Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1877-01-20
From the New York Tribune
Revolution on Two Wheels.

mlttee, Is revolutionary anu dangerous.
When leading democrats realize how COM
pletely the power now claimed by them
would change our form of government,
they will confess the mistake to which
partisan feeling is driving them. When
leading republicans see that, in departing
from the plain constitutional requirement,
in an hour of weakness, they put it in the
power of any party to hold the Govern
meut of the United States indefinitely.
they may realize that the only safe course
is to adhere to the obvious intent of the
Constitution and the practice of those who
framed and adopted it.
Let us suppose that the power of Con-
gress TO count the vote, which was denied
by the Constitution, and never exercised
in any degree or form in earlier years, be
now usurped. 1t matters not whether, in
the exercise Of this power, the Congress
asks advice or decision on any point from
the Supreme Court-another step wholly
unwarranted by the Constitution. Its &C
ton in that respect cannot be binding up
on any future Congress, while the asser-
ton of power TO supervise the count,
aud to throw out votes of States at pleas
ure, will be claimed with great force as
precedent by either house whenever it
pleases to dispute the result of a popular
election. 1t is logical result, that if the
Constitution does provide that the votes
shall be counted at all by "the Senate aud
blouse of Representatives, which are
required to be present as witnesses, ii
necessarily means that the votes shall be
counted by both. If either house refuses
TO count any vote, it cannot be counted
by the "Senate and the House of Represen-
tative," and therefore, upon this theory can
not be counted at all. What would be
the consequence This: that a numeri-
cal majority of The House can at any time
throw out enough votes to prevent an cleo
ton by the people. and secure Tor the
House the right to elect.
No one who considers that the States
were intended to be represented as States
in our form Of government, having equal
power through the Senate with that other
branch of the Government which repre-
sents the numerical majority of the peo-
pie, will hesitate to say that the proposed
change would be complete revolution.
State lines, State separateness, and local
government might as well be blotted GU,
altogether, and, in the end, with intent to
give the numerical majority more absolute
power, they would be botted ont. A par
ty strongly intrenched in either section OF
the country, if able TO WELD the vast pow
er of Federal patronage, and to PROMISE
sure reelection to any Executive willing
act as the tool OF the House, would ca
silly secure, by coercion or bribery the
election of enough members from other
sections to insure it a continued majority
In the House. Moreover, if worst came
" worst. the outgoing House could de-
termine, through its clerk, what newly
elected members should be excluded from
tse roll at the organization of the new
House. and then the prevailing faction
would find no difficulty in maintaining it,
power by decisions regarding contest, d
seats. Virtually, the House OF Represen-
tatives would become the government,
and any party having once obtained a ma
jority in that House, with the Executive
and the army and navy, could perpetuate
itself in power indie inlely.
The Constitution gives no such power
TO either branch Of the legislative depart
ment. 1t intrusts the whole duty of re-
ceiving and opening the certificates from
the States and counting the votes to the
second officer in the Government, whose
duties, otherwise not so responsible as to
invite men Of high character and ability.
are dignifed by two provisions--that he
shall succeed if the Presidency becomes
vacant, and that he shall count the electo
raj votes. Chosen by the people, abso-
lutely independent OF both houses Of Con-
gress, not likely to be personally interest
ed in the result of an election, since
Vice-President is rarely nominated Tor the
Presidency, this officer has no power
which he can wish to perpetuate by false
decision. Either house Of Congress. com
posed of men actively engaged in political
strife. possesses large share of power,
which it not unnaturally strives to consol-
idate and complete by control of the Ex-
ecutive. Most wisely, the Constitution
sought to render the executive independ-
ent of the legislative branch, and most
wisely, therefore, it gave entire control of
the counting Of electoral votes to an off
Ger equally Independent Of both houses.
The force of this reasoning is not lessen
ed by the circumstance that the acting
Vice President now happens to be Presi-
dent chosen by the Senate. But let US
consider, on the other hand, what danger
Gus power would be given to the Senate
in this emergency by the contemplated de
parture from the constitutional provision
Ii the two houses are to supervise and