The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1877-01-20

dons all idea of trouble, these valiant Ken
lucky democrats begin to threaten "stern.
" er methods" but if there was any danger
how very quiet they would be!
COUNTING THE ELECTORAL VOTE.
The country ie 20 be congratulated upon
the certainty, which now seems to be rta
sonabiy assured, that the result of the pres
idential election will be asceItained ant
declared without the possibility Of disturb
ance or. even, of a jar that this resul
will be reached without a resort to extreme
measures or the assumption of doubtful
powers; and that the expressed will of the
people, whatever it may have been, having
been legally and constItutionally ascertain.
ed and declared, will be generally an(
peaceably acquiesced in. The ''joint ant
" several committee of congress-consist
ing of Senator'S Elmunds, Frelinghuysen
Conkling and Morton, and Representative
Hear, McCrary and Willard republicans.
aud Senators Thurman, Bayard and Ran.
som, and Representatives Payne, Hunton.
Hewitt and Springer democrats-have
agreed, with Senator Morton alone oppos-
ing, upon a bill for counting the electoral
vote, which will, doubtless, pass congress
and thus do away with all the complica-
lions which at present exist relative to
counting the electoral vote.
The bill provides that on the Tuesday
preceding the first Thursday in February,
the senate and house shall respectively
elect five members, who with five justices
OF the supreme court shall constitute a til
bunal or commission TO which shall be re.
TERED all questions which may arise in the
count OF the electoral vote that the Judges
OF the first third, eighth and ninth circuits
Judges Clifford, Strong, Miller and Field
with one other of the justices of the su-
premc court, to be selected by the other
judges named, but who shall not be q resi-
dent of a state in which either of the cap-
didates for president or vice president re-
side, shall be the remaining member Of the
commission or tribunal and these fifteen
five senators, five representatives and
five judges-after being sworn to give
''true judgment" on all questions which
may be submitted to them 'according to
L" the law and evidence" are, in the langu-
age of the bill, CONSTITUTED a commission
"to hear and determine the cases in dis
/" pute."
The commission being constituted, the
two houses of congress are to meet in the
hall of the house of representatives, on the
first Thursday of February, the president
of the senate being the presiding officer F;
when, according to the constitution, the
president of the senate will open all the
certificates, and hand them to the tellers-
one to be appointed on the part of the sem
ate, aud two on the part of the house
who arc to read the same, make a list
thereof, and the result, as computed by
them, to be announced by the president of
the senate, and his announcement to be
held a sufi oient declaration of the persons
elected president and vice-president.
If objection is made to any vote, or there
be two or more certificates from a state,
the two houses shall separate, and their
concurrent vote, either for acceptance or
rejection, shall be final but in case of a
disagreement, the question is to be sub.
mitted to the commission of fifteen, and
their decision Is to be final and conclusive
unless both houses unite in overruling it
gn1 tbn vpfa 10 10 hn ppt,nta1 90 ,n.,ok,l
accordingly.
This is a very easy and simple solution
OF the whole matter. The letter, as well
as the spirit of the constitution, is strictly
followed. The president of the senate
opens the certificates in the presence of the
two houses of congress, and the votes are
then to be counted by congress. Congress
retains the whole matter of counting in its
own hands, but has provided for .the con-
tingency Of a disagreement between the
two houses, by agreeing, before hand, to
accept as final the decision of a tribunal
constituted by itself.
1t is to be noticed that there is nothing
in this bill inconsistent with the position
assumed by the republican members of the
house committee, appointed to inquire into
the "privileges, powers and duties" of the
house of representatives in counting the
electoral vote. They declared, it will be
remembered, that il was the power and
duty of the house, acting conformity with
the senate, 10 provide by law 'for fairly
" and truly ascertaining and properly
&" counting" the electoral vote, and that, in
the absence of all legislation, the duty Of
counting the vote would devolve upon the
president of the senate. We need not cay
that we cordially endorse this position, Tor
it is the very ground we have taken from
the outset. We have deprecated the ne
cessity for the president Of the senate to
assume any such power, but have, at the
same time, insisted that it was HIS duty SO
to do in the absence of legislation and have
urged the necessity Of appropriate legisla-
ton upon the subject. This bill provides
the necessary legislation, and relieves the
president Of the senate from all duties in
connection with the counting of the vote
except such as are made obligatory upon
him by the constitution and which NJ legis
la,ion can relieve him of.