The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1877-01-26
SOLUTION OF THE POLITICAL PROBLEM.

Light is gradually breaking through the
-, clouds of the political sky. A bill has been
reported by the joint committee of the Senate
ga and Hous,, providing for the counting of
q the electoral vote, and the report was signed
=. hy allthe members but Morton. In present.
ii ing the bill Judge Edmunds, chairman said;
a. / am directed, Mr. President by the select
81, committee raised under the resolution OF the
> Senate on the subject of the counting of The
., electoral vote, to submit report in writing
.a.with an accompanying bill. The report is
signed, am happy to say, by all the mem.
,- bers of both committees, it beiig Z report in
. form joint and several to tie tive house,
swith one exception. All that ! wish To ~
g.. on this occasion, after stating thar We -lDll
desire to take itup at TIE earliest possible
(. day as time is running very fast, possibly
i. and | hope indeed, on Saturday, the day
after tomorrow, but certainly on Monda!
to press it to determination in some form
D. steadily from that time forth--I only wish
,e to say in addition that the committee, are of
-. opinion that the measure we recommend is
4. not what is called a compromise in any sense
Of the term, but a measure of justice in aid
=. of the exercise of constitutional government
and that in no sense of the term will any
body have just right to say that anybody's
opinions or views have been surrendered in
any substantially 1t is not measure OF
policy or contrivance, but q measure of con-
''sstiutional Justice for the the preservation Of
the peace and order of the Government.
! "ss We give a short synopsis of the pro7isions
: of the measure. The Senate and House OF
> Representatives are to meet on the first
e Thursday in February, with the President OF
~ theSenate presiding. Each body shall ap.
''"pout two telers, to whom all papers shall
u be handed after being opened by the chair
~ man. the tcllers making list of votes rs
they appear from the certificates. Upon
- reading of each certificate or paper, when
s-tnerc is only one return from a state, OBJ.
. jections may be made in writing These OBJ
. jections shall be submitted to each body
Z" separately and no electoral votes from which
'-F' but one return has been received shall be
~ rejected except by the affirmative vote of the
3 two Houses.
REGARDING THE CONTESTED STATES.
Sec. 2. That if more than one return or
paper purporting to be return from the
State shall have been received by the Presi-
dent Of the Senate purporting to be the GER
'tifcates of electoral votes given at the last
preceding election for President and Vice
President in such State unless they shall be
duplicates of the same return,) all such re-
turns and papers shall be opened by him in
the presence of the two houses when met as
- aforesaid and read by the tellers, and all
such returns and papers shall thereupon be
. submitted to the judgment and decision as
q 70 which is the true andlawiul electoral vote
~ of such State, of a commission constituted
- as follows, namely: During the session of
-a each house on the Tuesday next preceding
the first Thursday in February, 1877, each
house shall by viva voce vote appoint five of
its members, who, with the five Associate
Justices of theSupreme Court of the United
States, shall constitute a commission for the
b: decision of all questions upon or in respect
p, Of such double returns named in this section.
The balance of the bill relates to the ac-
ton Of the joint commission and minor de-
tails.
President Grant is reported as having said
that be would sign the bill if it passed. In
discussing Southern affairs he said that mo
fair-minded man who could look into the
proceedings in South Carolina and Florida
wOud decide otherwise than that those States
cast their votes for Hayes, but that he was
not SO sure about Louisiana and that he had
grave doubts whether the action of the Re.
turning Board could be sustained
,r The business men of the country are en-
dorsing the bill everywhere, and the press
generally applauds it. Morton and few of
thatiilk are.atraid of it,as fair investigation
will result in the announcement of Tildens
election and a Democratic administration
may hurt their chances of returning to the
U. S. Senate.