Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-01-24
CONGRESSIONAL


CONGRESSIONAL
Second aession-44th Congress
HOUSE.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 20.
The report of the committee on the
privileges and powers of the House,
ETC., was again taken up. Wills
spoke at length.
The subject was then postponed,
and the House went into Committee
of the Whole on the Indian Appro-
priation bill.
Payne said he would call up the
bill reported from the Electoral COM
mittee on Tuesday next, and on
Wednesday evening call the previous
question.
SENATE.
During the morning hour the Pres
ident's message on the occupation of
Petersburg,was discussed by Withers,
Morton and others.
After the morning hour, on motion
of Edmunds, the compromise electo-
raj bill was taken up.
Sherman submitted a resolution in
structing the Sergeant-at-Arms to ar.
rest without orders anybody who by
applausel or dissent in the gallery
shall interrupt the order of the Sem
ate. Laid over by request of Thur
man.
Morton presented the credentials of
Kellogg as Senator from Louisiana.
Read and laid on the table. They are
signed by Governor Packard.
Dorsey submitted o resolution d.
recting the Committee on Indian
Affairs to investigate whether any
portion of the school fund of the
Five Tribes, in the Indian Territory,
has been missapplied, and whether
these tribes have incurred any debts
and what legislation is necessary on
the subject.
Edmundsspoke of the close eldc ion
and argued that any result reached
through calm, orderly administration
Of law would be most desirable and
beneficent, an act worthy of the re-
public. A failure to accomplish such
satisfactory adjustment would cause
our posterity to feel that congress
had failed in the performance Of q
great duty. The committee had laid
aside partisan feeling and solcmnly
united in reporting the bill as a just
one. He explained at great length
the provisions of the bill.
Edmunds argued that the bill wal
constitutional and denied that the
constitution gave the president of the
senate the right to count the electo.
raj vote.
The senate then held short exec
utive session and adjourned till Mon
day.
SENATE.
WASHINGTON, Jan. %.
Merrimon opposed sending away
Senate Investigating Committees
Recently one state was without {
representation in Congress and l;
with only half representation OF
account OF the absence Of these com.
mittees. He believed a commission
appointed for the purpose could tax.
all the testimony. He introduced {
bill for the appointment of such {
commission which should take testi
mony, collect information for the use
of Congress. Also resolution de.
claring that the Senate has not law
full authority to charge the Senate
committees with duties to be per
formed away from the Capitol Will,
the Senate is in session. Both were
referred.
The Chair presented a resolution
of the Chicago Board of Trade OF
the electoral count.
Consideration was resumed of tn,
bill in regard to counting the elector
al vote and Morton took the floor
He said the bill was the product o
the Mississippi plan. The shadow o
intimidation had fallen upon III,
Senate chamber. He believed Ruth
erford B. Hayes had been elected
President of the United States, under
the forms of law and according t,
law and should be counted in as Il
other Presidents had been, he woult
be inaugurated and there would b,
no revolution.
1 There have been many loose opin
ions expressed because of first i'm
pressions, without examination, OF
this question. have done so myself
have the bad habit of saying wha
1 think at the time, but endeavor t,
atone for it by readily correcting
when find l was mistaken. ] an
no admirer of political reticence, O
political owls, who keep silent an,
look wise until they think they ar
out of the woods, then give prolong
ed boot. l had supposed that al
agreed in the absence of Legislation
the president of the senate must coun
the vote. The president of the sen
ate did count the vote for ~ years.
Tellers are merely facility for max
ing calculations and keeping account
they count what the president hand
them down to count and handin,
them down the certificates to coun
was declaration of the vote. 1t con
continued from 1889 to 1861. TIL
resolutions appointing tellers provi
ded that they were to make q list o
the votes as they were declared
The counting of the votes wa
a ceremony to which the two House
: were witnesses. The Constitution
provides that the President of th
Senate shall in the presence of tn
two Houses, open all certificates, an
: the votes shall then be counted, and
no one candidate has q majority Q
all the electors appointed, the Hous
shall Immediately proceed to cleo
!. The process contemplated was a YER
simple one, simply to open the Ger
tificates and count the votes, but con
templated no time or place to tr
questions of eligibility, either Of tn
candidates or Of the electors. Whetl
err the electors were eligible was
matter left with the States. Unde
injunctions of the Constitution tn
handing down of the certificates b
the President OF the Senate was
!, declaration of the vote contained i
il. Very few republicans respect thi
bill. 1t will be taken by the republi
cans if taken at all as dose of casio
oil. Senator Edmunds burned hi
ships behind the bill when he denie,
the power of the President of tn
Senate to count the votes in alb
sence of legislation. He thus seem
ed to make it q necessity t
,, accept this bill. A member of Con
gress has announced that ten thou
sand men were to come here on tn
, 14th Of February, from Kentucky
alone. We hear the notes of prepar
alton everywhere, and Senator's tea
violence, SO that We dare not couu
the vote us we have for the first sew
enty-two years of our existence TIL
da' gers Of the present political si,ua
ton don't spring from violence, bu
from our weakness. The geologist
mention skulls and vertebratcs. w
ha Q vertebrateless skulls. If tn
) power to count the vote is in the tw
houses it can't be delegated to com
mission or court The counting
merely clerical, and any question re
quiring discretion can't be delegate,
to a commission. The conferenc
committees decision is binding onl
on being ratified by both houses
i But decisions of this commission