Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-02-14
DEBATE ON RECESS.

~ |tFjtAi Ittt4F l1l+t4tss'AA
DEBATE ON RECESS. 4f ,"'
WASHINGTON, Feb. 1O.--In tho
House debate on recess Mr.. Hale first
raised the point that recess could not
be taken. 'l,.l ", ', -, ',,''.sas
Springer held that the, Electoral
bill didn't prevent it,, 1t was reason
able for the House to ask two days
to consider decision that the Com
mission had spent ten days on. az
McCrary thought the House had
arrived at a stage where under the
Constitution it must count the votes
without recess until another State
was reached which must 60 to the
Commission. ~ ''' 49, h
Kasson pointed out the, clause in
the bill which said its passage was
necessary to allay public excitement,
If there was delay the public would
be ten fold excited, and the country
from the Atlantic to the Pacific to-
morrow morning would ask if it was
the intention Of the House to prevent
the completion of the count. He
submitted to the patriotism of the
House of Representatives the interest
it had in preserving the peace and
prosperity Of the country; that it
should interpose no unnecessary de.
lay in that process of law which the
whole country was looking to for its
| salvation. -iAJA IariIG.. T. ut@1t ii
Warren argued to say the question
as to the Florida votes was settled in
the simple report of the Commission
was to speak directly in the face OF
the act itself, and of the very purpose
at which it aimed. .ii naa ,.ltt- -
Wilson held that only the present
duty of the House was to discuss OBJ
.jections to the decision for two hours
and then vote upon it, and let the two
Houses come together again in joint
convention. Amy other interpreta-
ton would nullify the electoral act
and would be revolutionary. '-lrl o
Banks stated the language of the
| Constitution was imperative that
when the electoral votes are opened
they shall be counted. For seventy
! five years there had not been single
instance of recess being taken or pro-
posed under such circumstances.
Messrs. Jones, Sayler, and others
also participated in the discussion.
Speaker Randall maintained that
the clause ofthe fifth section of the
4 Electoral act, which is t'that while
the two Houses shall be in joint meet
ing no debate shall be allowed ETC.,
had no pertinency to the question:
The portions of the act which had
pertinency to recess wore first, a
part of the fourth section, which pro-
yides that if there be objection to the
report of the Commission each Sena-
tor and Representative may speak ten
minutes, and that after such debate
shall have lasted two hours it shall
be the duty Of each House to put the
main question without further de-
bate. lie thought, that under that
directory clause recess could not be
taken at any other time than the
present, If debate had been entered
upon a motion to take recess would
not be in order. The other portion
4 of the bill bearing on the subject, was
that part Of the fifth section which
reads, Sand no recess shall be taken
unless a question shall have arisen in
reference to the counting of such
votes or otherwise under this act i'll
which case; 1t shall be competent for
either House acting separately in the
manner +, hereinhefQre provided, to
direct recess of such House not be-
yond the next day, Sundays excepted,
at ten in the forenoon 1t was q fhct
that this was the first time when "a
question has arisen, and it having
arisen for the first time, the Chair
thinks it is competent for the House
to take recess until Monday at ten
O'clock, if its judgment so directs.
/ Hale,--Then the Chair overrules
the point of order. ,t7t nj ie47y .,
i Speaker.--The Chair ovcrrules the
point of order. ril. q
Hale respectfully appeal such
f. Cox.-I move to lay the appeal on
the table,. Carficd-157 to 76. - ~
The question was then taken on the
motion for recess till Monday at ten,
and it was carried-Ycas,! 1853; nays,
f10S. During the vote q message was
j received from the Senate that it had
overruled the objection to the decis-
ion of the Commission and was ready
TO- meet the House in joint .cohven-
ti6n.l The Speaker intimated that he
1iwOuld have the Senate informed that
the House would take recess. tfl.'
y TIE HOUSE DIRECTIONS, 90
y The objections to tho decision i'm
terposed in the House recitc ,5iss,t i
First, that the decision determined
that the vote cast by Chas. Ii. Pearce,
| Frederick &. Humphreys, William I'll.
/ Holden and Thos w. Long, as elect
F5ts Of President ana Vice President
of the United States on behalf, of
\ Florida, is the true and legal clector.
al vote Of the state, when ia truth and
Iii fact the vote cast BY Wilkinson
CAL, James L. Young, Robert T.. Hill
1ton, and Robert Bullock Is the true
and lawful vote Of the state. 'Ja Il
r. Second, that the Commission de-
fused to hear competent and material
| evidence tending TO prove that the
first named Set were not appointed
electors in the manner prescribed by
| the Legislature Of the state, but we're
designated as electors by the Return
ing Board Of the state, Garrpptly and
fraudulently, In Disregard of law and
with intent TO defeat the viii Of the
people. s,I,as q
Third, that the decision was found
ed upon resolution and order. of the
Commission previonsl made, n
Fourth, that the decision excludes
all evidence taken by the two houses
rof Congress by the committees pf
each house concerning frauds, errors,
and Irregularities committed by Lcfl