The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-01-22
.1he .Iat.est from 3, ixyaslllngto,nl. 81.

I ,.rref TnG s1kaI8SL 1fCdn iStA1hAuB 4Uus - !
THE ELECTORAL. BILL IN THE SENATE SEMI
ToREpMUNDsf ssPEECH--A PETITION FOE THE
REMOVAL OF DR. cURRY's POLITICAL DIsA..
BILlT1Es-HOw, RADICAL APFIbAYITs wERE
PRoCURED IN NEW 0RLRAN5-WoRk or THE
COMPASSIONATE MNITTEEs-E0AIN MUTATIONS
-oTHEg WASHINGTON ITEMS.
| TFrom our Regular Correspondent {
WASHINGTON, january 20.-The electoral
| billswas taken up in the Senate to-day and
| NIL its important provisions ex plainea by
Senator Edmunds. His speech was delivered
In d calm and deliberate manner, and r.. 4
spiritoi absolute fcess.rness that prepared the
minds OF mis- auditors to receive
more sseadily his argument in support
tot the constitutionallty of the. bill,
and against the right Of the president
Of the Senate to. count the electoral votes.
He said the tribunal to be established must
decide all questions submitted to it upon the
law as it stood when theHelecti0n was held,
and in no way takes. away existing rights
andpowers. It must determine: whatever
constitutional voice any.s State may. have
uttered on the first W Wednesday, OF last De-
cember! in the election FOR President and
Viee-President, and in-;doing SO may take
into consideration any evidentethat the law
as it was on that date authorized II it was
lawful .s:to go behind the certificates y,
then, this tribunal may. 1t must decide
| what is a constitutional vote of a State;
and this question embraces all others
at issue. II the right Of candidate for the
presidency to contest the seat Of the actual
President exists now, that right wilf're-
main. If the president of the Senate has
the right to count the votes, the decision OF
the tribunal as to- what lawful votes OF
States have been cast will but enable him
the better to perform his duty. Nothing
can take from the House the right to elect a
President if it should be ascertained there
has been no election by the people. These
and all difficulties that may arise must be
settled by some tribunal, and the Constitu-
ton has given Congress the power to fix by
statute the mode Of solving them.
Mr.. Edmunds denied the power Of the
president of the Senate to count the votes.
He said it staggers human eredulity that If
the makers of the Constitution, who were
SO careful and exact in preparing that in
strument, had intended to make the presi-
dent o! the Senate judge in the most deli
omitted to insert the few simple words
which would have made that intention
clear. And it was his emphatic belief that
no Vice-President ever did count the vote,
in the arithmetical sense, from the 'founda.
ton OF the Government to this time.
The bill will be again discussed in the
Senate on Monday, and probably in the
House on Tuesday. Senators Of both par
ties held conferences on the bill this MORN
ing, at which the measure was explained
and some debate took place. In the Senate
the strongest, il not all, opposition will
come from the Republican side. But in the
House it has bitter opponents on both sides.
Senator Johnston has presented in the
Senate petition from Rev. J. L.. M. Curry
for the removal OF his political disabilities.
Senator Withers replied to-day to Nor
toms speech on the use OF troops at Peters,
burg during the election. #.
Dir. Payne, chairman OF the House part
of the joint committee, will call up the electo-
raj bill on Tuesday, and will allow two days'
debate before adjournment. On Wednes-
day he will call the previous question, so as
to cut off amen dments and force vote on
Thursday after an hours debate.
Associated Press Reports by telegraph to sie DIG
patch.
WASHINGTON, January 20.-The PIesi-
dent has nominated Miss Louisa 4. John
son as postmaster at Griffin, Ga. and Ben
iamin Fl. Lanier as collector Of the Second
district OF Louisiana.
Before the House Committee, on Powers
and Privileges to-day Asmer 3. Roberts,
New York, exhibited two certificates Of de-
| ISI6-one for $4,000 and one for $4,000.
They were made payable to Chanaler,s or
der, and when returned bore the endorse
ment, "AIajor S. e. Packard and James L.
| Aver Could not state how the transac.
lions were made public. Two letters to
| Chandler were exhibited, one signed j. B.
Stockton, dated New Orleans, November
18th, to the effect thatif steps were taken
Immediately affidaYits Of ten. or twelve
thousand Republican voters showing that
they were debarred OF the exercise of the
ballot by violence end intimidation could
be procured. The writer was the chief
deputy of Marshal Pitkin. -.
Ex-Governor Wells, of the Louisiana Re
turning Board, was examined at some
length. His testimony was about OF the
same effect as that given at New Orleans.
| The witness said he had not sent for the re-
cords Of the Returning Board. !.
Senator Morton this morning received
the following telegram, dated indianapolis
last night: :. 'I..:..@ ,iA = =
!" At caucus of the Republican members
of the Legislature tonight your course in
withholding your consent from the compro-
mise plan was unanimously approved. The
opposition to it was decided and earnest.
Speaker OYerrneyer presided. rc-,.1.:,I.c-
! 49, "E. W. HALFoRD, Secretary" !.
The Senator has thus far received nearly
fifty. letters from prominent gentlemen
throughout the country endorsing his
course on the electoral bill. This morning
he received about twenty letters Of the
same character, many Of them being from
New i ork. "t&. .js z
Senator Morton has also received the fol-
lowing dispatches:
INDIANAPOLIS, January 1S.-The prevailing
sentiment among leading naen is (" Hold the
4 F'ort; ~ that the compromise plan is grave
mistake; and that it is unfair to Hayes and
! favorable to, Tilden. Your position is gen.
orally endorsed by our best Republicans.
! NEW YORK, January 1S.-H the present
4 agreement for the electoral vote is decided
Il q -rIoua,-7Yvilr lose and Ehe Republican