Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-09-01
ELECTORAL COUNTS.
JeffersOn's Proposed Method OF
Settling Disputed Electoral
Votes

Votes.
Miss Sarah Nicholas Randolph, q
great-grand-daughter of Thomas
Jefferson, living in Virginia, sends
to the New York World, Mr.. JEFF
ferson's memorandum of practical
suggestions towards bill to regu-
late disputed counts of the electo-
raj vote. In the letter inclosing
the document, Miss Randolph says:
"It is, as you will see, unsigned,
and undated, but the handwriting
is too Enthusiastically Mr.. Jefferson's
for its authenticity to be for an in
slant doubted. The original was
discovered last April among some
papers of Gov. Wilson Cary Mich
olas, of Virginia, who was Mr.. JEFF
ferson's intimate friend, and his
mouthpiece in Congress. Its inter-
est would have been doubled had it
come to light two months sooner,
when it might have sounded, amid
the din of angry faction, as voice
from the dead. 1t is little strange
that, while the nation was con-
vulsed and its leading men coufoun-
ded by the danger which threat
ened, there should have been slum-
bering in the archives of a private
family a paper whose prophetic
words and wise counsels should have
commanded therespect, even though
not the consent, of the bitterest of
partisans."
The document itself is as follows:
Whereas, on an election of Presi-
dent or Vice President of the Uni
ted States questions may arise
whether an Elector has been APP
pointed in such manner as the Leg
islature of his State may have de
rected Whether the time at which
he was chosen, and the day on which
he gave his vote, were those deter
mined by Congress ? Whether he
were not at the time a Senator or
Representative of the United States
or held an office of trust or profit un-
der the United States? Whether
one, at least, of the persons he has
voted for is an inhabitant of State
other than his own? Whether the
Electors voted by ballot, and have
signed, certified, and transmitted to
the President of the Senate n list Of
all the persons voted for, and of the
number of votes for each? Wheth- |
er the persons voted for are natural !
born citizens, or were citizens of the |
United States at the time of the |
adoption of the Constitution, were |
35 years old, and had been fourteen |
years resident within the United
States?
And the Constitution of the Uni
ted States having directed that "the |
President of the Senate shall, i'm the |
presence of the Senate and House OF |
Representatives, open all the certiti- !
Gates, and that the votes shall then |
be counted :" from which is most |
reasonably inferred that they are to |
be counted by the members compo-
sing the said houses and brought |
there for that office, no other being |
assigned them, and inferred the more |
reasonably, as thereby the constitu- |
tional weight of each State in the |
election of those high offices is eX-
acrly preserved in the tribunal |
which is to judge of its validity, the |
number of Senators and Represent |
atives from each State composing |
the said tribunal being exactly that |
of the Electors of the same State.
BE it further enacted, etc. (Here |
insert the former clause.)
Provides that the certificate of the !
Executive of any State shall be con-
elusive evidence that the requisite |
number of votes has been given for |
each ElectOr named by him as such.
(Here add all other limitations on |
the preceding questions which may |
be thought proper, stating what the |
two houses shall not decide.)
And be it further enacted, that |
whensoever the vote of one or more
of the Electors of any State shall for
any cause whatever be adjudged in
valid, it shall be lawful for the Sen
atOrs and Representatives of the said |
State, either in the presence of the
two houses, or separately and with
drawn from them, to decide by their |
own votes to which of the persons |
voted for by any Of the Electors of
their State (or to what persOn) the
valid vote or votes shall be given;
for which purpose they shall be al
lowed the term of one hour and no
longer, during which no other GER
titiCate shall be opened or proceeded
on.