Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-12-14
TIE FORTY-FIFTH CONGRESS.
TIE Senate.

rary increase of the army IN an emergency.
BY Senator Conkling, By request-To amend
| the laws relating to pensions. This bill con
Germs fees OF attorneys. It is claimed that tn,
present regulations prevent those entitled tt
pensions from securing the services of re
spectacle attorneys.
RECrIF7ING sWINDLE.
| Senator Beck called up House bill to repea
so much OF the sundry civil appropriations bill
| for the present fiscal year as appropriates te
/ Chas P. Birkett 1872 sos, as late Indian agent
! OF Ponca agency, and moved that it be referred
to the committee appropriations. Mr. Becl
/ explained his connection with the bill at the
last session, and said he introduced it at the
request OF Il respectable attorney He exam.
med the bill then as far as he could at the re.
| que,t of the committee on appropriations and
! believed it TO be right. II the COMMITTEES on
appropriations, or himself, had been imposed
on, he would cheerfully vote for the bill Of the
House to repeal the act. The bill was referred
to the committee on appropriations.
METHODIST PUBLISHING HOUSE.
Senator Morgan gave notice that Wednesday
next he would call up the bill for relief Of the
Methodist publishing house of Nashville. re-
ported fayorably by the committee on claim
last session.
STOLEN BONDS.
Senator Morrel from the COMMITTEES on
finance reported fayorably on Senate bill, to
authorize duplicates of registered, bonds stolen
from the Ganhattan savings institutions New
York city.
CIGAR REVENUE.
Senator Gordon introduced bill TO secure =
more efficient collection of revenue from ci-
CARS. Referred
TIE ELECTORAL VOTE.
AT the expiration of the morning hour. con-
sideration was resumed of the bill in regard to
counting the electoral vote and Senator Bayard
spoke in its favor.
Senator Bayard said there was urgent need to
settle this question, and he held that the pres
ent time was highly propitious, because the
TWO house OF Congress were controlled by diff
ferent political parties, and q measure which
would receive the assent of both houses would
be such q one as one on this subject should be
"a non partisan measure. This nation needed
rest and peace, and not further agitation The
man would serve his country best who would
seek to give her rest, to ailay confusion and
compose strife. The oountry's worst foe was
the fomenter of aisctrds. He viewed this bill
;,s a measure tending to peace and quiet. tend
ing 70 restore confidence to the public mind
and any man who could vote for it should do
So unless some serious constitutional difficulty
stood IN the way. He argued thai the bill
two houses of Congress, and next referred
to the constitutional powers vested in Congress
and IN the States. The bill met his favor be-
cause it rea1frmed in clear and explicit terms
the power of the State over this subject of ap-
pointing electors. It wiped out ali Dretext of
federal supervision over the selection of elect
ors and coniided everything to the State ITSELF
The State had the sole power to execute that
act, and the voice of the State should be con-
elusive. He then referred to duplicate returns
from States, and said we had had in the unhap-
Ply past bitter experience in regard to dupli-
cate returns Nothing of the kind was known
until 1872 Previous to chat time there had
been spirit OF honesty which would stamp
with infamy the effort Of any minority at
tempt to overturn the will Of
majority in a State. Those who com
mitted or permitted the commission of
r. would sooner or later perish by fraud.
This bill ought to be in the political interests
OF all parties. Gradually this country was
coming back to acts of reason and Justice, and
people were weighing the acts of men and par
ties. Partisanship might seek to stay this era
OF good feeling, but it would fail.
In conclusion Senator Bayard referred to
the late pestilence in the South, and said:
Small riyulets of private benefcence on one
side and Of gratitude on the other had grown
into a mighty river of good feeling
Senator Eaton opposed the bill.
Senator Merriman believed the passage Of
inns bill would be satisfactory to the people.
He believed it to be his patriotic duty to vote
for it without regard to party consideration.
Senator Garland opposed the bill on consti-
tutional grounds.
Senator Hill said the troubles which arose
during the Presidential count of 1877 were not
because we had no law but because there was
Il disposition to disobey tie law. Congress
could not settle this matter of counting the
electoral vote, and would finally have to appeal
to the people, but unfortunately the people
were almost as badly party ridden as their
leaders. Another objection which he had to the
bill was that it allowed ninety days between the
election of electors and the time for them to
vote for President and Vice President That
would give rise to more peril han all that now
existed. Party spirit unfrequently DOM
mated all parties in this country to an alarm
ing extent and he was afraid to allow ninety
days for partisans to change the results of an
election.
Senator Thurman said he would not discuss
the blu at this late hour. He would content
himself by voting against it, aud he hoped a
vote would be taken soon.
THE BILL PASSED.
After some further discussion between Sena-