Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1876-12-02
THE PRECEnENT nF 1saa.
Congress and the Counting of the
Electoral Votes.

Congress and the Counting of the
Electoral Votes.
New York World. Nov. p.
In March, 1920, President Monroe
signed Che law admitting Missouri as a
State under certain conditions. She
framed Constitution and claimed to
be State competent TO vote in that
year for Presidential electors, butwhen
Congress assembled and her Constitu-
ton was received, it was objected to as
excluding free blacks from the State.
The contest over this exclusion was
long and bitter. and, and Mr.. Clay
finally COMPROMISED it on an under
taking that the Legislature ofthe State
should properly interpret the clause,
but this compromise was not approved
till March 2, 1921. Meanwhile the
counting of the votes for Presidential
electors had come in the previous Feb
ruary, and the question had arisen
what was to be done with the vote of
Missouri. which lay on the table Of
the President of the Senate. To count
that vote was to confess the admission
of Missouri as a State. The excite
ment was most intense, the friends Of
Missouri claiming that her vote ought
to be counted. Was the President of
the Senate permitted to pass on this
tremendous question Not at all. In
the Senate joint resolution was pass
ed, and adopted by the House, appoint
ing joint committee to ascertain and
report on examining" (that is the
word used) the votes, and notifying
the electors elected. Clay, Sergeant
and Van Rensselaer, were elected for
the House. This joint committee re-
ported resolution, =" that if any OBJ
lection be made to the vote of Nilsson
II, and the counting, or emitting to
count, shall not essentially change the
result of the election" then the votes
shall be reported by the President OF
the Senate both with Missouri counted
and with Missouri not counted. This
formal instruction given to the Presi-
dent of the Senate, this taking posses
sion of the question by Wrestling il
from his hand, both houses adopted
John Randolph resisted it, because he
sought q snap judgment in favor OF
Missouri. Clay upheld it, and said:
"The two houses were called on Din the
COnstitction) to enumerate the votes for
they were called on to decide wha: are
votes.
When the Senate and the House
met, the President Of the Senate de-
livered the votes of the States to the
committee for counting the votes, u
which committee consisted of Bar
bOur, of the Senate, and Smith Ser
geant, of the House the official au-
thenticatiOns were read twice, and the
votes recorded by the Secretary of the
Senate and Clerk of the House. Mis-
siouri was announced by the President
of the Senate and handed to the tel
lers. ThereupOn, Livermore, of New
Hampshire. from the House, addressed
the President and Speaker, and OBJ
iected to receiving the vote because
Missouri is not a State of this
Union" On motion of a Senator, the
Senate Immediately withdrew. The
House was called to order, and Floyd
of Virginia, introduced a resolution
that the votes of Missouri be received
and counted. Then came an earnest
debate, and furious speech by Ran
dolph pleading for and storming over
Missouri. Finally Clay moved to lay
FlOyd's resolution on the table it was
done, and then the Senate was inform.
ed that the House was ready to con
tinue" the investigation" The Senate
came back, the President of the Sen
ate opened the certificate from Mis-.
souri, and delivered it to the tellers
who read and registered it. Then al
the votes having been counted anC
registered, the lists were handed up t
the President, and he was announc
ing the result as to Missouri, as in
structed by the two houses, wheI
Floyd demanded to know whether the
votes of Missouri were or not counted
The President of the Senate stopped
RandOl phi rose in a fiery temper anC
addressed the Chair. The Speaker
pronounced both him and Floyd ou
of order. The noise and confusion
here were very great, but finally the
Speaker got the House in hand anC
the President of the Senate declared
Monroe elected President Randolph
then sprang again to his feet, but wa
compelled to take his seat On mo
ton of a Senator the Senate retired
and then Randolph began again a ter
rible torrent of invective, denouncinj
Congress for dOnging the Missouri ques
ton, and the whole proceeding as ir
regular and illegal because the Who'll
number of votes had been announced
Immediately a motion was made t
adjourn the House, which was car
ried, and the subject was forever drop
ped.
mere for the first time in our histor
Congress took resolutely hold of tn
constitutional right and power to coun
the votes and to order the announce
ment of the result to be made, an
thus declared that the exclusive pow
er to do these things does not resid
in the President of the Senate. Thi
both houses declared anew in 1867
and they also declared the other pro
position of law, which is that eithe
house can prevent the counting Of tn
votes of State.