The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1877-02-07
THE BILL SIGNED.
The President Gives His Reasons for Signing
the Electoral Bill.

the Electoral Bill.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 29.-The Presi.
dent to-day signed the electoral bill,
and in so doing transmitted the follow.
ing message to the Senate: n
To the Senate of the United States: .a
follow the example heretofore Oc.
casionally presented Of communicating
in this mode my approval of the act to
provide for and regulate the counting
of votes for President and Vice Presi
dent and the decision of questions arts.
ing thereon, because of my apprecia.
ton of the imminent peril to the insti.
buttons of the country from which, in
my judgment, the act affords wise
and constitutional means of escape.
For the first time in the history of our
country, under the constitution as it
now exists, a dispute exists with re-
gard to the result of an election of
Chief Magistrate of the nation. 1t is
understood that upon the disposition
of the disputes touching the electoral
votes cast at the late election by one
or more States depends the question
whether one or the other of the candi-
dates for the Presidency is the lawful
Chief Magistrate. The Importance of
having clearly ascertained, by proce-
dure regulated by law, which of the
two citizens has been elected, and of
having the right to this high Office re.
cognized and fully agreed on by all the
people of the Republic, cannot be over
estimated, and leads me to express to
Congress and to the nation my great
satisfaction at the adoption of a meas
ure that affords an orderly means of
decision of these gravely exciting
questions. While the history of our
country in it's earlier periods shows
that the President of the Senate has
counted the votes and declared their
standing, our whole history shows
that in
NO INSTANCE OF DOUBT OR DISPUTE
has he exercised the powers of decid-
ing, and that the two houses of Con.
gress have disposed of all such doubts
and disputes, although in no instance
hitherto have they been such that their
decision could essentially have affected
the result. For the first time, then,
the government of the United States
is now brought to meet the question
as one vital to the result, and this un-
der conditions not best calculated to
produce an agreement or to induce
calm feeling in the several branches of
the government or among the people
Of the country. In case where, as
now, the result is involved, it is the
highest duty of the law-making power
to provide in advance constitutional,
orderly and just method of executing
the constitution in this most interest.
ing and critical clause of it's provis-
ions. The doing so, so far from being
a compromise of right, is an enforce
ment of right, and in the execution of
the powers conferred by the constitu-
ton on Congress, I think that this Or
derby method has been secured by the
bill, which, appealing to the constitu-
ton and law as a guide in ascertaining
the right, provides the means of de-
Gliding questions of single returns
through the direct action of Congress,
and In respect to double returns by the
tribunal of inquiry, whese decisions
stand unless both houses of Congress
shall concur in determining other
wise, thus securing the definite dispo.
sition of
ALL QUESTIONS OF DISPUTE
in whatever aspect they may arise.
With or without this law, as all of the
States have voted, and as tie vote is
impossible, it must be that one of the
two candidates has been elected, and
it would be deplorable to witness an
irregular controversy as to which of
the two should receive or which
should continue to hold Office. In all
periods of history controversies have
aris0n as to the succession on choice
Of chiefs of State, and no party or
citizen loving their country and it's
free institutions can sacrifice too much
of mere feeling in preserving through
the upright course of law their country
from the smallest danger to it's peace
on such an occasion, and it cannot be
impressed too firmly on the hearts of
all people that true liberty and real
progress ever exist only through cheer
full adherence to the constitution. The
bill purports to provide only for the
settlement Of questions arising from
the recent elections. The fact that
such questions can arise demonstrates
the necessity which, cannot
doubt, will before long be supplied by
PERMANENT GENERAL LEGISLATION.
to meet cases which have not been
contemplated in the constitution or
laws of the country. The bill may not
be perfect, and its provisions may not
be such as would best be applicable to
all future occasions, but it is calcula-
ted to meet the present condition of
questions and. of the country. The
country is agitated; it needs and it
desires peace and quiet and harmony
between all parties and all sections.
Its industries are arrested, labor I'M
emDlOved. capital idle. and ENTERPRISE