The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-03-02

whom he received il.
The Speaker asked Mr.. Garfield l.
suspend his remarks until order was re
stored.
Mr.. Gariield-Iwill wait till Ajax an,
other chiefs have quieted their troubles
There is no pretense or claim, that unde
the law the President Of the Senate ough
10 receive the paper under such circum
stances. There is no signature on tn
back OF the paper, authentiCating it. Fo
ought We know its another Nicholl Ger
tiiicatc. II any body has been deceived
by the preLense that we ought to have
paper opened in this House, coming il
such roundabout unauthorized way
let all such pretenscs be cleared away
and let them vote with Il knowledge o.
the fact, that to vote for the resolution is
simply Il vote toprevent count and to
bring us into an arChy.
MIR. Stone, who was one OF the telIers
stated that he saw the Secretary Of the
Senate throw the package under the desk
among the rubbish; that he (Stone) i'm.
mediately wrote note TO Hewitt and
Hewitt and he had conversation, dur.
ing which he saw the Secretary take the
package from under the desk and put il
in his pocket.
The discussion was closed by Mr.. Field
who expressed his deep regret that the
day had been consumed in an attempt to
rectiiy u mistake OF the President OF the
Senate, an cgrcglous mistake which the
dignity and seli.respeCt Of the House
compelled it to rectiIy il possible. He
would not go into any question about the
vote OF Vermont, whether it was good or
bad, or whether the paper was Of any
value; all he knew was that question
had arisen respecting ii which the Presi
dent Of the Senate had assumed to decide.
lie denied that the President OF the Sem
ate had any power to do anything ex-
Cept to keep order and to do what had
been committed TO him under the cleo.
toral law, and all knew that this was the
very question that lay at the foundation
ofall the debates on the subject. From
the beginning Of the session il had been
maintained by tn eRepublicans that the
President OF the Senate could count, the
votes, and on that they had stirred up the
country; had subsidized the press; had
procured legal opinions, and what had
they come to at last. The Senate itself
had in solemn debate repudiated the doc.
trinc as not worth n moments
consideration, and the President Of the
United States in n solemn message to Con.
gress declared that never in the history
OF the Government had the President OF
the Senate assumed to decide any ques.
tion. That Official did now assume to
decide this question, whether or not that
was return TO be opened by him. II
members OF the House consented to that,
let them look to the future. OJsia prin.
ciDiis was rule OF prudence and rule
oil law. The Commons, OF England, had
gained the liberties OF the English people,
which had made the Anglo.Saxon race
the glory Of the earth, by standing on
small question that concerned
their liberties. So the House of
Representatives should not give np
one jot or title OF its rights.
1t was the duty OF the President of the
Senate when that paper was before him
to submit the question ii he had any
doubt about it TO the two houses, and the
only remedy now was to invite him back
to open the paper in the presence Of both
houses. Ii there we're two returns from
Vermont they should go to the Electoral
Commission. lie appealed TO the mem.
bers to deal with the question not rs
Democrats or as Republicans, but as the
guardians OF the rights Of the House in
the Electoral count.
In reply to u question by Mr.. Gate, he
said that there was no time fixed by law
in which certificate must be filed.
Mr.. Hoar-ls there not source fixed
by law through which these returns must
come?
Mr.. Field-It is not fixed by law. Your
men and Judges have decided that the law
can not controvcne the Constitution, nor
can Congress make Il law that binds the
States. Congress can not do it, and has
not done it. 1t passed law in 1892 that
the certificates should be sent in by the
first Wednesday in February, and il
not, the Secretary Of State should send
for them. lie could send for them
at any time before the two houses met.
That is the law, il il was not repealed by
this Electoral Commission law which
declares that all certificates and papers
purporting TO be certificates which shall
have been received shall be opened.
have answered the objection that this
certificate has not been received, because
it ought TO have been received. In point
Of fact, il was received in your presence.
1t was delivered By the member from
New York Hewitt to the President Of
the Senate. Was it for him to reject ii?
Are the representatives Of the people to
submit to that Are the Republicans TO
submit TO it? II you do, look out for
1881. Let this House put down its heel at
once and forever on the doctrine that the
President of the Senate is anything more
than the presiding officer, the guardian
OF these certificates until they are opened,
and that it his dNty to open them and
submit to the two Houses every question
that shall arise.
The debate being closed and the qucs-
tion being on the resolution offered by
Mr.. Poppleton, Mr.. Knott moved the fof-
lowing amendment:
ResoIrcd, That this House requires
that the package rendered by the member
from New York (Hcwitt) to the Presi-
dent OF Senate in the presence of the two
Houses yesterday, and purporting
TO be certificate of the electoral
votes for President and Vice Presi-
dent Of the State OF Vermont, shall
be opened by the President Of
the Senate, in the presence OF the two
Houses, and il found to be such n Ccrtii.
cate, the same shall be submitted, TO-.
gcthcr with the certificate read in the
presence Of the two Houses to the Elec.
iornl Commission for its judgment and
decision, and that the Senate be request.
cd TO make like order, requiring the
President Of the Senate to open such
package in the presence Of the two
Houses, and that until such order be
made the House will not be ready to
meet the Senate and proceed with the
count OF the electoral votes.
AS the vote progressed on this rcsolu.
tion, and ms there was an apparent pros.
peCt OF its having the majority in its
favor, the most intense excitement pre-.
vailed in the hall. Conservative mGm-
bcrs ConversCd with each other ingroups,
and expressed generally the conviction
that the adoption of the resolution would
prCCipitNtc anarchy and revolution.
Al tho clnac Of tho rnll.cnll n rumnr