St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-01-26
The Compromise Bill.
WHAT THEY SAY OF IT.

WHAT THEY SAY OF 1T.
By the compromise plan, the demo
Gratis advance from sure failure to pos
sible success, and the republicans yield
sure success for possible failure. We
support the plan, but nevertheless tina
is the long and short of it.-ALbdRl
Journal.
A prominent gentleman of this city
suggests happier way out of the sup
posed presidential complication THAI
that submitted by the joint committee
1t is that the Hon. John Morrissey anC
the Hon. Robert G.. Schenck decide by
grand game at poker who shall be
President. This is a shorter way than
that of the committee, and quite as
cOnstitutiOnal.-COn N. H., MOni-
tor.
Ii the supreme court are to have any
thing to do with the matter, let it be as
a court, not political returning board.
If, after the vote has been counted and
the result declared, Mr.. Tilden feels
himself aggrieved, let him be permitted
to bring his grievance judicialIy before
that court and test the legality of the
election. 1t is as easy to provide for
such IA proceeding as for the hodge
pOdge that is now submitted, and it
would command far more respect
Chicago Inter Ocean.
E. w. Stoughton, the well known con-
stitutional lawyer of New York, writes
a letter reviewing The electorl bill at
some length, and declares that, in his
opinion, it would be better that neither
candidate should be declared elected
than to have ''this puttering with the
constitution for temporary expedients -
Mr.. StOughtOn suggests as a better way
of settling the difficulty that the Presf-
dent of the Senate be allowed to count
the votes, and Gov. Tilden, if Gov.
HAYES should be declared elected, seek
his redress through the courts.
Give us Tilden for President under
any plan which leaves us the ballot and
the constitution, rather than Hayes on
the ruins OF the constitution and with
the domination of Venetian council.
Utica Herald
1t does not follow that republicans
who do not favor the Congressional
compromise have doubts of the legal
and equitable strength of their case,
any more than it follows that any man
who declines to submit to an arbitra-
ton his right to his own property, must
doubt his Burlington Free Press.
The bill is likely to pass and we would
not add one mite i'll opposition, but will
say with the old Greek that "we fear it
whatever it be-" 1t may be the salvation
of the country. 1t may be the "wooden
horse" We prefer not to believe our
present constitution rope of sand. and
that it would be "better to bear the ills
we have than fly to others we know not
OF. Fitchburg Sentinel
The electoral count bill calls for the
services of five of the nine Judges of
the supreme court, leaving out four,
and provides that the questions to be
decided by this tribunal may be litigat-
ed III court. The law requires at least
six judges to form quorum of the su-
preme court, before which such case
must be brought, so that with a full
bench, IN such case, "a majority would |
have already committed themselves in
an outside proceeding, while it would
De impossible to make up court with |
out taking in at least two who had dis |
qualified themselves What right has |
congress to call the judges off the |
oench and force them to commit them
serves on cases that may come before |
hem in court ?-Har1ord Post.
The plan proposed at Washington for
counting the electoral vote, and now
stated to have been adopted by the
ONT committee, is revolutionary and
York Tribune.
The plan is merely device to stave
III the settlement of questions which
AN and ought to be decided at once.
md 1t renders possible the occurrence
II presidential interreguum which
would neither be creditable nor profit
Lole TO the cOuntry.-NelU York Times.
We think the plan of the joint COM
nlttee will commend itself to the peo-
lie as proposition by which fair and
honorable solution of the question may
Ne arrived at and they will hold those
esponsIble for the injury which NAV
esult from continued agitation of the
n3Ject who, by their votes or influence.
lefeat it.-BOSton Journal.
1t is not perfect scheme. but it is
'etter than civil war; better than tbe
lexIcan plan of duplicate governments.
'etter than prOlongation of the strife
nj acceptable not only as determining
ne presidential election, but as settling
he threatened violence in Louisiana
nd South Carolina.-Ch Chicago Tribune.
The journal believes it to be weak
nd faulty in some important respects.
ut, If adopted by Congress, it shall re-
eve our hearty support, as furnishing
ne OASIS OF peaceable and conclusive
termination of the pending contro-
ersy, forced upon the country by the
evolutionary course of the democratic
arty.-I Indianapolis journal.
The more we reflect on the subject
ne more firm our conviction becomes
nat If a tribunal is needed to determine
ne validity of contrasting electoral GER
ficates, in an extra constitutional wav.
should be the supreme court i'm its :
unhampered by congressional !
preference. 1t is certainly very OBJ :
'ctionable to select a portion of the /
lstlces for such duty, making their !
e ayowedly depend on par t
san conslderations.-Troy Times. .