The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1877-01-26
THE COMPROMISE JUGGLE
Flip 4 CDPPER" AND DONE
WITH IT.

ses of Congress. Compromises are usu
ally temporising expedients which cure
notl lug, settle pothins, but merely cen
. sent that a thing shall be without rs
tablishing its righteousness, or chang
ing the convictions of those who lnak'
it, in regard to the rights involved
The proposed compromise is the We
ry weakest and wickedest, because the
most mischievous, of any that has ev-'
been resorted to bridge a difficulty OIL
deludt a people
First, because it is an admission the
the Constitution is a creature. of Con
gress, and may be tampered with al
will, or be set aside at pleasure, when
ever one party or the other sees tit to
raise a disturbance b-cause it has not
legally obtained control of the General
Government.
Second. because, if Congress can sci
aside, at will, one provision of the Con
sritution, 1t can, at will, set aside any
other provision, or the entire Constitu
ton. And instead of having govern
rnent of stability, we will have one like
Reuben, ''un table as wafer, thou shall
not excel" and for the same reason
begotten by the constitution. by it will
the constitution be defiled, should Con
,r IS adopt the bill reported.
Third because it is a direct, fragrant
and uIjustifiable rio'GtiOn of tile Con
stitution, inasmuch as it practically
amends or sets aside portion of it con
trary TO the provisions of Article v,
which says:
Congress, aOheneUer t1Cp thirds of
both Houses shall deem il necessary.
shall propose amendments; or on tile
application of the r. islarurss of rwo
thirds of the several State. shall cali q
ConcentiOn for proposing appointments
which. in eth q case, shall be valid to
all inteuts aud purposes. as part OF tile
Constitution. when ratified 10y the Leg
i-latures of three fouri hs of the several
Stat, S, or 10y Conventions in three
fourths thereof. as the one or the other
mode of IA iiicatiOn may be proposed
by the Congress.
Fourth. because it is a violation of the
lett. r. spirit and intent of the second
clause of scion one Article ii of the
Constitution, which decl res that
No Senator or Representative. or
person holding Office of trust or profit.
uuner the United States, shall be ap
pointed au Elecior."
1t appoints both Senators and Rep
resentatives to perform duties essen
tally the same asthose of the Elector
They are, by the clause quoted, estop
ped from being electors aad as such vo.
ting for President, because they are
Srnators and Representatives; yer, b!
this compromise proposition, they are
constituted Board to judge returns
which, by their Offices, they are disqual-
iaed from having anything to do with
m liking. There is only one provision
zee Art. XII. which permits them to
vote or judge the matter,--in case of a
failure on the part of the people to
elect, when the House. as the Represeu-
tative of tue People votes for and elects
the President; and the Senate votes
for and elects the Vice President as its
presiding officer. They act separately
not together. No provision is made for
rhe two Houses acting together in this
matter, either as whole or parts of ii
whole. This same clause eff-ctually
puts a quietus u,,on the claim that the
Congress shall count the votes. How
absurd is the proposition that they may
do collectively what they are disquallifi
I'd from doing indioiduaHe. Even in
the case of failure to elect, they do not
DO this, but decide the matter by a di-
rect vote by States.
But the worst feature of ihe propo
.ition is that it destroys tue reverence
and respect so far maintained for the
Constitution because of a belief in it,
and establishes a prece
dent dangerous alike TO the government
aud the people. Itconstitutes Congress
a power above the Constitution instead
If under it. Aud instead of Corgr-ss |
the servant OF the people. !
it will become. by the adoption of this
compromise, the peoples master. 1t is
:. wicke6ness EEich tue choice of rith- |
er eau iidate for President will not !
atone. II is the box of Pandora. Open I
il not. +
THE FOLLY OF IT.
And what does the act accomplish in
the way of settling the difficnltyl Moth
ingl Absolutely nothingl The most
that can be said of it is that il IS n game
of chance-a lottery game wherein
one man, after all SetI-S the disputed
points. not a. a judge of their validity,
but as a par;izan aiming at triumph OH
a political commission. There is no Dc
ng ing this The result will depend up
on the political complexion of the If I
,eenM man. Why then violate the Con
,titution SO h4grantly, in order to max
one man outside the scope established
Oy the Constitution, the arbiter in this
matter, instead of permitting the officer
detailed by theConstitation 20 the dury
lnd Dound by his oath OF Office to open
the certificate bearing legal proof of
his constitutional prerogative?
How much better qualified Is or can the
man be than the President Of
he Senate, &c Judge of the law aud the
faets relating 60 the issrter7 The Cou-i
makes the latter tile Judge
and there is no juggle about it. There's
Is no chance selection in il, but it Is a
safe rule, established and recognized as
sicil in safety sincs the. formation of
the government. Stripped of all YER