The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-03-29
From Our Regular Corrcspondcnt.I

| FRESH APPLICANTS FOR OFFICE.
WASHINGTON, March 2S.-HaYing restet
a day or two delegations OF Virginia Re
publicans come up again, freshly armc'
with potential signatures and eloquent petit
tons, praying the President to appoint thi
or that person 10 office. The Administra
zion, finding the Louisiana and South Caro-
lima elephants about all it can manage jus
now, thrusts the petitions and signatures ii
a pigcon-hole (and what 4 pity the delesa
tons can't be put there too), where the!
will rest undisturbed and grow old ant
dusty, and their eloquence never reach th'
ear OF the great presidential pacificator
When the President has disposed OF weight
Ter matters OF State he will consider who
will be the person most likely to advance
the interests OF the Republican party, ant
that person will be appointed.
Colonel Brady Is here, directing
THE FORCES OF MISS VAN LEW
with much skill. To-day u delegation Of
white and coIored citizens OF Richmo1d
called on the President in her interest.
J. V. Reddy, at the head OF a delegation
Of uncertain complexion, presented Il pcti.
ton for the appointment OF f. p. Murphy
as collector of internal revenue at Rich.
mond. Hctells me the document bore the
autographs Of ex-Mayor Kelley, Captain G.
D. Wise, General Z. I. Moore. and many
other prominent citizens.
Congressman Springer has
SCHEME FOR ELECTIHG PRESIDENT
without an electoral college, which he hopes
to get through Congress and have ratified
By the States before the next presidential
struggle. The features OF it. in brief, arc
that the people shall cast their votes directly
for a candidate for the presidency, and in
every State the votes be canvassed by Il
board consisting OF the Judge OF the highest
State court, the Governor, and the Sccre-
tary OF State; that each State shall be enti-
tied to as many votes for President as
she has senators and representatives in Con-
gress. except that States having only ono
representative in Congress shall have but
one vote (instcad OF three for President,
and States having only two Representatives
shall have three votes inStead OF FOUR;
gate the votes cast for each candidate, and
ach candidate shall be entitled to his pro-
portionate share OF the number Of electoral
votes to which tic State is entitled; that
the two houses OF Congress, meeting in
joint session, shall be the sole judge OF the
qualification and election OF President. he
also proposes that the regular sessions of
Congress shall commence on the first Mon
day in January o. each year, and the terms
OF service o! congressman shall end on that
date instead OF March 4th.
SOME OF CHAMBERLAIN's VIEWS.
Chamberlain says no Republican Gov.
crnor in the South since the days of recon.
struction could have kept himself i'll power
without the support Of the army. AS to
his own case he says Hampton may be able
to command more force to maintain his pre-
tensions, but he thinks he could recover his
lost ground by the moral effect of authority
to use the United States troops. The claim
that Hampton had been recognized by all the
State courts he denies. The Supreme Court
was equally divided on that question in the
pardon case, and only four of the sight circuit
courts acknowledge Hampton as Governor
The Judges OF the circuit courts, he says.
have drawn their salaries from the public
fund raised by citizens and under the CON
troll Of Hampton, but that does not consti
tute a recognition in any sense. certainly
not judicial recognition, OF his right tc
The govcrnorShip.
THE LOUISIANA COMMISSION
will organize and get to work rs soon Il:
practicable. -Four are Republicans; the
other is 4 Democrat, and all are thought tC
be of conservative tendencies, and thor
ouohly in accord with the policy OF peace
and reconciliation. AS before suggested il
these dispatches, the commission will moi
attempt to ascertain for themselves who may
have been legally elected Governor, but The
general plan OF their mission will be to in
duce those members Of the two rival Lc
giSlatures whose election Is not disputed t
organize themselves into a Legislature that
both political parties shall recognize
as the only and true law-making body, and
this new Legislature would thea decide
who arc entitled to the vacant contested
seats, and would canvass the return fol
State officers. 1t is asserted by friends Of
this scheme that it is legal and entirel,
feasible, because there are in the two Legis
latures enough members whose election i:
undisputed to form a quorum Of eacl
house. and that under the Constitution an(
laws of Louisiana, while the Returning
Board has the right to canvass the votes fol
presidential electors, the Legislature has
the right to canvass the returns OF elections
! for purely State officers, and to declare thu
result.
TIE CONSTITUTION OF 1868
makes it the duty Of the Secretary OF Stat'
to make up from the returns list OF mem
bers who are entitled to seats in the LegiS
sure. The Secretary OF State under Gov
| ernor Kellogg construed "the returns t.
mean the returns transmitted to him by tn
Returning Board, and upon that construc
ton made ap the list from the coun
made by the Board, who had excluded
10000. The Democrats Claim that g the re
turns" must be construed as the, word
were used at the time the Constitution wa:
made, which was long before the Return
ing Board law was enacted, and both partie
admit that the Secretary Of State has. NJ
right himself to throw out any votes. The
Democrats claim that the only returns tina
could have been meant were those received