The Portland daily press., 1877-02-13
The Electoral Count.
THE HOUSE OBJECTS TO THE
FLORIDA DECISION.
The Democrats Rebuked
by One Of their Own
Number.
Florida Counted for
Hayes 4 Wheeler.
No Objection Made
to Illinois.
Louisiana Submitted
to the Commission.

WASHINGTON, f6O. 1Z.-by IL U ClOCk uedrly
all the senators were present. but no business
was transacted. The Senate, having affirmed
the dec sion of the electoral commission in the
Floridalcase on Saturday, awaited the Motif
cation of the House, of that bOdy's readiness to
resume the joint session and continue the
| count.
| Proceedings in the House.
| The House resumed its session at half. past II
when Mr.. Field, for the purpose OF bringing
| the matter before the House in due form, OF
| fered the following order:
Ordered That the counting of the elector a
| vote from the state of Florida shall not proceed
| in conformity with the decision of the electora
commission, but that the votes of Messrs. Call
| Yonge, Hilton and Bullock be counted as votes
from Florida for President and Vice President
| of the United States.
| Mr.. Hale of Maine moved an amendment al
| follows:
| Ordered, That the counting of the electoral
| vote from Florida shall proceed in conformity
with the decision of the electoral commission
Mr.. Knott offered as a substitute, an order
reciting the language of the electoral act, thai
| the commission might have in view such petit
| tons, depositious and other papers as shall by
| the Constitution and now existing law be com
| petent evidence, reciting also the fact that in
| the Florida case the commission had decided
| and determined that no evidence would be re-
ceived or considered which had not been sub
| mitted to the two Houses in joint convention
| by the President of the Senate that certificate
| No. Chat of the Hayes electors) contained NJ
evidence whatever while certificates No. 2 and
No. Chose of the Tilden electors) did contain
| evidence, fully and specifically showing the
| fact that the latter had been duly elected and
appointed as electors; and therefore ordering
| that the decision of the commission and thu
grounds thereof be remanded and recommittet
to the commission with the request that the
| same be so corrected or explained, and that the
commission be further requested to furnish in
detail, the true reasons OF its decision, so thai
the House may be enlightened as to the course
it ought to pursue in discharge OF its duties
and that in the meantime, the votes of the
| Hayes electors be not counted.
| Mr.. Hale made point of order, that under
| the law creating the electoral commission, il
was the imperative duty of the House at the
end of two hours debate to vote on the main
i question, which is, whether the votes should bt
that nothing in the shape of delay in whatever
form presented, could now arrest the operation
/ of the law.
Mr. Wilson added to Mr.. Hale's point o.
order that this House could refer nothing te
the commission; that would require at leas
| concurrent action.
Mr.. Wood of New York declared that any
intimation of desire on the part of the Demo
cratic side of the House to interpose any fac
tious opposition TO the decision of the Electora
Commission, was entirely gratultous and I'M
| supported by anything that had taken place.
| Mr.. Hale-Has anything been said this
| morning to indicate any charge of that kind
| We demand the right of a free expression Of
| opinion.
Mr.. Knott contested the point of order
The Speaker Overruled the point Of order
made by Mr.. Hale, but sustained that made by
| MIR. Wilson, holding that there is nothing in
| the law that forbade a recommittal of the ques
ton, and also ruling that it is not competent
| for one House to refer bill or any other mat
/ ter to an outside commission. The substitute
/ offered nv Mr. Knott fharnf0rp iT
| order.
The House then at Is proceeded to discuss
| the objection to the decision of the Electoral
Commission.
| port of the report of the Commission.
Mr.. Tucker followed on the opposite side of
the question.
Mi. Banks of Massachusetts spoke in favor
| of the decision.
MI. Springer of Illinois opposed it.
Mr.. Frye denounced the unblushing effront
| cry with which charges of fraud were made
against the Republican party (derisive laughter
| on the Democratic side.) The gentleman from
| Illinois Mr.. Springer) IN his speech charged
| filed by the gentleman from New York {Mr.
| Field four charged fraud. There is no Repub
| lican in the House who would not court lpves-
tigation of the frauds Of Louisiana and Florida
They desire investigation also of the frauds in
| New York, frauds in Connected and frauds in
| Indiana.
