The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1877-01-26
zee Way our OF TIE MUppLE.

Ever since Congress assembled the
solons of the nation have been sitting in
council and indulging in windy debate
and chimeTical schemes for settling the
vexed question of "Who shall be the
next PRESIDENT" Thus far confusion
has only been worse confounded by
these plans, the latest of which is called
"the compromise" and is embodied
in bill framed by Edmunds and enti-
tied: ga bill to provide for and regu-
late the counting of the votes for Presi-
dent and Viee-President and decision of
questions arising thereon, for the term
commencing March 4, 1877" This is a
tedious and extremely wordy document,
the second section of which is designed
to settle the question for the doubtful
States, or those that have sent in two
sets of returns. The following is a por-
ton of it:
That II more than one return, or paper pur-
porting TO be a return, from State shall have
been received by the President of the Senate,
purporting TO be certificates of electoral votes
given at the last preceding election for Presi-
dent and Vice-President, in such State, unless
they shall be duplicates of the same return, all
such returns and papers shall be opened by
him in the presence of the two Houses when
met as aforesaid, and read by the tellers; and
all such returns and papers shall thereupon be
submitted TO the judgment and decision as to
which is the true and lawful electoral vote of
oh, Gfofa q fol
lows, namely: During the session of such
House on the Tuesday next preceding the first
Thursday in February, 1877, each House shall
by a viva voce vote appoint five OF its members
who, with five Associate Justices ofthe Supreme
Court of the United States, TO be ascertained as
hereinafter provided, shall constitute a com
mission for the decision upon, or in respect of,
such double returns named in this section. On
Tuesday next preceding the first Thursday in
February, 1877, or as soon thereafter as may be,
the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of
the United States now assigned to the first,
third, eighth and ninth circuits, shall elect, in
such manner as a majority of them shall deem
| At, another Associate Justice Of said Court,
which five persons shall be members of said
commission, and the person longest in COM
mission of said i've Justices shall be president
of said commission. The members of said
commission shall respectively take and sub
scribe TO the following oath: 81 lblank) dc
| solemnly swear Tor affirm, as the case may be,
| that will impartially examine and consider
all questions submitted to the commission, o.
| which am a member, and a true judgment tC
| give thereon, agreeable to the Constitution anC
laws, so help me Cod" which oath shall bt
filed with the Secretary of the Senate. Wher
the commission shall have been thus organ
lied, it shall not be in the power of either
House to dissolve the same or to withdraw any
Of its members.
Provisions are made to fill the ranks
of the commission, in case of the deatt
or physical disability of any member o
the commission, and the decisions of the
members are by the provisions of th'
bill rendered final. The compromisr
meets with much opposition, but ha
many warm friends, and present proba
bilities indicate its enactment. Thr
Inter Ocean says of the plan "that it i
simply roundabout way of tossing u
for the prize, since on the choice of tn
fifth judge will probably depend tn
whole matter He can hardly b.
chosen, except by lot, as each of the tw,
Republicans will insist on Republican
for the fifth place, and the Democrat
for a Democrat. This may be placini
the lowest estimates on the character
of the judges, but we have no more con
fdencs in them settling on a politica
question than in the Senators or Repre-
sentatives" The Inter Ocean furthe
mentions the plan as unworthy its ori
gin, wordy and childish.