Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-02-10


who had been elected, they would
represent very feeble scattered and !
dislocated Union. Look at them on
the map. First three New England
States only, for Maine and Vermont
did not yet exist and Rhode Island re-
fused to join. Then a great gap in the
place of New York, which as yet had
taken no steps towards joining the or
ganization, though the Congress was
meeting in its own chief city-then the.
Middle States, New Jersey, Pennsylva-
mia, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia,
then another great gap; for North
Carolina cut off the two Southern
States of South Carolina and Georgia
from the Middle States and the whole
ten containing a smaller population
than now inhabits the State of New
York alone.
But it must have Fbeen a question
with them whether the rest, or at
least quorum of them, would arrive
at all. So fiereely had the question
been controverted of accepting the
new Constitution in many of the States,
so slow was communication between
States so scattered, with no railroads
or even steamships to facilitate it that
all sorts of conjectures and forebod-
ings must have weighed on the minds
of the seven Senators as to their new
Union ever going into operation.
At last, on the nineteenth, Senator
from New Jersey arrived, and on the
2lst and 18th one from Delaware and
another from Jersey. Itwas now over
three weeks since the appointed day of
meeting and the number was still one
short of quorum, and it had to re-
main so over a week longer.
On the 9th of April, joyful tidings,
after five weeks of waiting Richard
Henry Lee having travelled in State all
the way from his home in Westmore-
land county, Virginia, in his slow lum-
bering old family carriage and six, ar
rives in New York and completes the
quorum.
The Legislature can organize at any
rate, the House of Representatives
having received its quorum by April
10th. Their quota on March the 4th had
been only four from Massachusetts,,
three from Connecticut, four from
Pennsylvania, and one each from Vir-
GINA and South Carolina-thirteen in
all.
An anomaly had already arisen
from the non-existence of Senate
which every one was anxious to cor
rect. Tie Constitution (as it does
now provided that the electoral votes
should, Immediately after the colleges
had met and cast them, be forwarded
to the Vice President, or, if there be
no Vice President, to the President of
the Senate. But. at that time, there
was no such Office. No Senate yet
existed, and consequently no President
of the Senate could be elected. The
certificates were therefore sent to some
officer Secretary of the State we be-
lieve) holding office under the old con-
federation, who took charge Of them
till there was President of the SEN
ate to whom he could transfer them.
The quorum being completed then,
the Senate lost no time in electing a
President; John Langdon, of New
Hampshire, being the man. 1t was
then
Ordered That Mr.. Ellsworth inform the
House OF Representatives that uorum oil
the Senate is formed; that President Is
elected for the sole purpose deepening the
certificates, and counting the votes of the
electors of the several States in the choice
of a President and Vice President of the
United States and that the Senate is now
ready, in the Senate Chamber, to proceed,
in the presence of the House, to discharge
that duty; and that the Senate have APP
pointed one of their members to sit at the
Clerk S table to make list of the votes as
they shall be declared; submitting it to the
wisdom of the House to appoint one or
more of their members for the like pur-
pose.
Immediately upon the receipt of this
message. the following resolution was
moved and carried in the House of
Representatives
Resolved, That Mr.. Speaker, attended by
the House, do now withdraw TO the Senate
Chamber, for the purpose expressed in the
message from the Senate; and that Mr..
Parker and Mr.. Hester be appointed, on
the part of this House, to sit at the Clerk $
table with the members of the Senate, and
make a list of the votes as the same shall
be declared.
On their arrival in the Senate
House, the President of the Senate
opened and counted the votes of the
electors for President and Vice-Presi-
dent of the United States which were
as follows:
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