Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-12-13
TER r. M q:
%l In PER YEAR IN ADVANCE,
- NIpSV ZEN
- ~ a tho end Of Six Months.
ncncaEss.ANDl THE PRESlDEN.
TlAl ELECTION.

noNcRESSsANO the PRESlOEN
TlAL ELECTION.
1t is evident that the Confederate
of the House of Representatives pro
pose to carry out the programme lait
down by Clarkson N. Potter, so fal
as possible. His elaborate letter wa
scmi-official manifesto from Tildei
himself.
The most vital issue before Con
gress is this: Who counts the votes
Potter says the two houses OF Con
press. The Times of this morning
cites extracts from Congressiona
speeches as authorities, but fortunate
" the question is settled for us By
authoritative precedent. The records
Of Congress contain the following
entry:
"MoNDAy, April 6, 1889.
"Thc President of the Senate, elect
ed for the purpose of counting tht
votes, declared to the Senate, that the
Senate and House of Representative
had met, and that he, IN their pres
ence, had opened and counted tht
votes for the Electors for President
and Vice President of the United
States; Whereby it appears that
George Washington was unanimous.
ly elected President"
Thereupon the following certificate
prepared by committee, was adopt
ed by the Senate, and signed by their
President:
Be It known that the Senate and
House of Representatives of the Unit
ed States of America, being convened
in the city. and State of New York
the sixth day of April, in the year o1
our Lord one thousand seven hun
dred and eighty-nine, the underwrit.
ten, appointed President of the Sen.
ate for the sole purpose of receiving
opening and counting the votes of the
Electors, did, IN the presence of the
said Senate and House of Represent.
atives, open all the certificates ana
count all the votes of the Electors fol
President and Vice President, by
which it appears that George Wash.
ington, Esq, was unanimously elected
agreeably to the constitution, to the
Office of President of the United
States of America.
In testimony whereof / have here.
unto set my hand and seal.
JOHN LANGDoN.
This precedent ought to silence the
arrogant claims of the House to the
right of taking part in, as well as
witnessing the count of the votes
The language of the Constitution it.
self is a little obscure, but its inter-
probation is not left dubious. The
Constitution says: "The President OF
"the Senate shall, in presence of the
"Senate and House of Representa-
tives, open all the certificates, and
"thc votes shall then be counted
As if to settle forever the question OF
who shall do the counting, the con-
stitutional convention on the last day
of its session adopted resolution in
regard to the Presidential election,
which provided among other things,
that 'the Senators should appoint a
" President of the Senate, for the sole
"pwpose of receiving and counting
the votes for President"
1t was the evident intention of tho
constitution to divide the Presiden-
tial jurisdiction of the two houses OF
Congress in this way: the upper
house, through its President, TO de-
termine the result of the collegiate
election, and in case the canvass thus
made declared that no choice was
made, then the lower House, voting
by States, to fill the vacancy. When
the authority of one stops, that of The
other begins.-C Chicago Journal.