The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1877-01-11

quiIer Gays: "The search OF the rec
ords Of the Radical politicians gon the
rights and powers Of Congress over
the Electoral count proves~ of interest
at this time. 1t is fact that record
does show that In no single instance
since the first Presidential election, in
1883, has Congress ever. held that the
President of the Senat to had any pow
er, under the Constitution, to count
the Electoral vote, or any power what
ever-in the premises, exeePtrwhat the
two Houses saw fit 10 give him by
joint resolution:
"Reso1red, That A. Il. aud C. be APP
pointed Joint Committee to ascer.
tain and report amode OF examining
the votes for President and Nice-Pres-
ident, and of notifying the persons
who shall be elected Of their election.
"Res0lced, That A and Il shall be
tellers on the part of the House and
Senate to make list of the votes for
President of the United States as they
shall be declared, and that the result
shall be delivered to the President of
the Senate, who shall announce the
state of the vote, which shall be en-
tered on the journals. and. if it shall
appear that a choice hath been made
agreeable to the Constitution, such Ell :
| try on the journal shall be deemed o
sufficient evidence thereof" ha-ai7a
This is the form of the resolutions
at every election from 1893 down to
the adoption of the Republican Twen-
ty-second Joint rule, in 1865. John
Langdon, the first President of the
first Senate, alone, of5all the Presi-
dents of the Senate, was authorized to
count the vote, and in his case,a al
though the one absorbing idea was to
get the Government started, Congress
was SO jealous of its power that in
each case where that right is mention
ed, in the journals the language runs I:
"Chosen for the sole purpose OF open
ing and counting the votes for Presi.
dent and Vice President OF the United
Stated States ;" and Mr.. Madison, the
godfather Of the Constitution, ap-
pears to have held that even then, af-
ter the vote was counted and an
nounced by Mr.. Langdon, the consent
of the Houae was necessary, for the
journal of April 5, 17S0, says:
"Mr. Madison came frem the House
of Representatives with the following
verbal message: "Mr. President,
am directed by the House OF Rep e.
senlatives to inform the Senate that
the House have agreed that the nOtiii-
cations of the election of the Presi-
| dent and of the Vice President of the
/ United States should be made by such
persons aud in such manner as the
senate shall be pleased to direct"
What troubles the conspirators
more, however, than tho Constitution
and the precedents together, is the
words which they themselves have
spoken in some of the voluminous de-
bates which have been INDUCED in on
the subject of Presidential elections.
After listening to .JohnSherman's j rant
this winter about the inviolability OF
Governors certificate, il hardly
seems possible that he conld have
tathered the following resolution:
"Res0lred, That the Committee on
Privileges and Elections is directed to
inauire and report to the Senate
whether the recent election of Elect
ors for President and Vice President
has been cond Icted in the States OF
Louisiana and Arkansas in accordance
with the Constitution and laws OF the
United States and the laws of said
States, and what interests, il any, have
arisen as TO who were elected as
Electors i'm either of said States, and
what measures are necessary to pro-
vide for the determination of such
contests in the future election OF
Electors for President aud Vice Pres
ident: that tor the purpose OF speedi-
" executing this resolution the said
Committee shall have power to. send
for persons and papers, TO take testi-
mOny," &c,
Yet John Sherman did evolve that
resolution from his internal conscious
ness in 1873; did write it out in his
own hand, and present it to the Senate
on the 9th of January, 1873, which
body adopted it on the next day, after
Sherman, Conkling, Freulinghuysen,
Trumbull and all the leading Republi-
cans had spoken and voted for it: and
on the 10Th OF The ensuing February
Morton, who now turns up as the Re-
turning Board champion, incorporated
the resolution in report from his
Election Go mmittee, in which report
on the election in Louisiana occurs the
81 lon in n
Governor Warmouth's certificates:
1t Congress wishes to go behind the
Governors certificate and inquire who
had been chosen as Electors, it is not
violating any principle OF the right Of
the State to prescribe what shall be
the election OF Electors; but it is SIM
ply going behind the eviden e as pre-
scribed by all act OF Congress, and
thus going shind the certificate OF the
Governor. We find that the official
return of the election OF Electors from
the various parishes OF Louisiana had
never been counted by any body hay
ing authority TO count them.
Further on>in the same report. in a
portion headed "Addenum.' Mr. Nor
ton says: .e.a. 4
A majority Of the Committee are OF
the opinion that no reference should
be made in the report to the decision
of the Supreme Court Of Louisiana as
to which was the legal Returning
Board upon the ground that the de-
sion was made subsequent to the 4th
of December, when the Electors were
TO cast their votes for President and
Vice President; but it seems to me
that the history of The whole
matter would not be complete
and the Senate would not be place d
in possession of all the material facts
without u statement of the character
OF the decisions; ad that the fact
that il was made after the casting
OF the vote by the Electors would fur
nish no sufficient reason why it should