The New York herald., 1876-12-23
PERSONNEL OF THE COMMITTEES.
Mr.. Morton's Views as Expressed by Him
self in the Senate.
THE VICE PRESIDENTS ONLY DUTY
Alleged Detection Among South
ern Democrats.
FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.


WASHINGTON Dec 90, 1870
THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON PROVIDING METHOD
FOR EXAMINING THE ELECTORAL yoTE-THE
STATUS AND OPINIONS OF ITS MEMBERS AS
KNOWN.
The Speaker to-day appointed tho House part OF the
joint committee 10 "report method OF examining"
the electoral votos. Fourteen men now have this i'm
portant question before them, republicans, Sena
tors Edmunds, Morton, Frciinghuysen and Logan,
and Messrs. McCrasy, Hoar and Willard and seven
democrats, Senator'S Thurman, Bayard and Ransom,
and Acssrs Payne, Hunton. Hewitt and
Springer. They have from now until the
14.h OF February TO deliberate and agreo upon meas
urc for il Is not until then that the counted,
and probable that the two will accept any
"method OF examining the votes" on which the COM
mit,oe may agree. On the whole. tho committee Is
thought 10 have becn we'll selected II contains only
Two or three who believed to be unreasonable.
The remainder Of both sides sound lawyers. cap
able Of sitting and naturally respecting prccedents,
and who aro likely TO be guided TO
conclusion by what they shall hnd, on careful in
vestigation of tho manner which this question has
been treated regarded Congress from tho begin
ming, to DO the proper way OF counting the votes
whatever conclusion their wishes may point to It is
probable that OF them will be surprised at tho
facts winch careful investigation prccedents
on the question Will bring. 1t is not be-
leved that moro than three iou. men in
this Congress havo s,udied tho matter thor
oughly. Senator Morton has probably examined
more carefully than any other member Of the prcs
ent Joint committee He has been for several years
DESTROYS of u constitutional amendment changing the
method Of electng the President and In the debates
on his amendment and on the bill which, at the last
session. passed the Senate TO take the place OF tho
twenty second joint rule, he took very prominent
part and showed that no mastered the question.
That BILL his vigorous leadership, received
the support OF almost every republican In
the Senate and Of some democrats In tho course OF
the debate which lasted many days, Mr.. Morton laid
down two important points as beyond controversy.
As to the powers OF the Vice President ne said:-
do not accept the suggestion that tho Vice Presi-
dent the United States has any thing moro to DO in
the business OF counting the voeA for President and
Vice President than that specific duty which Is pre-
scribcd Tor and cnjoned upon him by the constitution.
That duty is in the OF the Senate and House
OF Representatives., TO open the certificates. There
being no other duty assigned TO him infer, naturally,
that no is to do nothing more.
In regard the decision where two sells Of electoral
returns como up from State he thus explained the
effect OF a section In his own BILL
The effect OF this section is to determine which
of electoral returns bc counted, and tho
houses agree neither set is TO DO counted; and
again. the vote goes out. Tho State has no vote be-
cause unless there Is tribunal to settle which
vote shall be counted, you cannot count both, and
therefore, you cannot count cither. You must have
some tribunal to settle that dilculsy; and what tri-
bunai is safer than the two houses Of Congressy
In the light OF these remarks it is probable that
those who have circulated that Mr. Morton is
of the decreasing number who hold that tho Vice
President alone has the right to count the vote and
tcrmne all questions regarding II arc mistaken.
OF Senator Edmund's opinions less is known He
and Mr. Frelinghuysen have favored q SUBJ
mission OF disputed questions to tho su-
prcme Court, but this could not be done
without constitutional amendment for which no one
is now inclined.
Senators Thurman, FrelrRhuyssn and Logan voted
for Mr. Mortons bill last session and are thus
mittod to Mr. Morton's views as abovo expressed
Senators Bayard Edmunds and Ransom voted against
IT, but they are known been Of late re-examn
ing the whole subject and may cause to come to
different conclusion.
or the Representatives on the Joint Committee Mr..
Mccrary has probably given the most careful at
tention TO the question. He Is the author
OF a standard treatise the law OF
elections and is sound and painstaking lawyer
OF tho a5lcst mon in the House on either side Mr..
willard also republican. also careful and
seryatvc man. II is not known that hc has paid
special attention to the question OF counting the VOTE
He is a member OF. tho Silver Commission, and Is
greatly respected by his fellow republicans Mr..
George f. Hoar Is sometimes called partisan, but he
ia a learned lawyer ana honest man. or the demo-
Gratis on the committee Mr.. Payne is n banker, Mr..
Hewitt manuiacturcr Ncssrs Hunton and Springer
lawyers.
II is not yet known whether tho two committees
will work together at first They will nt any fre
quentiy confer, and they have senator Mortons old
bill to work on. They will probably not be content
without a complete nvcsiign of all the prcccdcnts
since the foundation OF the government upon the ecc
tornl count aud examination of what has been held
upon tho powers Of the Vice President ana the Two
houses In the somewhat numerous debates in which
this question has come up.
VICE PRESIDENT FERRY AND THE ELECTORAL
MEssESGERs
Vice President Ferry receives all rcturns that
arc brought him by messenger but where there are
two scts brought by the messengers, in the OF
Florida ho does receipt for either He has also re-
fused TO receipt the republican returns from south
Carolina and IL Is understood that hc Will receipt for
no returns from the disputed States.
FROM OUR REGULAR CORRESPOND DENT.
WASHINGTON, Dcc % 1875
COUNTING THE ELECTORAL voTE-coMMrTTEFs
APPOINTED by SPEAKER RANDALL ON THE
SUBJECT