The Portland daily press., 1877-01-26
The Bill before the House,

Resolution directing the Secretary of the
Treasury to report as to the feasIb ilty OF pro
vidIng that the metric system of weights and
measures be exclusively used in assessment OF
duties IN the custom serv ice, was adopted.
Mr.. Payne moved to go to the business on the
Speakers table in order to refer the bill of the
joint committee which had come from the Sen.
ate. to the committee on counting the electoral
votes.
The House decided to continue the debate
through tonight and then adjourn to 10 tomor-
row, speeches to be limited during the last fouI
hours to ten minutes.
Bill was then referred to committee on cleo
tora votes, and was Immediately reported back
by Mr.. Payne, chairman. After the reading of
the bill Mr. Payne stated thas the bill as pass
ed by the Senate was precisely the bill reported
from the committee in the first place. He en-
tered motion to recOmmit the bill in order to
prevent amendments being offered to the bill.
The Speaker ruled that no amendments are
in order on the compromise bill, since rnani-
nous consent was given TIC the arrangement for
the vote unless the previous question shall be
voted down tomorrow. As majority is not
likely to be obtained to defeat the motion for
the previous question, the passage OF the bill
tomorrow at 4 O'Clock, without amendments,
seems absolutely assured.
Mr.. McCrary, a member of the Joint COM
mittee, opened the debate.
be submitted that that statesman was false
20 his duty, that that man did not come up to
the exlgencies of the OCCASION who would stop
short 10 the most earnest endeay0r to provide
some lawful mode for the decision of the ques-
tion by tribunal whose authority nobody could
question, and in whose decision all men would
acquiesce. There could be no greater danger
that which grew out of fact like this, that on
one side of the question there were some 90
100000 people who honestly believed that Gov
Hayes had been elected, and who honestly be-
lieved that in the absence of any legislation on
the subject il was the duty of the Vice Presi-
dent to count the votes, and on the other side
there were some 100000 people who as hon
estly believed that Gov. Tilden had been elect
ed and thai the President of the Senate had no
authority to count the votes, and that no vote
could be counted except with the consent of
both Houses. If Congress failed to pass the
bill aud provide tribunal to settle this differ
ence of opinion, the country would drift upon a
rock where the ship of State might be broken
to pieces.
In answer to the objection that the bill was
not constitutional, he quoted from the bills re-
ported to the House in 1900 by John Marshall
and in 1924 by Mr.. Webster of Massachusetts,
which contained almost the same provisions
as the present bill. He thought the bill was
constitutional, and he would with his voice and
vote aid its passage.
Mr.. Hunton of Virginia, advocated the meas
ure. He spoke of Presidential elections as dan
gerous periods in the history of the country and
as more likely than any other cause to wreck
the ship OF state. From at least four states in
the Union two sets of electoral votes would be
presented for counting. That was the grave
question which was to be met not in partizan-
ship but in craftsmanship. He himself SUBJ
scribed earnestly and heartily to the doctrine
that the power to count the electoral votes be-
longed to the two Houses of Congress and not
to the President of the Senate, but the opposite
doctrine was held by one of the great parties of
the country. As neither party was willing to
yield It's convictions on that point, the time had
arrived when Congress should rise above parti
Fan feeling and adopt mode of settlement
that would tide over the difficulties. He be-
lieved that unless some such plan as this bill
was adopted, no earthly power could prevent
war, confusion and disruption of the govern
ment and an end of Republican institutions IN
America. 1t was therefore, a solemn duty on
the part of Congress to bring about peaceful
solution of the difficulty and tide over this
doubtful period of history.
MIR. GOode of Virginia, said the members of
the concurrent committee which had reported
this bill were eminently entitled to the thanks
of Congress and of the country for their pa
tient, self-sscrIticing and patriotic labors, and
he had no hesitancy in declaring that he was
prepared TO accept his share of the responsible
ty aud to accord to the plan propo ed his ear
nest and cordial support. He was convinced,
and he was strengthened in that conviction by
the debate IN the Senate, that 1t was the earnest
wish OF portion of the Republican leaders
Tor counting the electotal vote. Ii this plan
was rejected none would be- agreed upon, and
when the two Houses came together to count