Mr.. Hurd bitterly opposed the decision.
Mr.. Carr of Indiana next took the floor and
made speech, which created much amuse-
ment on the part of the Republicans and those
While boldly asserting his belief that Tilden
and Hendricks were elected, he as boldly as
serted that no one is to blame for the decision
of the commission but those who established
| that partisan tribunal. When the Democratic
majority of this House adopted this law, with
hat q ooIn ifvr of fhn ON.
mission would be Republicans, governed by
Republican instincts, controlled by Republican
interests, warped by Republican bases and
moved by Republican motives, they deliberate
" abandoned every claim to control of our
national affairs. 1t is no more nor less than
what could or should have been expected or re-
CURED OF them; you erected a political tribu-
nal, invested with political attributes, and gave
them political questions to determine, which
they have settled from political standpoint
Being Republicans they believe the Republican
candidate for President was and ought to be
elected. In making their declaration they have
been true and faithful to their political opin-
ions, education and associations. No legal
wrong can attach to them for this: but when IS
Democrats, you deliberately put such power
over such questions in the hands of tribunal so
constituted, you committed glazing wrong to
your pretended political convictions, and assur-
eddy to your political associates whose political
sentiments and rights you betrayed and aban.
uOuCu ~ yOuT pOltlCdl dQN6TSdTltS arise 10
remind the Democratic majority that in COM
mon decency your votes on this measure have
esstopped you from INDUCING IN even one word
of criticism against the decision of that tribu-
nal. 1t is your own offspring. You brought it
into being; you gave it life and power; and you
alone are responsible for the result 1t is no
excuse for you to assert that you did not antici-
pate such result; you had no more right to
expect tribunal SO constituted to produce a
different result than to expect thorn bush to
bring forth figs; nor will so weak an apology
save you from the just condemnatio which
your outraged constituency will ever heap upon
your treacherous heads. daughter and APP
plause.)
Nor will the Democratic people be slow in
ascertalning the true source of their discom-
torture and defeat. 1t may subserve of
your purpose for brief time to attempt to
shield yourselves under cover of hollow denun-
citation of your tribunal as the cry of ''stop
thief" for moment may delude the officers of
OF the law, but when the mad people shall
have vented unmerited anger upon this tribu-
nal for brief hour, it will seek the true object
OF its just indignation and the blame will at
last be where it properly belongs. The few
only who had the poral courage to stand here
upon this floor and amid the derision and con-
tumely OF the Democratic majority dared to
wara you OF the inevitable results of that DAVIS
work, have moIal right to complain of this
day labor. But while they have deep regrets
as to the action of the commission, they have
deep and bitter denunciatlons and condemna-
. tons to heap upon the heads of those who
claiming to be leaders of the great Democrat
ic party in this trying hour of its existence,
have proven themselves either incompetent
from ignorance ortunwortby for base reasons.
tRenewed laughter and applause on the Re-
publican side.)
Here then III the name of the Democracy of
the whole country, L absolve that commission
from all charges save that it may bs that of an
honest mistake and in the name of the same
great power / denounce the majority of this
House as being responsible for the wrong and
rrecreant ignorantly or cOrrupty rec reant, to
the confidence which has been imposed, in
t t anu falthess to the trusts c0ntided
them. lAppause.)
y VT. thompson of Massachusetts declared the
nnu'ng VI the commission was not in accord
ahce WIN the facts, but was DECLARING false
hoou 10 pe truth. 1t had refused to examine
evidence winch would prove beyond anv doubt
that the Tilden electors have been elected in
Florida. on oieo'ou Ill
Mr.. Dnnnell of MINI. who has beon ,x,o,,,
Der OF the, Florida investigating committee
denounced the action of that committee in eS
Guiding from the evidence all that had heon
before the canvassng board of that state in in
fuencing its decision, and he characterized the
statement of the majority that that state had
gone for TIlden as surely as Mass achusetts had
gone for Hayes as a stupendous fiction, show
Ing that the age of romance had not passed
away.
MIR &c