The Portland daily press., 1877-03-02
The Electoral Count.
Unavailing Struggle
of tEAe FiIibusters.
VERMONT, VIRGINIA
AND WEST VIRGINIA
COUNTED.
Wisconsin Presented
and Objected To.
ALI Night Sessions of
Both Houses.
The End Near at Hand.
I'm the House.

Md, who moved call of the House.
The Speaker counted the members and found
sisted upon the motion, and the Speaker was
forced to allow a vote, which resulted yeas 6S,
nays 1863. So the call Of the House was re-
fused.
This movement occupied an hour and quar-
| ter, and was followed up by motion to recon-
slider the vote.
Mr.. Hale moved to lay the motion on the ia
| BILE. Agreed to, yeas liza, nays g..
AS soon as the vote was announced Messrs.
| Wood, Poppleton, Caulfeld and Mills all rose
at once, each having proposition to submit,
| which he claimed was of the highest privl-
lege.
Mr.. Poppleten offered resolution prepared
by Mr. Caulfeld, and the Speaker directed it to
be read.
1t recites in the preamble, that a sealed pack
age, addressed to the President of the Sena tie
and purporting to contain the electoral vote of
Vermont, was delivered yesterday to the Pres
| ident of the Senate by Mr.. Hewitt; that it ap-
pears by a telegram from the Clerk of the
United States District Court of Vermont that
duplicate of such return was deposited in
that office on the 18th of Dec. 1876; that these
facts had been made part of the objection to
the certificate of Vermont and the package
still remained unopened, and that the objec
ton cannot be considered until the package is
opened according to law; that the package is
retained by the President or Secretary of the
Senate; and it is therefore resolved that the re-
fusal of the President to open the package in
the presence of the two houses was violation
| of law and of the privileges of the House, and
| that until such package shall be opened the
| counting of the electoral vote cannot proceed,
| according to the constitution and law, and that
| the Senate be requested to meet the House in
| joint session, SO that the package may be open.
| ed and proceedings had thereon according to
| law.
| AS the clerk finished reading the resolution
| the Speaker announced the opening of new
| legislative day.
AS the reading of the journal commenced,
Mr.. Springer insisted thar it be read in detail,
which would occupy several hours. but Mr..
| Wood came to the rescue and moved that the
| reading be dispensed with. This motion was
| agreed to, yeas 175, nays So.
When the result was announced, Mr. Wood
| raised the point of order that nothing was COM
| petent for the House to do but to consider the
| objection offered to Vermont and that the
proposition offered by Mr. Poppleton was not
| in order.
| Mr. Caulfield argued that an impediment had
| arisen,
l Mr. Reagan supported the point of order,
| and argued against the resolution as proposing
| new question, which had not been presente d
at the joint meeting of the two houses.
After some further discussion the Speaker
id;-With the highest respect for all parties
concerned, the chair considers that a great mis-
| take and wrong was committed Yesterday, at
the joint session of the two houses in this, that
the presiding officer refused to receive or open
or read tor information, package which had
| all toe surroundings of an authentic paper in
| respect to an electoral vote of Vermont. The
| chair does not think that in auy aspect of the
| case he would be called upon to rule that the
| action of the presiding officer of the joint con-
vention yesterday was wrong He does not
think he possesses the power, nor does he be-
| eve that in technical sense the action of
| the joint convention can be reviewed in this
House in the manner nr0nnsed
When the Speaker concluded bis opinion the
| noise and confusion began to prevail again and
| IN short time the storm had increased to a
| gale. The central point of it was the question
whether before the two hours discussion com
menced the President of the Senate should be
called upon to send back to the House the
package produced yesterday by Hewitt and
Submitted with Mr.. Springers objection to the
count.
