National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1877-01-16
Counting the Vote.

WHAT THE JOINT coMMurTER Is DoING-A Sc
CRETIvE BoDY-RUMoRs IN ABUNDANCE, BUT
FACTS HARD TO GET AT-soMR OF To PRoPo-
sITIoNs MESTIoNRD-A VOTE TO BE TAKEN
TODAY.
The joint committee on the electoral count, at
its conference yesterday arrived at no agreement.
This much was arrived at, despite the fact that
the members of both the Senate and the House
committees are evidently debsrred by pledge Of
secrecy from divulging what goes on In the COM
mittee-room. Admissions have, however, been
made which leave 1t settled beyond all reasonable
doubt that the Senate committee, after much
argument and discussion, finally agreed to q
proposition to refer the matter to mixed tribunal
Of the character indicated in Saturdays issue Of
TIE REPUBLICAN. There are vague rumors that
Senator Morton opposed to the last moment the
proposition to refer the counting Of the electoral
vote to the arbitration Of q mixed tribunal, and
that he based his objections to doing the be-
lief that body of men specially created for the
purpose could be intrusted with so responsible o
duty as would be imposed on them In the event Of
failure to settle the matter In any other manner.
These reports are doubtless based on his pub
lie opposition to Senator Edmundi Supreme
Court measure, and have about as much founda-
ton rs another assertion that his voice was alone
raised in the Senate committee-room in support
Of the view that the President Of the Senate was
empowered to count the vote. There is no abso-
lutte certainty that ne held Such views, or that,
holding them, he advocated them to the exc lu.
sion of all propositions for compromise. Neither
IL their any ground for arraying the other Re-
publican members Of the committee against him,
as they deny positively that there was any want
tion Of the committee. or part with these va
carries is another rumor which was a1oat o day
or two since that Messrs Oonkling and Edmunds
were acting with Senators Bayard and Thurman,
and that to this fusion Is due the proposition to
submit the count to Q mixed tribunal
The denial Of Senators Edmunds and Conkling
Was hardly necessary to destroy this Newspaper
correspondents creation, Is common sense tells
that there 10 not the remotest probability Of
Senator Ransom isolating himself, which this
assumption, II correct, would necessitate. One
thing Is probable, that dc finite action will be
taken to-day by the joint committee, which will
at its meeting vote upon two or three seperate
propositions. The nrst one Of these will be to
for its Judgment as to whether the concurrence
of both Houses is required to accept as well to
reject the returns Of State; the second to re-
fer the electoral count to q mixed tribunal Of the
character already indicated, and the last propo-
stion, having its origin In the House committee
and emanating from the Democratic side, which
maintains that vote cannot be accepted and
counted Is such upon prime fdeie evidences Of
correctness, but that Congress has the power to
20 back Of all the certificates and decide upon
their legality. From what can be gained no
proposition viii be up for discussion which In
wolves leaving the count Of the vote to the pre-
siding officer Of the Senate. II Is worth mention
ing that the most sanguine do not entertain much
hope of an agreement being arrived at, the Dem
ocrats being less hopeful than the Republicans