The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1877-01-18
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Especial Correspondence Of the Democretl
WASHINGTON, d. c.,
Ian IL 1874

WASHINGTON, d. c., {
Jan. 13, 1871 h
Reports that the Senate committee
on counting the electoral vote has a.
greed upon a bill and sent it to the
House committee, have been tele-
graphed hence within the last few
days, but the statement is untrue.
No plan has been agreed upon by the
Senate committee yet, though there
is still hope of an agreement being
reached before many days. The
great d~ificulte which confronts every
effort is that when any plan is pre-
scented the first inquiry in the mind
Of each member Of the committee is,
"How Will this affect our side?" If
the Presidential election was now
pending and the complications which
now actually exist were only threat
eneo results, there would be no trou-
bic or delay in devising a way to de-
termine the count. 1t is the desire
for party advantage that obstructs
the way and warps the judgment of
wise Legislators. The point Of diff
ference between the Democratic and
Republican members seem to be
whether it requires the concurrent
action of both Houses to reject the
vote of q State. The Republicans
contend that in the event of a dis
puted return from a State it cannot
be rejected without both houses con-
cur, while the Democrats insist that
if one house rejects the vote it can
not be counted. They point tothe
action of the two houses in 1868,
with the vote of the State CT Georgia.
The House voted to reject the vote
of Georgia, and the Senate to count
it. When the joint convention had
assembled, after the action had been
taken by the two bodies IN their sep
arate capacities, the vote of Georgia
was counted after the ann in
which that of Missouri vas counted
in 1921. This action was equivalent,
it is claimed, to a rejection of the
vote Of Georgia on the dissent of the
House. 1t does not appear that any
Republican member of either the
Senate or House committee on count
ing the electoral vote, except Senator
Morton, contends that the President
of the Senate has the power to count,
and that the two Houses are mere
spectators. The utmost that has
been claimed by any Republican
member of the House committee is
that in the event of the two Houses
disagreeing about the counting of
the vote of o State, then the Presi.
dent of the Senate has the right to
settle the dispute by ordering it to
he counted. But this is not strenu-
ously commended for. The Republi-
cans seem to be disposed to rest their
case on the theory that there must
be concurrent action to reject. 1t is
> true, however, that one Republican
member of the House committee does
, not agree to this, and that he will
! unite with his Democratic colleagues
J in holding that, in the Ease of Flori-
S da and Louisiana, the concurrent &C
+ ton of the two Houses must be had
before either one of The two returns
from each of these States can DE &C
1 cepted. This is q correct and i'm
: partial statement of the situation as
|, it relates to these committees, whom
, everybody hopes to see reach some
,o+;, s. ota,ry nDnolpcinp
Aud now it appears thatthe ladies
are waking up to take a hand in the
skirmishing. Az incident has just
S been related, and as it is authentic
i give the story, not as having any pc.
: litical significance, further than to
h illustrate the intensity of feeling
which extends ever to the social and
and the gentler sex. On Wednesday,
at a reception given by m Of the
o Cabinet ladies, there was the usual
. attendance of the wives of both Dem
ocratic and Republican Senators and
Representatives. 1t happened thai
: in the general gossip which natural.
ly is engaged in on such occasions
. the conversation turned on the dig.
nifty and grace with which certain la.
dies had presided over the White
. House. Some one of the ladies re.
: marked that Mrs. Secretary Fish
would have filled the difficult posi-
e ton with great credit, %whereupon the
:. wife of one Of the cabinet ministers
present said that Mrs. Hayes would
not be second to even Mrs. Fish in
this high station. A lady, the wife
t o. q Democratic Congressman, said,
a laughingly, that Mrs. Pelton, the sis.
f ter of Mr.. Tilden, was a very accom-
. plished lady, and would grace the
o White House, whereupon Mrs. Sec
rotary Morrill, said with considerable
heat, "Tilden will never occupy the
White House. We have the army
and navy and if force is necessary t.
inaugurate Hayes it will be used
This was said with such ~pointedness
n of speech, and the manner of Mrs
l. Secretary was so spirited that thu
"a Democratic ladies present immedi
ately withdrew.
n The old adage that when rogue
: fall out honest men get their due, i
5 having another practical illustration
in the police investigation here. W.. j
: Murtagh, proprietor of the Nationa
; Republican, kitchen-organ, has beeI
"high muc-a-muck" in the Distric
ring affairs, receiving upward @
$15O,000 for public advertising dur
ing Boss Shepherds reign. He ha
also been President OF the Board @
d Police Commissioners, and is genel
ally regarded as a political rascaI
Lately he has not been able to contrc
10 the Board of which he was Preisdent
. and his paper recently took II an es
70 ceedingly virtous air, pitching int
tho ~oomblers- the detectives an,