Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1876-12-02
WHAT NEXTs

WHAT NEXTs
In the early days of Greece case
of parricide was brought before the
courts of Sparta; on examination Of
the records it was found that no law
existed which took cognizance of such
a crime, and tradition was brought
to light that Lycurgus, when making
laws for that State, refused to insert
any statute against parricide, because
the crime was unheard of and the pro-
mitigation of such law could only
suggest the idea to minds which would
otherwise never dream of such enor-
mites.
Our present perp,exities arise from
a similar omission ION the part of the
original authors of our constitution,
made for similar reason. They seem
to have conceived no such an emer-
gency as that which is now upon us as
a possible contingency. They acted on
the presumption that, however heated
the passions of party conflict, however
wild aud furious the animosities excit-
cd, all excuses would be limited to
the period of the canvass, and that, an
election once held, the verdict of the
people once given at the ballot box,
all parties would be then ready to ae-
quiesce, nothing remaining but to as
certain what that verdict was, and it
never seems to have entered into their
thoughts thatefforts would at any time
be made in the interests Of party, to
set aside such verdict, and, by chi
canery on level with the tricks of
gambling saloon, to substitute some
preeoncerted body of men for those
who we're declared at the ballot box
as the choice of the people. No such
a conjuncture being anticipated it must
be admitted that the provisions for
meeting it arevague and imperfect, and
it is in the uncertainty thus brought
about that, now the emergency has
arisen, men are asking in deep solicit
Jude what next?"
Nor has the emergency come upon
US without forewarning. No one with
the ordinary mental faculties of sane
man can we think study the analysis
we published last week of the election
laws of Louisiana without peroeiying
that they constitute a machinery ex-
pressly adapted to the purpose of set
ting aside popular vote, whenever it
might be found opposed to the inter-
ests of the existing administration of
that State We gave one or two in
stances where it had been so used, and
we now call attention to some more
most lucidly detailed by an eminent
iurist, Mr.. Clarkson N. Potter ofNew
York they will be found on our first
page:
We strongly urge upon our readers
to study the whole of this admirable
letter throughout; it is criminal in the
present juacture for any citizen of the
United States to remain ignorant of
the matters now so deeply moving the
nation, aud we know of no paper in
which the substantial merits of the
question are so tersely and .clearly
stated
To resume, these facts have long
been before the people of the United
States they have been stated and COM
mented upon by the public press, they
have been brought before Congress,
examined by specially appointed COM
mittees therein and the acts of the
Board have been pronounced illegal
by both houses, even at a time when
the Republican party predominated in
both, and yet have been sustained by
the executive of the nation with mill
tary force.
And this scandalous machinery has
for eight years been worked by cor
rupt faction, so as to make the whole
State organization subserve their law
less rapacity, and moreover politicians
were we'll aware that the time must
come when the same machinery could
be used to set aside popular vote in
National affairs. So that our public
men cannot pretend that they were
unprepared for the problem when il
came up-the momentous question
arises are they prepared with a solu.
ton of 1t, or are they too helplessly
asking the question what next?"
One solution is proposed by Mr.
Potter in the letter to which we have
already called attention, it is that il
through the Senate and House failing
to concur in counting the vote il
should be decided that no election ha:
been made, the House of Representa-.
ti7es voting by States shall proceed tc
the election of a President. This Is
the provision made by the Constitution
in case no person have a majority
of the whole number of Electors APP
pointed" but it has hitherto been APP
piled only in those cases where more
than two candidates have received
electoral votes and no one of them a
majority of the whole; and although
we concur with Mr.. Potter that it is
an inference most in harmony with the
spirit Of the constitution, that this is a
remedy which the authors Of it would
have extended to case like the pres
ent-yet Mr.. Potter himself admits
that it is only an inference, and it is
not therefore likely to pass undisputed
in the present state of the political at
mosphere.
Another solution is that evidently
contemplated by the military section
of the Radical party; the President
that is and the circle of friends i'm
mediately surrounding him.
tits that, the Senate and House not
agreeing on a count it shall be decided
that no President is elected and the
present man shall continue to hold the
Office as a better alternative than that
of anarchy.
1t is not pretended that any provis-
ion of the constitution would justify
this procedure it is only supposed