Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1877-01-20
LETTER FROM WASHINGTON.
WAsnINeTeN, d. c.,
Ian 18th. 1877.

position yet made to possible solution
of the electoral question: give below
the substance of a plan said to have
been agreed upon by the Senate Com
mittee: When only one Set Of returns
comes from a State, as from Iowa or
Georgia, the negative of both houses Is
required to reject the vote. When two
! sets come, as from Oregon and Louisl-
ana, five Senators and five Representa-
tives shall be appointed /; from these ten
one shall be dropped by lot, and the re.
naming nine, with the four judges OF
longest service in the Supreme Court,
shall form Commission aud shall final.
ly decide all disputes as to the votes OF
all contested States.
This plan has the unexpected element
of fairness in it that it eliminates from
the board of arbitration all the Judges
appointed by Grant and who might,
therefore, be swayed by him. 1t is in
that respect preferable to any other pro-
position which has connected members
of the Court with the settlement OF the
question. 1t retains Judge Miller, to be
sure, who is said to have announced
himself as believing Hays elected but
it also retains Judge Clifford, pro
nounced Democrat. and Judge David
Davis. much spoken Of for eight years
as an anti-Republican candidate tor the
Presidency. 1t is to be hoped, If this
plan is adopted, that Judge Davis will
not be Withdrawn from the bench by
election to the Senate from Illinois. 1t
is noticeable that in this first formal pro-
position the Republicans abandon the
absurd pretense that partizan presiding
officer of the Senate-in this case not
the Vice President-has power to de-
eide any question connected with the
count. One report says Senator Nor
ton consented to the report reluctantly,
and another that he repadiates it entire
". The indications now are not favor
able to its acceptance by the Democra-
cy.
The Senate and House Committees
on the subject meet together to-day, land
it is understood if they fail 10 agree they
will at once report that fact to their re.
spective Houses.
If the committee on elections and
privileges of the House were not the
most reticent of committees, should
send the details Of their examination of
Secretary Chandler on Saturday. lie
was examined az to the kilograms sent
by him to Louisiana and Florida imme
diately after the election. He will be
further examined to day, 1t is said the
result of Saturdays questioning was such
that the old political libertine blushed,
hesitated, stammered, and finally asked
for time. He will be pnt TO further con-
fusion today, probably 1t is said that
the committee has in its possession papers
that will drive him from the Cabinet
He ought never to have been in it, any
way, and could not have been put there
by any means except Grant.
By the way, do they ever tell in your
ighborhood how the intimacy between
these two men commenced The story
runs thss: When President johnson
made his circular whirl through the
northwest Grant accompanied him, but
for State reasons (Which need not be
stately left the party and found himself
one night at Chambers house in De-
troit. The two sat over their cups till
sense of propriety or inebriety, or what
ever else it was, along in the small hours
of the morning, induced the General OF
the army to decline any more drink
Then Chandler ordered,in two punches
of extra strength, and the TWO states
men argued the question. Argument
failing, Chandler drank his own punch,
threw the other in the Generals face and
Immediately tumbled Under the table.
Dating from that time they have been
fast friends and cronies., This is story
more or less believed here, and told by
those who claim to have It from the
highest authority.
A wedding, rather odd in some re-
spects, is unofficially announced. The
parties most interested are the war Sec.
rotary, Cameron, and daughter of
Judge Black, of Pennsylvania. This is
a union which should be fastened in the
hope that the daughter of our greatest
constitutional lawyer may correct some
of the rash and revolutionary theories of
the Secretary as to republican form OF
government.
Rumors that the wife of President
Grant was not in sympathy with him in
his efforts to assist the Inauguration OF
Hayes are confirmed by developments
in Louisiana. The Presidents course in
not recognizing Packard, when he knew
that without such support the State will
fall into the hands OF Nichols, is signifi-
cant. If Nichols becomes the recogniz-
ed Governor, so the Democratic Legisla'
ture will be recognized. So, it is said,
Mrs Grants brother, Casey, will be
elected Senator from louisa ma. II
seems to be thought that the people of
Louisiana will take Casey as Senator,
rather than have the President send his
soldiers there to take possession of the
State. ...-