Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-01-13
HOW no COUNT THE ELECESas L
VOTE. eFta


Capt. Frank M. Duffy, long knowI
as prominent journalist and one whc
is we'll informed in the history of tn,
past in political affairs, sends us tn,
following extract from speech ia
Congress made by the celebrated Johr
Randolph, Of Roanoke, on the 14th oI
February, 1921, on the subject Of the
electoral vote in connection with the
Chem proposed admission of Missouri.
Mr.. Randolph said:
Missouri comes into this House
not In forDtd pdHperis, but claiming 10
be one of the co-sovereignties of this
confederated government, and presents
to you her vote, by receiving or reject
ing which the election Of your Chief
Magistrate will be lawful or unlawful,
not by the vote Of Missouri, but by the
vote of all the States. II
Now comes the question whether we
will not merely repel her, but repel
her with scorn aud contumely. Cui
bono and | might add, quo tCGrrdnto
1 would like to hear from the gentle
man from New Hampshire Mr.. Liv-
ermore] where this House gets its au-
thority. / would like to hear some of
the learned Cor unlearned) sages of
the law, with which this House as we'll
as all our legislative bodies abounds,
show their authority for refusing to
receive the votes from Missouri. / go
back to first principles. The electoral
Colleges are as Independent of this
House as this House is of them. They
have as good right to pronounce on
their qualifications as this House has
on those of its members. Your Office
in regard to the electoral votes is
merely ministerial. 1t is to count the
votes, and you undertake to reject the
votes.
To what will this lead2 Do you
ever expect to see the time when there
shall be in the Presidential chair
creature so poor, so imbecile, not only
not being worthy of being at the head
Of the nation, but not worthy of being
at the head of a petty corporation-do
you ever expect to see In that Office an
animal so poor as not to have in this
House retainers enough to enable him
to reject the vote of any State, which,
being counted might prevent his con-
tinuanee and that of their friends in
Office? | speak not of the present in
cumbent-I am not so wanting in CON-
mon decency and decorum as to do so
| speak not only in reference to what
is past, but to that which is prospect
i've, and which every man who looks
the least into futurity, must know will
happen, and in all probibiity will
shortly happen. | undertake to say
that if this House should by a vote Of
indefinite postponement-for the form
is immaterial-or in any other way,
and it would be observed for the first
time In the person of Missouri, if you
do, for the first time, now refuse to re
ceive the votes of a State, it will be
created into a precedent, and that in
the lifetime OF some Of those who now
hear me, for the manufacture of Pres
idents in this House.
The wisest men may make constitu-
tions on paper as they please. What
is the theory of this Constitution IL
is that this House, except upon a cer-
tain contingency, has nothing at all TO
do with the appointment of President
and Vice President of the United
States, and when it does act must act
by States, aud by States only can il act
on this subject, unless il transcribed
the limits of the Constitution.
What is to be the practice of the
Constitution as now proposed2 That
an informal meeting of this and the
other House is to usurp the initiative,
the nominative power, with regard to
the two first officers of the government;
that they are to wrest from the people
of the United States their iudubi.able
right of telling us whom they wish to
exercise the functions Of the govern
ment, in despite and contempt Of their
decision.
Is there no limit to the power of
Congress No mound or barrier to
stay their usurpatiOn? Why we're the
electoral bodies established ? The
Constitution has wisely provided that
they shall assemble, each by itself, and
not in one great assembly. By this
means, assuredly, that system Of in
trigue which was matured into a sci
ence or rather into an art here, was
guarded against.
If, however, per fds dut Refds the
point is to be carried if the tOcsin is
to be sounded, if the troops are to be
rallied, and Missouri is to be expelled
with scorn from our august presence,
(how august, Mr.. Speaker, | leave il
for you to decide) there are those who
= u.llsau kn AnE ha.s - Nh...
arms. | do look with sentiment
cannot express-I look with a senti-
ment of pity-and that has been said
to be nearly allied to love, as | know
it to be allied to a very different emo
ton. look with pity on those who
believe that by their feeble efforts in
this House-governed by forms aud
your seTgeant-at-arms
and committees of attendance, aud
such as belong 10 other
where | have never travelled,
and trust in God | never shall-they
can stop the growth of the rising en-
pire in the West. Let gentlemen lay
a resolution on the table, let it be en-
crossed in fair hand, and do you, Mr..
Speaker, sign it, that the waves Of the
Mississippi shall not seek the ocean,
and then send your sergeant-at arms
to carry it into execution; and see
you can enforce it with all
the force, physical or moral, under
your control.
/ recollect perfectly we'll the eel
ebrated election Of Thomas Jefferson
aud Aaron Burr. What was then told
Why, that we must withdraw our OPP
position or there would be no elections
that a dissolution Of the Union i'm
pended; that Yolcanos began TO play (;
nat earthquakes yawned beneath US
and recollect, Sir, we had Presi-
lent in the chair who had a majority
in this House, small as it was. He
treated the idea of giving way with de-
-ision aud scorn; we said we will not
give way, and you must take the con-
we appealed to the good
sense of the nation whether this pre-
tended sympathy for the rights Of free
negroes and mulattoes is to supersede
the rights of the free white citizens OF
ten times their own number.
They gave way, sir. The President
Of the United States possesses great
power and highly responsible functions,
and should be looked up to with vene-
ration and Difference, because he is
Chief Magistrate of people, legally
appoiuted by their suffrages. But a
President, appointed by the exclusion
Of the votes Of those who are OF the
same flesh and blood as ourselves, is