The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-01-19
Forty Fourth Congressional Session.
SENATE.

WASHINGTON. Jan IL.
Mr.. Boutwell, introduced bill to increase the
pension of Mrs Fletcher Webster, widow of
the late Col. Fletcher Webster Referred to
committee on pensions. He said this lady was
the widow of the second and last son of Daniel
Webster. He was killed during the late war
in defence of Washington. The bill proposed
to increase her pension to $50 per month, and
be hoped it would receive favorable consider
alton.
The Senate nonconcurred in the amendments
of the House to the oil making appropriations
to supply cestain deficiencies in the contingent
funds of the House of Representatives and a
conference committee was ordered.
MIR. Jones of Fla, presented petition of Will
liam Call, RooI B. Hilton, j. E. Youge and
Robert Billiard, Democratic presidential cleo.
tors of Florida, Gaining to have been legally
elected and asking that the electoral vote cast
by them for President and Vice President be
counted instead of that by electors on the other
side
On motion of Mr.. Jones the petition was laid
Oh the table. Jones gave notice that he would
call 1t up uext week to speak upon it.
AT ore clock Mr. Edmunds from the special
committee appointed to devise means for count
lug the electoral vote, submitted report in
writing accompanied by bill and said he was
bappy to say the report was signed oy all the
members of both committees, with one excep
| tiou. tbe co nmittee would desire to take the
| bill up at the earliest possible day-probaby
| Saturday, but certainly Monday next and
WOulu pIeSS ID 10 d uudi CONSIDERATION. Iu6
| committee was of the opinion that the measure
| they recomme nded was not what could be
called compromise, but it was measure of
| justice In aid OF constitutional government.
| No one would have the right to say that any
| body's views had been surrendered in an re-
| spect.
| Mr.. Anthony reported a resolution to print
| 10000 extra copies of the report of the special
| committee on the subject of counting the cleo
| toral vote aud it was agreed to.
Senate went into executive session and when
| the doors were opened adjourned.
| HOUSE.
A good deal of time was occupied this morn
| ing in deciding the preliminary question as to
| whether the House should now proceed to the
| consideration of the resolutions reported last
| Friday from the Committee ON Privileges and
the duties of the House in counting the cleo
| toral vote, or to that of the compromise plan as
| published 10 this mornings papers. The Re-
| pubcans favored the latter and the Democrats
| the former The resolutions reported last Fri
| day consist of five points:
| First-rhat the Constitution does not confer
on the President of the Senate power to ex
| anime and ascertain the votes to be cast as the
| electoral votes,
Second-That the only power which the
Consultation does confer on the President of
| the Senate in the patter is to receive the sealed
list transmitted to him by the seAeral electoral
| colleges, keep the same safely and open all
certificates. or those purporting to be such, in
| presence OF the two Houses.
Thi.d-That the Constitution does confer on
the Senate and House of Representatives
power to examine and ascertain the votes to be
counted as electoral votes
| Fourth-That in the execution of such power
the House of Representatives is at least equal
with the Senate.
| Fifth-That no vote can be counted against
the Judgment and determination of the House
| of Representatives.
The House decided-yeas al, nays S1-to
proceed with the resolutions reported by the
| Committee on Privileges, and Mr.. Knott spoke.
After Mr.. Knots speech, Mr.. Burchard of
Illinois offered ON behalf of the Republican
members of the committee the following as a
| substitute for the resolution by the committee
| ResolUed, That it is the power and duty of
| the House conformity with the Senate to pro-
| vide by law or other constitutional method a
mode for fairly and truly ascertaning and
properly counting the electoral vote of each
state. so as to give effect to the choice OF each
| state in the election of President and Vice
| President.
| ReS0l0ed, That in the absence of a legislative
provision on the subject or authoritative drec
| ton from the Senate and House of Representa-
| tives, the President of the Senate upon open.
| ing the certificates declares and counts the
l electoral votes for President and Vice President
| of the United States.
Mr.. Burchard OF Illinois said that the resolu.
tons reported by the majority asserted the
| most extreme power on the part of the House
1
| whether the federal government had the right
| to review the proceedings of officers of a stats
| 10 the election or the appointment of electors
| Ii that position was correct, then either House
| could examine coilaterally whether the officers
| of state had taken the oath TO support the
| Constitution. He denied that night on the par
| OF either House, and held that the acts of tn.
l duly constituted authorities of state, whe0
| verified as required by law, must be taken al
| legal and correct. He claimed that there was
| no power to go behind such acts. John Adams
| and Thomas Jefferson were supposed tc
know something about the Constitution, and
| each of them when he was President
| of the Senate signed a certificate in
which he stated he bad opened the certificates
aud had caunted the electoral votes He (Bur
chard) had endeavored to come TO their conclus
ION on the subject ia no partisan spirit, and be
was glad to see that better feeling was pre-.
| valling with respect to the duty of Congress
| and that the question was to be decided in q
couciliatory spirit, giving to each side credit
Tor honesty, and above all things violence
should be resorted to only ia that emergency
that last resort which justified the action Of
the fathers of the revolution Such time
could never CONE in the history of the Amer.
/ can government, aud it was wicked to ia L
aoout what might be done in case of emergen-
ceS
| AT the close of Burchards speech the resolu
tion went OF er without action and the House
at As adjourned. Mr.. Payne introduced the
report of the JOINT committee on the electora