The Speaker did all in his power to get the
House INTO the regular cha mel of business,
aud he refused to entertain an appeal from his
| ruling. His reSolutenesS in this respect dashed
| the opposing element into fury. Messrs. Spring
| er, OBren, Garfield, Sparks and Poppleton
were ali addressing the Speaker at the same
| time and worrying him and the House with all
sorts of questions and objections.
| They were suddenly joined by Beebe of Ne W
| York, who in most excited manner protested
against the action of the Speaker, and who in
order to make himself still more conspicuo as
| jumped upon his desk and from there gestcu u
lated wildly, shouting at the top OF his voice
expressions which, in the uproar and excite
| ment, were entirely uninteligibe at the rep ort-
er's desk. At this time every member on the
| democratic side and nearly every one on the
| Republican side was on his feet. The storm,
however was entirely confined to the Demo
| cratic side of the chamber, the Republicans
merely participating as spectators. The gal
leries were crowded to their utmost capacity
and SO were the spaces at the back of the outer
row of seats and from these as well as from
the desks of the members came murmurs and
misses as this wild scene was enacted. Then
the Sergeant alarms with his silver mace of
office appeared in the most disorderly parts of
the assemblage, and Mr. Beebe stepped down
from his elevated position and addressed the
Speaker 10 more moderate tone from bis ow n
place. Then the spaces behind the outer 70 W
OF desks were cleard. By degrees the storm
luled and although there were some lesser re-
| two O'Clock to launch the House fairly into
the two hours discussion on the Vermont OBJ
| lection.
The debate was opened by Mr.. Poppleton,
who soon yielded to enable Mr.. Hewitt to re-
late how he had come into possession of the
package produced by him yesterday, and how
be had last seen it in possession of the Secreta-
~ OF the Senate, who stated that it was the
private property of Mr.. Ferry, and he proposed
as friend OF Mr.. Ferry, to retain it.
After good deal of colloquy in regard to the
paper. messenger from the Senate came into
the hall and rendered the package to Mr.. Hew-
lit, who refused to receive ii and therefore an
nounced the fact to the House. No immediate
action was taken on the matter. The young
lad who carried the package retained it in his
possession and took seat awaiting the action
of the House, and the discussion proceeded.
Line members who participated in the discus
sion were Messrs. Joyce, Hendee and Denni-
son OF Vermont, Poppleton and Munroe of
son OF West Virginia, Marsh of PENNSYLVANIA,
Raymond of Indian. and Levy of Louisiana
Mr.. Garfield read letter from Mr. Gorham.
Secretary of the Senate, relative to how the
package came into his possession and his dspo-
sition of it,
Mr.. Hewitt remarked that the package had
been brought to him by a messenger from the
Senate who would not tell from whom he had
received it.
Mr. Garfield said in conclusion. if anvbodv
has been deceived by the pretence that we ought
TO nave paper opened in the House coming in
such roundabout, unauthorized way let all
such pretences be cleared away and let them
vote with knowledge of the fact that a vote
Ior tIe resolution IS simply vote to prevent
count and to bring US into anarchy.
Lhe discussion was closed by Mr.. Field of
n. X, who expressed deep regret that the day
nau Deen consumed in an attempt to rectify a
mistake OF the President of the Senate, an eyre.
gious mistake. which the dignity and self-re.
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 anv value
All he knew was that question had arisen re-
speeding it, which the President of the Senate
had assumed to decide for himself. Mr.. Field
closed with strong appeal for opening the AL
drich certificate by the President of the Senate.
The House then proceeded to vote on the re-
solution and the various amendments, the first
vote being on the amendment by Mr. Knott, re-
auiring the package to be opened and declaring
that the House will not meet the Senate in
joint convention until it was opened. The ex.
element was intense as the vote proceeded, and
II appeared probable the resolution was going
70 oe adopted. Members talked gloOmily to
t;n another and agreed generally that revolu-
I Io1 was 10 be the result After all the names
nau ueen Called there was majority in favor
y. .ne resolution, but one by one the Demo-
crats VINO mad withheld their votes. presented
themselves and voted, most of them IN the neg
atlVe. Inc relief was palpable and satisfac-
ton took the place despair. The vote w.s f;naI-
ly announced, yeas 116 nays 14S. 10 AA"'-
Mr.. Hopkins OF Pennsylvania then Offered os
an amendment the same resolution inst reiaot 40
ed, except that it omitted the cause as to tba
count not being proceeded with, and it was de,
feated by exactly the same vote.
Mr.. Lane OF Oregon moved to reconsider the
vote.
Point of order was raised that under the ONE
ration of the previous question such motion
was not in order, but the Speaker, while ex-
DreSan Hnn m thp uhiaat dol