, 1876-12-15
THE LOGICAL SCOPE OF RULE 22.
n, fSe EJtiat. nf 7'AA yrfh1us

COLLINsvlLLE. Ill, Dec. 1n.-There seems to
bc no doubt but That the twcnty-sccond Joint
rule, under which either House Of Congress, ut
the count Of the Electoral votes, Ind tho right
to throw out the Electoral votcs Of nhy St,tc or
States, is now imperative. II IL be assumed,
however, that this rule Is yet In force, unl that
either House inny throw out or reject tho Elec-
toral votes Of any State, then aunposab1c case
ia this: Tho House will throw out tho votes OF
Senate will exercise It's prcrugatIro md throw
out tho votes OF Alubama, Georgia, Mississippi,
North Carolinn, and so on. or COURSE II thla
proccss wcru continued, the Electoral votes Ut
Their, after the two Houses had finished their
work, there would be no election Of President,
because 1t would be decided BY the two equnl
witnesses and Judges which the Constitution
Electors wers appointed: And III this ease the
House could not proceed to clcct President,
because there would bc no list Of persons lay-
ing the highest number Of Electoral votes to
Senate, after MarcE 4, 1877, would become
President until President werc chosen by tho
people.
Bit some may object, and say that the Elect
out; but Il must he remembered that Congress
Is supposed to DO acting under the twcntY-scc-
ond Joint rule, md this rule giyes either House
the supreme right, from which there ia no ap-
(VAlt u uDlECk u t1G fQkE u Hfu CtAlCs nluf
indeed, It might be wise for either House to
throw out tic votes OF all the States. and thus
compel another popular vote for President In
November, 1877, u I: sho"sd appear thereby ihat
1t will BE- seen tl'en that tho joint rule twcn.
ty-sccond invests Congress with supreme ju-
dtelal, as welt rs ministerial, authority over the
Presidential Question when It meets to count
and judgu tho Electoral vote.
Tho Constitution clearly makes It the duty OF
the House to choose President when there 10
tIo In tho Electoral VOTES between thu two
htgl'ost Presidential candidates; but 1t does not
j. tic between tho two Houses rs to WHO is
chosen for President. It Is nov probable that
when tho Electoral votes are placed before the
two Houses that tho Senate will decide that Mr..
willie thu Iiouso viii decide tlat Mr Tlidep has
1856 votes md ia elected. Hero then fs a tic, not
between tho Presidential candidates, hut be-
tween the two 1udges-the two Houses which
President chosen. Dlycstiug the subject Of all
lcgal qulbblng, antt remembering ttat we are
nSw confronting dilemma that The Constitt,-
ttun made no provisions for, what had We bet
faced truth stands III bold rcllct that tue quca-
tton us to whether We llayc chusen a President
or not, !. IL doubt. That is the statement III II
nutshell.
and burn, and shoot, and slash, simply be:
| cause We have stumbled into condition Of
aifars tl,at our good old fathers n.adc IN pro-
visions Tor in tho Constltutioni Tho next best
Is tho common sense Of their children, il viii
never do to Atcxica,izo tho Republic simply be-
c4usu We don't know whether either party lsas
chosen d President or not. II the worst comes
doubt. there is Que road, Just one Toad, anil I
SURE one, ont OF all trouble; md that Is to let
thu President Of thu Scnntc become Our Chief
Executive until next. Novembcr,, when, tho