The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1877-02-01
KEN0sHA WISCONSIN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1871

was merely declaration that she had
i performed her duty" Hence, by 'an
almost unanimous vote the resolution
of Mr.. Sharp to admit and Mr. Taylors
j amendment mot to admit were indefi-
nitely postponed, and Indiana practi-
cally declared State i'll the Union.
The Senate took no action on the mat
j ter. When that body returned to the
] hall of the House the vote of Indiana
:. was counted, and the count concluded
and announced.
MISSOURI.
In the case of Missouri in 1921, the
| facts were: A heated and dangerous
/ political struggle between the sections
I growing out of the slavery question
had attended every step in her admis-
sion, even threatening the dissolution
of the Union. Consequently, the
whole country was i'll a state of the
4 greatest excitement-al parties sensi-
tive upon every question touching the
State. Finally, March 6, 1920 was
passed san act to authorize the people
i of the Missouri Territory to form
constitution and State government, and
for the admission of such State into the
Union on an equal footing with the
original States, and to prohibit slavery
!, in certain Territories" On JUL TO-,
1920 the people of the State met in con-
! vention, and framed a constitution in
pursuance of said act, They also sub
: sequently appointed electors who voted
in the electoral colleges. On December
~, 1920, the Senate adopted joint
, resolution declaring the admission of
: the State of Missouri into the Union"
, but on February IA, 1921. the House
rejected the Senate resolution. The
{ constitution Of the State was objected
: to on the ground that it did not fulfill
the conditions of the enabling act
. that it contained a clause repugnant to
the Constitution of the United States.
!, 1t was not until March 2, 1921, that a
| resolution was passed providing for
the admission of Missouri "on certain
!; condition" which Fundamental con-
dition" was ratified by the State "in a
solemn public act June 26, 1921, and
} on August 10, 1921, the President issued
his proclamation declaring the admis-
sion of Missouri complete according to
law.
Under the circumstances, and as a
means of avoiding all controversy at
the counting of the vote, as the vote OF
the State would make no difference in
the result of the count, Henry Clay, in
; the spirit Of the compromise which he
:, subsequently effected in the settlement
of the Missouri question, caused the
. adoption Of q joint resolution which
provided that, while counting the vote
of Missouri, the announcement Of the
; result of the whole vote should be in a
hypothetical form. But even that was
: assailed by the sagacious and brilliant
John Randolph, of Roanoke, in
philippe as severe as just. He arraign-
led the House for violation of the
! Constitution. "He could not consent to
this special verdict" ''He could not
recognize in that House or the other
House, singly or conformity, the power
to decide ON the votes Of any State.
Suppose you strike out Missouri and
insert South Carolina, which also had
a provision in it's constitution repug-
nant to the Constitution of the United
Estates, or Virginia, or Massachusetts,,
which had test he believed, in it's
constitutiOn--Was there any less power
to decide on their votes than On those
of Missouri? He maintained that the
electoral college was as independent of
I Congress as Congress of them; and we
have no right to Judge of their proceed
Iings." : : Suppose case in
which some gentleman of one House or
the other should choose to turn up his
4 - ofe, 4o4o
that if it be SO and SO such person is
elected, and if it be SO and SO What
''you-call-' EN- is elected, did not everybody |
see the absurdity of such PROPOSE |
ton" HE went back to
first principles Your
office in regard to the electoral vote is
merely ministerial; it is to count the
votes, and you undertoke to reject ,
votes TO what will this leads" x /
: : "What was the theory Of this
Constitution? It is that this House, |
except upon certain contingency, has |
nothing at all to do with the appoint |
ment of President and Vice President |
| of the United States, and when it does /
act, must act by States, and by States
only can it act on this subject, unless /
| it transcends the Constitution"
r IF you for the first time now
receive the votes of State, it will be
created into precedent, and that in
the lifetime of some of those who now
hear me, for the manufacture of Presi-
dents of this House"
Even after the votes had been count
ed and the result announced, hypotheti-
cally, as agreed upon, Mr.. Randolph
arranged the announcement as fraud S
upon the Constitution and an outrage /
upon the rights of the States; he intro Y
duced a resolution reciting, the facts, +
and declaIing the proceedings ''irregu- t
lar and illegal"
MICHIGAN.
In the case of Michigan, in 1887, the I
facts were: A long and violent con- I