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

Congress was q Hagrant Vlolhtloh Vi Vno
Constitution. He denied that the power
n connt votes was vested in the Presi'
dent of the Senate and said II the Con-
stitution gave all the power 10 one man
n was not easy TO see how Congress
could witness or verify the action. II the
President of the Senate choose TO utter
words, members Of the two houses must
listen to him. The Constitution declar,
ed that the President of the Senate should
omen all certificates. That was q grant
Of mower. 1t then declared that Vote
should be counted. BY whomY DID the
trainers of the Constitution intend II
should be by the President Of the Senate
Ifso, two little words would have hxeq
Il The men who drafted the
constitution were masters oI ian'
guage. They were so iastldious
In their taste and so exact that the
words should become echoes ofthoughlt
that they appointeda committee on styls
in order that their sentiment might be
scrutinized, and the provision IN regard
to counting the electoral vote was refer
red 10 that committee and reported Dack
bv the Committee. He could not believe
the trainers of the constitution INTENDED
the President of the Senate should count
good, bad, or Indifferent, the ceruhcat,es'
as as was argued by the Senator from India,
ma (Morton) yesterday. 1t had been said
that the power of the President OF the
Senate. though not expressed in the con-
stitution might be implied. He could not
accept that doctrine, The authority 10
do a judicial act Had the President OF
the Senate the power to send for witness
es call for telegramsand imprison persons
unless they gave them up, the Constitu
ton had not endowed him with power TO
settle difficult problems, AS early as lSO2
the State of Ohio had, in its fundamental
law. the very words of the Federal Con
stitution that the presiding othcer shoulu
omen certificates aid votes should be
counted. Even at that early date, It was
the understanding that the presiding
officer merely opened certificate, ana
and the two Houses proceeded TO count
the vote. To open certificates was purely
a ministerial act, but to count the votes
was something more. The good certlh-
Gates must be assorted from the bad ones.
If New York sent forty FIVE electoral
votes, only thirty five would be true votes
and the true ones must be taken.trom the
false ones. If certificates from Massachu-
sets should show that the State voted Tor
the Democratic candidate it would be
false. The world knew that she voted
for the Republican NOMINEES and must be
SO counted, If electors in one State had
voted for ]. Adams Caesar he meant Juli-
us Caesar, late of Rome, daughter, or
Henry the eighth, those votes would not
be counted without inquiry.
He spoke at some length as to the
Constitutionality of the bill, and asked
did not reason and the fitness of things
inform the Senate that tour father in end
ed that the powers to vitiate, on allega-
ton of fraud or irregularity of the cleo
toral vote of State and thus turn an
should not be reposed in one
man, They knew it would be safer re-
posed in the American Congress. 1t was
not designed to commit this vast power
to one man, especially as that one man
might be the sole judge in his own case,
Divine and human law, since the morn
ing of time said no man should be Judge
in his own even though he sat with others
If the President of the Senate had the
power to count the votes, bare majority
in the Senate might select President
for the secret purpose of making the
count one way. Was such creature ofan
hour safer anchor than the two Houses
Of Congress. No such action was designed
for this republic, the only considerable
experiment of free government extant
on the globe. Should this experiment
fail, it would turn back the hands on the
clock Of ages,
Mr.. Conkling announcedthat he would
not be able to conclude his remarks to-
day.
MIR. Edmunds said, on accoant of the
ndisposition of his frien from New York
,Conkling) who waslnot able to proceed
,o.day, he would move that the Senate
70 into Executive Session but gave notice
hat he would ask the Senate to vote on
he bill to morrow.
Adjourned.