Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1877-01-25
The COaPROMISE PLAN.

The following comments of the press vi
the country, show how the proposed com
promise l'lan of counting the electoral vote
is received:
Certain Rep .blican members of Con
,ress are danger oi making a grave mis-
6ake. They cannot inresee the conse-
luences, il they concede to either house
The power to pass upon the validity OF
returns. Whether they g,in or lose
temporary advantage Tor their party is of
small consequence. but il is not at small
consequence that they will effect great
change i'm TIE Character OF our system 4
government. and take revolutionary step
which will lead Id other revolutionary
measures hereafter.
We warn members of Congress that IL
Is great and dangerous revolution in our
form of government To give tO either
house or Ia bDth houses the power to Cast
rut the duly certified vote OF State
That power has never been exercised.
That thing has never been done
II ever done, whether by one house at
Congress or both, il will be violation of
The constitution, y departure from the
practice and disregard If the aims of the
fathers, bald usurpation Of power which
hey denied TO the Legislative branch
Some at the proofs that this power WAS
Intentionally denied, aud some Of the
hangers involved In the revolutionary
dsurIation of that power by Congress may
hereafter be considered.
The tendency To grasp power. and tn
magnify An office Is MS old as human gov
.rn nent. Yet this assumption of power
would be clear usurpation by the legis.
alive branch Of the government II Is y
departure from the teachings. aims. and
explicit direction of these who framed the
constitution. II is n disregard Of their
carly example, and violation Of the ex
press requirement that the votes shall
hen be counted --nanely, the v les re-
corded Ia :" all the certificates" which the
Vice President is commanded TO open. In
truth. the fathers OF the republic aimed Ia
rem we the choice Of TN executive com
.,lctclv fr,m the control OF Congress.
NeU York 2ri6uue.
The people, through their chosen elect
RS, some weeks since elected Gov. Hayes
% the Presidency. II remains only Tor
he officer namei In the constitution Ia
'ien the electors VOTES anu 10 smally de-
;iare the result, as his predecessors have
lone on twenty two occasions before
This Is = simple constitutional pr,,cecd
ny.
To have the vote counted by such life
ong Dem ,crais As Justices Clifford and
field. or by the city council of New York.
would doubtless, be better ior ~ claimant
With bad case thin tO have il d,ne As the
fathers and founders performed this minis
eTial work. The only dangerous encour
,gement given IA The scheme Ia go ou,
i'd. the C institution. ut n time when that
Al III ID e. =.
Who. having once. through hack of invest
cation. Numbered intp false position.
nrsist In continuing to blunder TO the
ma. II has happened that men have pre-
.cfvcd their consistency and lost their
el'ut:iion for infclIi :encc. Not consist
ency or persistency I'm the wrong. but
capacity to get right, is most Ia lie com
nenbed. u m .m0ers 0f Congress utter
the words at wisdom and statesinansh ship
| n.'w. they will be pard"ned for having
zen less wise ten years ayo.-Nsr York
Tmss
IL the House of Representatives con-
nts To the passage Of this bill IL will he
guilty III grave fault, ar political blum
der. Tn; report cnnfesses that the c,n-
stitu ion clothes the President Of the Sen.
ste with N" power. the two houses with
all power, tn count the VOTES. Ii the two
nouses have not the power they cannot
delegate IL la Supreme judges Ii the
power Is devolved upon Congress by the
! constitution IL cannot delegate the power
to a commission outside If itself. The
Congress could as property go fishing
md select commission tO enact laws for
the people at the United States The oh
jefions TO the bill are fundamental. II
would rag the Supreme Court of the
United States into n political brawl. by
mailing majority Of its members into
| his wrangle Whether they should de.
eide with or against their respective far.
lies. their motives would be questioned
md respect Tor the court would he weak
ened. II Comedies the right, which is so
lac duty at The Two houses to count the
votes. and in the same breath Purposes Ia
surrender ~ part of that. right, which
night. IN effect. he all of Il. Mr. Tildcn
has been elected, or he has not been The
constitution has. appointed u hoard of arbi-
iraton. commission, Ia determine this
fact That commission is The Congress.
- the proposed bill cincet.es The Con.
srezss-is Competent To decide the question
Without foreign aid. not only. but IL has
No power to refer he question To an out,
side hnsrd. The bill Is pernicio;is one
in itself, anil would he dangerous as pre
cedent. The result Of the arbitration
would enrage and not satisfy either party.
he bill would he the Illuminating confes
sion that after President has been elected
he constitutional arbitrators, $40 men,
with all the facts In their possession, with
their oaihs rc"rded. are unable To, or dare
not, declare the result cf the election with.
nut lawless resistance -Ciaeiaaati En-