The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-01-25
HOUSE.

Memorials from Boston and St Louis
favoring the so called compromise bill
were presented,
Mr.. BULTz was admitted member
from South Carolina and took the IRON
clad oath.
Prof. seeIye in Favor Of the Arbitration Bill.
The resolutions reported by the Select
Committee on Privileges, declaring that
the President of the Senate has not, and
that Congress has the right to count and
declare the electoral votes, ETC., came up
as unfinished business, and Mr.. Seelye,
Massachusetts addressed the House.
He declared that the doctrine laid down
in these resolutions to be libel in the let
ter and an entire perversion of the spirit
of the Constitution. He admitted the
ehicanery, corruption, fraud and cruelty
practiced and put forth in certain quar-
tiers to control the late election. No hon
est man in his senses could deny it; but
wrong only grew to greater wrong ii
it was sought to be righted in any but
righteous way. The question OF who
should be President for the next four
wears was mere temporary question but
the question how the President should be
chosen and declared was permanent
one. Such a question spread its hand
through coming time and laid its grasp
on generations yet to be He referredto
the report of the Committee on Counting
the Electoral vote as Of patriotism so lofty
and SO pure that if it could only be adop-
ted by Congress with the same unanlmity
with which it had been adopted by the
Committee, he should regard it asa glory
shed on the opening year Of the nations
second century which no year OF the pre-.
vious century could excel. He hoped
that Congress would pass the bill unanil
mously and tell the world that this great
and free people, which had lately shown
itself SO q eat by submitting toa a peaceful
arbitration of threatening International
dispute, had now shown itself greater still
in the present discussion by yielding all
disputes about rights in the sole effort to
learn and follow its obligations. 49,,
Mr.. WILLIAMS Wisconsin argued in
favor Of the counting of the electoral by
the President Of the Senate. Hmt l
A Constitutional Argument BY Tucker OfVirgInin.
b Mr., TUCKER, VA made a constitu-
tional and legal argument in support OF
the resolution He proceeded to relate
the history of the constitutional provi-
sion, and to argue from it that the power
to count and declare the electoral vote
was not reposed in the President Of the
Senate. The idea that the. House Of
Representatives, based upon the will of
the whole people, should be controlled in
its constitutional power by the fiat; not
of the oligarchy of the Senate but of the
creature of that oligarchy, was too pre-
posterous to be believed. The word
"presence," as used in the constitution,
was to his mind most impressive. II pur-
ported more than being in the same room
Radically, it meant beng before. 1t in
dicated in all legal procedure supervi.
sion BY a present superior, one prompt
and ready to control, to guard, to aid, to
defend. Everything done in the presence
ofa court was done under its protection
and control. The same sense was found
in the sublime appeal Of Moses to the
God of Israel: "If Thy. presence be not
with me carry US not up hence 1t did