The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1876-11-30

cannot agree there is an end to peacceul
arbitration. No third party Gao inter-
vcnc as an unipire. u
| At the conclusion OF the debate, which
was very brief, the rule was adopted and
passed the house on the same day.
| THE RULE CONTINUES IN FORCE.
Little more Is heard of the Twenty
second Joint rule for about ten years, ex-
cepting that it was complied with as the
rule OF the two houses in 1850, and again
i'm 1873. Tellers were appolhted--one
by the senate and two by the hease--and
the vote counted as usual. At the meet
ing OF the two houses on the occasion of
the election of President Grant, various
objections to the admission Of certain
votes were submitted and discussed at
length. In the senate Mr.. Edmunds
moved that the electoral vote of Georgia,
cast for Horace Greeley, be not counted.
Mr.. Thurman moved to amend by strik-
ing out the word "not," and the amend
ment carried. Mr.. Conkling moved
another amendment to this effect:
"rhe function of the two houses, I'm
counting the votes, being ministerial
merely, ana the question being indepen-
dent OF the effect of the vote or count"
This amendment ,oas rejected in The
senate, by vote of thirty-two to thirty,
and among those resisting it rs not in
order, were Sena ;ors Anthony, Edmunds,
Ferry, Logan. Schurz and Trumbull.
SUBSEQUENT LEGISLATION.
On the 26th of January. 1875. MIR. Ed
munds introduced in the senate bill to
provide for and regulate the counting of
votes for president and vice-president,
which was referred to the committee on
privileges and elections.
On the next day Mr.. Morton submitted
n concurrent resolution which was or.
dered to lie upon the table and be prin-
ted, that the Twenty-second joint rule of
the two houses be, and the same is here
by, repealed, thus showing that the op-
crative existence of the. rule was still
recognized.
On the 9th of February following, Mr..
Morton from the committee on privileges
and elections, to which had been referred
the bill and concurrent resolution above
referred to, asked leave to be discharged
from their further consideration, and
under instructions from the same COM
mfttee reported bill upon the same
subject, to provide for and regulate the
counting of the votes for president and
yice-president and for the decision OF
questions arising thereon, which passed
to its second reading.
This bill came up for consideration on
the oath Of February and again upon the
25th, upon which it was discussed al
great length and passed by a vote OIL
twenty.eight to twenty.
1t was in course OF this debate, upon
the question of appointing tellers, thai
Mr.. Thurman expressly gave it as hi'
opinion that all questions arising tor de-
cision '''aust be decided by ne tro houses.
THE COUNTING OF VOTES.
In regard to the counting of votes Il
t was generally admitted that this was tc
l be done by the nllcrs, but as Mr.. Frel
inghiysen remarked: an is realiy don.
uader the supervision and ia fact by the
two houses There were no objections
: to this construction of the bill Agar
; Mr.. Frclinghuysen said:
= 81 believe that the tribunal to count
: votes, is the representatives of the peO
! pie in congress assembled. We have
; provided for tellers. We have provided
/ that the two houses shall be present, tn
/ votes hariag been counted Of course by th
> t,oo houses. The ministerial duty, the work
r being performed By their agents, the TEL
iers."
e Nothing was then said or thought o
f comforting the authority to count or SUI
pervise the vote upon the president o
: the senate or any other official.
Said MIR. Morton: "The tellers are Il
perform the mechanical. ministerial par
OF the work - and the bill then unde
consideration provided that if any objec
ton was made to the count of state thu
question should be lett wholly TO the de
termination of the two houses, differing
from the Twenty-second rule chiefly i,
= requiring the concurrence of both house
. to destroy the vote of state, instaead o
S giving this power to either Of the tw'
: houses singly."
e Said Mr.. Frelinghuyscn further "Th,
: counting must be left to the two houses
10 determine achat az,
n rotes-,oho has a right 10 rotc."
Said Mr.. Morton again: "Objectioi
may be made TO the vote Of North Caro-
lima, and the two houses separate an,
Z vote upon 1t; and under the rule as i
@ now stands, If either house sustains tn
objection, the vote of North Carolin,
goes out, and she il disfranchised-ha
s no more vote than IL she was a terri
It tory. This is what we are proposing t.
@ correct. But this is the conclusion o
the thing; after having gone through al
II the stages, determined hoio many cote
y shall be counted aud hoiC many rejected
O the list is handed 10 the president aud h,
announces the result
DOUBLE RETURNS.
Coming to the difficulty presented il
= case OF double returns from any state
a MIR. Thurman said:
II have said that under the first sec
'' ton of the bill there can be no prope
, adjudication between two conflicting re
&c turns, for the whole thing would depend
upon the action Of the presiding officer
u upon the mere fact of which return IA,
opened first. Then something must b,
l. done for case where there are two con
" tlicting returns and what can YOU d,