Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1876-11-30
COUNTING THE VOTE.
Proposition 10 be Made 10 The senate.
Special Dispatch to tie Chicago T,ibuuel
~ r,,,.-rt1rrs- NJ 80 III


WAsHISGT0N, Nov. 40.
To the proceedings connected with
the count Of the Presidential vote adj
dtional interest will now attach. Mai.
Mcdonald, chief clerk Of the senate,
has prepared paper upon this sub
iect, which will be submitted to the
senate soon after it il convened, aud
VIII doubtless furnish the basis Of
a PROLONGED DISCUSSION,
which must necessarily ensne. Maj
MeDona' 4 i the leading authority IL
the senate, aud ranks with John NJ.
Barclay as an eXpounder Of parllmen-
tary law He has witnessed the count
inc Of every electoral vote since the
election Of Martin Van Buren,, in 1887,
and has been iii the constant employ
ment Of the senate since tina. time e.
lie. like Mr. Barclay, Is Of the opin-
ion that.
THE TWENTY-sECoND JOINT RULE Is :
NULLGTY,
not having been revived by the Joint
action Of the two houses. He is also
Of the opinion that there was no con
stitutional authority for the Joint rule.
lie claims that congress will be obliged
to fall back upon the constitutional
provision, which il somewhat obscure,
but which il certainly more favorable
To the republicans ii the event Of q
contest lie says that we are now in
the same position as we were with
regard to
THE CASE OF WISCONSIN IN 1881,
when wee president Mason, Of Nlr
oina, refused to entertain the obiec-
ton made to the vote Of the state. 1t
was vet counted, aud he decided that
he alone had the right to throw il ont
The circumstances connected with
that case were these The electors
met on the day after that fixed by
Law, for the meeting Of the electors in
the several states, and in that re .pect
it was noncomp lance or 4 failure to
comply with the requirements Of lhe
law. Then the electoral votes were
counted on the second Wednesday in
February, in 1857 The president Of
the senate pro tenn, James NJ. Mason,
Of Virginia, opened all the certificates,
and handed them to the tellers, and
they were read, counting those Of
Wisconsin, and in pursuance Of tie
terms of resolution which was re-
ported b. the joint committee, APP
pointed to prepare mode and man
ner of counting the electoral votes,
declared that James Buchanan was
duly elected President, and John G.
Breckenridge Vice President Of the
United States. After he had made
the declaration, a member from the
State Of Kentucky, by the name Of
Humphrey Marshall, arose and
RAISED A QUESTION or ORDER,
to-wit: Had the President pro tenn.
Of the Senate the right to declare or
to decide whether or not the vote Of
Wisconsin should be counted ? The
President of tile Senate pro tenn, Mr.
Mason, refused to entertain the ques-
ton, and thereupon left the chair and
proceeded back to the Senate Cham
Der, followed by the members Of the
Senate v thout waiting for any ques-
tion 10 be put to the joint meeting. -
There were proceedings 10 the Senate,
but attended with no definite action.
Mr. VIM. Bigler, Of Pennsylvania,
fron the Joint committee, made . re-
port Mr. Butler, from South Caro-
lima, introduced q jointresolution Gov
ering the ease that was then in point.
but nothing was done with either the
report OF Mr. Bieler OF Mr.. Buffers
| joint resolution. They were laid on
the table, 80 that the only election
was that the President Of the Senate,
in the Presence Of the House, opened
those certificates and counted the
votes, including those Of Wisconsin,
and when the question Of order was
raised on the admissibility Of the vote
of Wisconsin,, the President Of the
senate refused to entertain the qaes-
ton, and left the chair