National Republican., 1877-01-24

session hut rcnIy hopoi TO bring the bili 70 %
The CHAIR laid beroro the Senate the bill for
the revision OF the laws, and said the House had
n r-concurrcd in the senate amendments,
Mr. BOUTw ELL moved that tho scnotc insist
ur0n Ns amendments, and asked for committee
TIE Senate. al $40 o'clock went into executive
Scssitn n, and at 500 adjourned.
House OF Representatives.
The SPEAKER modified his decision Of yestcr-
day ruling that tho motion to adjourn having
been waived, and motion to suspend the rules
intcrposed, MIR. woop, with his motion to refer
the Presidents message, was not on the floor, and
his motion was not therefore at this time before
the House as unfinished business. Ho rulod that
the unfinished business was the resolutions re.
ported by Mr., KNOTT, from the Committee on
the Powers Of the House, In connection with the
electoral vote, on which Mr.. SEEIYE, Of Mass,
had the floor when the House went into Commit.
tee Of the Whole on Saturday.
Mr. PIERCE, Of Mass, presented q memorial
of the merchants Of Hoston, praying the passage
of the compromise bill, and asked that it might
be read.
Mr. TOWNSEND, of N. " objected to the
Mr. FIERCE said he hoped notice would be
taken Of the fact that the gentleman objected.
Mr., TOWNSEND replied that he always OBJ.
Ns,Sps of Ma PrRS5o he Committee on
Foreign iialrs presented communication e from
Commission and the awards Hereunder, and
asked that 1t be printed and reeommitted. So
Mr.. WELLS, Of Me-, also presented memo.
rial In favor Of the passage Of the electoral bill,
and Mr.. TOWNSEND objected.
Nh. BUTTS ADMITTED.
Mr.. HARRIS, Of Va, from the Committee on
q member Of the House from the Second district
OF South Carolina. The report was adopted, and
Mr.. BUTTS advanced to the Clerks desk, and was
8 The regular order having been demanded, the
House resumed consideration q the resolutions
reported from the special committee on the Powers
aud Privileges Of the House on the electoral
count.
Mn. sEELyE ON THE rowEns OF THE HOUSE.
Mr.. SEELYE, Of Mass, said that, as member
OF the committee, he differed from the report. He
would not pretend to discuss tho constitutional
questions involved, for he did not claim to be
Sna sss, s tasS
stitution might Judge Of and he, for one, as re.
suit Of his reading Of the opinions Of the powers
House to declare who was or who was not elected
President q M the United States. He regarded the
Ss 81 srs % 81 me 70 60
trlne, and one which would be utterly revolu.
tionary, and subversive Of tho true inter.
for us to throw aside any Of the procedents Of the
Government In relation TO the election of the
Presidsn, r % Of the United States and he thought
theory advanced in the socalled twenty second
joint rule, which declares the right Of the House
u
We should pause and ponder long before We
would adopt system which would make the
President .s % Of the United States mere creature
be the result Of the adoption Of any system de-
ciarlng the supreme power Of either branch OF
clared that electors should be chosen in the man.
ner in which the States should direct, and be.
son why Il should interfere and oyerturn The yots
He believed there had been fraud in certain
states in the last election but taking the coun:
ever saw q spectacle Of more devotion to liberty
than was shoyn BY the people at large In the last
report Of the Joint committee recently made, ho
thought u full Of lofty patriotism, and ifit could
be adopted by Congress with the unanimity with
would regard 1t as the most glorious event OF the
commencement Of the second century Of American
Independence.
Mr. WILLIAMS, OF WISCONSIN.
MrwJLLIAMs, q Wis, alluded to the speech
which the latter had likened President Grant to
Cesar Borgia, and had also denounced General
pursued in that State. He felt bound to regard
| Mr.. WILLIS speech more as the rawlings OF a ma.
MAC than the speech OF statesman. He would
Caesar Borgia than he would TO compare heaven
to a briekyard; lL9uEhter.l He did not stand
| States, but the President would be remembered
when gentlemen who were once members Of the
Republican lean party, and who now fred at him nom
The people OF the United States would not forget
the men who had defended them, and Grant and
Ruger would be remembered when their defamcrs
| and maliRners were forgotten. Mr.. WILLIAMS
then proceeded to argue against the report Of the
majority Of the committee on constitutional
| Mr. TUCKER ON THE sANR QUESTION.
Mr.. TUCKER, of Va, then took the floor, and
proceeded 10 argue against the right Of the
President Of the Sena,et g open and count the
| language Di
convention that framed the Constitution, and
argued m from the quotations that Il was meyer IN
should open and count tho votes. He was simply
amlnisterial officer, to receive and hold the votes
met to have them counted. 1t was clearly the
intention Of the Trainers Of the Constitution tt
declare that the House and Senate should have
TO hold that IL was the intention TO give . mere
creature Of the Senate this great power.
The power to count did q OF mean mere arith
metical enumeration. II meant more than that
1t meant that there was to be q judgment exsr
e tnS 81 sS ,nS 70 be
Propositions are. 1t had been argued that tn,
SsW sST sa IL n.S IT, TSs D.Sd
cratic party Of the country was unified on tn,
e ss E9 hST rs 4 s
had trodden upon the rights Of the States. II,
had placed soldiers at the very doors Of the capi
tnls q the states Of Louisiana and South Caro-
MIR. TUCKER then proceeded to argue that q
was the right Of the House to be cocqual with til,
Senate In the count Of the vote and he quote,
from the earliest elections to show that the tw,
Houses had always been equal In the matter 0
the count, He argued that according to these au
thOrities the two Houses acted concurrently, ant
that they were equal In power and dignity. IL
quoted the language Of Vice Presidents Burr
Adams and Others 70 show that they recognize,
the equality Of the House, and that they did no
claim the right to count, but that they onl!
opened the certificates, and declared the result q
found by the tellers who were appointed by tn
two Houses. Referring to the twenty-second join
rule, Mr. TUCKER said u was adopted when the Re
under II they had rejected the votes OF sovereign
States, and now the Republicans propose TO den,
to this House the right Of examining the paper
Of fraudulent Returning Board
Before closing, Mr.. TUCKER referred to tn
bill reported from the Joint committee on tn
electoral vote. He approved Of the bill In tn
main. He had always believed that there sh0ul
be some sort Of q tribunal to settle moote
Presidential contest The bill, 1t Is true, does
fully carry out his views Of what such tribuns
should be, but he believed II would result 4
good, and therefore he was not prepared, on
mere question Of law, to oppose measure whic
he believed was In the interest OF the peace OF tn
country. He believed the tribunal would &C
with strict and exact justice. He hoped that tn
second century OF our existence would not be con
menoed by putting In the Presidential chair
man who was elected TO that Office with the leas
suspicion OF fraud.
The further discussion Of the question was the
postponed until tomorrow, and the House thei
at I;lO =. IN, adjourned.