
It IS to be remembered, however, that
tue Democrats Of the House Of Repre-
senlatiyes do not concede that the twenty
second joint rule is repealed. They hold
Iha. formal act is required for its re-
peal, and argue that the fact that the
joint rules Of Congress have sometimes
been allowed to stand without formal
ratification sustaius this view Of the
question.