The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-03-14
COUNTING PRESIDENTIAL VOTES.


On motion OF Mr.. Morton, the Senate
took up the bill to provide for and regu.
late the counting OF votes for President
and Vice President.
Mr.. Bayard briefly addressed the SEN
ale in opposition to the bill.
Mr.. Morton said the bill providing for
counting the votes for President and Vice
President now before the Senate present.
cd three important changes from the old
method, which he proposed to point out.
The bill provides for debate or explana-
tion while the vote Is being counted; it
provides against disfranchisement Of any
Of the States, and it provides that the
vote OF every State shall be counted.
Mr.. Eaton said that the second section
Of the bill provided that the returns from
such States shall be counted, which the
two houses, acting separately, shall de-
eide to be a true and valid return, and
asked what would be the effect il the
House decided that one set OF returns
were correct and the Senate decided that
another was correct in case where there
were two sets OF returns from one State.
Mr.. Morton replied than in such case
the vote Of the State would fall 10 the
ground and the State would lose its vote,
for there was no outside tribunal consti-
tutionally qualified to decide the matter.
Mr.. Boutwell, said he had not the faith
in the wisdom OF the bill that the chair.
man (Morton) had, although he should
probably vote for the bill. He did not
assume that the Vice President had any
other duty TO perform than simply to
open the returns as formerly. For
century the old method had been in use
under the constitution, and 1t was not
possible for Congress to delegate it to a
Court or anybody else.
Mr.. Thurman said II was time some
such measure as that should be adopted
for he could easily iorsee that the votes Of
States might some time be thrown out to
such an extent as to plunge the country
into anarchy and rebellion. It could not
happen once in hundred times that the
Vice President would not know Just
what package OF returns contains the
votes Of his particular party and he
could pick that up and open It. 1t was
through his (Thurmans) solicitation that
the Senator from Indiana introduced the
second section OF the bill and he consid-
cred II necessary. II any Senator could
devise any better plan he would be glad
to bear it.
Mr.. Wright said he would have
1t left Just where our fathers and the Com
stitutition had left Il. He held that the
Vice President had n right to decide
which was the correct set of returns. The
two houses were present as witnesses Of
the transaction. lie would not allow any
one to meddle with this matter, but he
would much rather the House would do
it than the Senate; the House represented
the people and came from the people
every two years while the Senate did not,
and he would prefer to let the House dc.
eide the matter il it waS to be decided at
all.
Mr.. Cooper entertained the opinion
and moved TO amend by adding after the
words "the two Houses acting separately
shall decide to be true and valid returns,h
the following words, "and II the two
Houses cannot agree then the House Of
Representatives, voting by States In the
manner provided by the Constitution
when an election deyolyes upon the
House, shall decide to be true and valid
returns"