Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-02-07
Counting the Vote.

1u0 SleCJOEdl COlnullSSlOH WIS HllVu
Wednesday by the appointment of Judge
Joseph P. Bradley as the fifteenth men,
Der. Judge Clifford acts as president at
its sessions, which are held in the old Sen
ate Chamber.
Thur, day the CONT began in Congress al
one o'clock, the Senate having made It's
appearance in the hall of the House,
President Ferry presiding over the joint
meeting and opening the certificates,
which were then handed to the tellers.
The Alabama certificate was first opened,
and after it was reld by Senator Allison,
one of the tellers, the vote of that State
was counted for Tilden and Hendricks
without objection.
A peculiar feature Of the count is the fact
that Speaker Randall appointed both
House tellers from his own party, where
upon,o course, Mr.. Ferry put two republi-
cln Senators on as The tellers for that
body. Randall's appointment is supposed
to be II relic Of the time when arrange
ments hnd been made for the " counting
in" of Tilden by the House and is laughed
at now that things have changed.
After the Alabama votes were disposed
of those Of Arkansas were counted with
out objection for Tilden, those OF Colorado
for Hayes, Connecticut for TilGen, Della
ware for Tilden, and the case of Florida
vas reached. From that State there ap-
peared three certificates, one regular us to
time and officers for Hayes, and one regu-
llr in time, but wanting the proper officers,
for Tldcn. The third was conglomer.
ate mess sent in by the present State Off.
GERS of Florida.
Objection was at once made under the
rules to each set of certificates and the
case went to the commission. The two
houses returned to their regular business
at three O'Clock and now await the report
of the commission to resume the count.
The commission has been steadily in
session hearing arguments, which to this
time have been mainly upon the point
whether the commission is to 90 behind
Il states own statement of its vote made
according 10 law.
The republicans have been mainly re-
presented in the argument by Congress-
man Kasson, Staney Ma hcw<, and Mr..
Evarts and the democrats by Congress.
men Field and Tucker and Mcssrs. Mer
rick, Black and O'Conor. The democrats
urge that the commission shall " 90 to the
bottom" review everything from the be-
ginning. The republicans claim that
when II state has lawfully said who its
electors are and has lawfully Informed
Congress how those electors voted, then
that is the end of it and the votes shall
then be counted"
The republicans are arguing for fair
count Of the "votes actually cast" and
the democrats are trying TO prevent it.
The democratic doctrine is of course a
fearful stride towards Capitalization "
and utterly ruinous to the states rights
theory of that party, but reform is so nee
essary that the needed vote for Tiden has
become the sole principle and considera-
ton Oh which it now acts. The argument
closed Monday, and yesterday the COM
mission had private session for consuIta-
ton.
1t will be known in u day or two
whether they will go behind the certificates
and enter into IN examination of the vot-
ing on the 9TH of November. In case they
conline themselves to consideration of
what the State has legally determined as
to how il voted we shall soon have de-
cison Of the Florida case Otherwise the
field of inquiry will be so large that the
fourth of March will be all too soon to gel
Il wei! considered judgment on the several
diSnulnl Sintne