Daily Republican., 1880-05-22
The EaegtOPak Count.


electoral vote in such manner tina
must resul. in ssating Democratic
President il there should be only I;
small majority of the electoral vet,
against him. This Is manifested NOR,
and more every day. by the refusal o
Congress to arcept the bill proposed by
Senator Edmnnds which was eminent
ly just and fair regulating the electo'
raj count. In order to control the count
and keep every vantage ground safely
in the hands Of the Democracy it will
be necessary to get control Of Congress:
by a majority OF States as well as by
constituent majority.
This cannot be done with any degres
of certainty without unseating Wash
burn of Minnesota who was elected by
amajority Of over 5000 votes and by
refusing to a&mit Bisbee of Florida who
Democratic Congressional Committee,
q Democratic Governor of Florida and q
Democratic Supreme Court of the same
State, say was elected in place Of Hull
.thepresent occupant ofthe seat and wko
afhe had his just deserts would be oocu-
pying cell in penitentiary instead
Of q seat in Congress. 1t is not likely
thatsthess changes will be made now at
the present session Of Congress because
it ID comipg TOO close on the heels Of d
Presidential election and would be sure
to make capitalfor the Republicans, but
should there be any necessity for the
change after the election is over 1t can
very easily be effected at the December
session without any fear of influencing
the election. All this will be done to
make sure CT the vote in the House by
States. in case the election should be
thrown into that body.
Ip order to throw the election into
the House will require some political
jugglery and wirepulling on the part OF
Democrats in Congress and this it ispro.
posed by them to do by passing a bill
ostensibly to regulate the electoral
count bat in reality to seat a Demo
cratic President whether elected or not.
The bill now pending before the Senate
and as it now stands renders Congress-
the sole arbiter of the Presidential con-
test, the peculiarly vicious features Of
which is it's provisions for going behind
Che returns whenever there shall be
two returns from any State. The DIFF
ference between this bill and that in
troducsd by Senator Edmunds Is that
the Latter leaves the disputed returns
to the adjudication of the highest law
courts Of the State from which the re-
turn is u ade and the decision of that
court is 10 be final, but this sensible
and unpar tisanship proposition which
would bsal alike upon both parties is
given the 4 o by for something more
revolutional y.
The propo iition Of the Democrats is
to make Con gress the sole arbiter in
the case and he source of final resort.
The tact that the part! valves its cher
ished opinions on State rights goes for
The Democratic party is for
State rights onl when it is an adyan-
tage not otherS ise. That such law !
as that propose d by the Democrats
would defeat the plain meaning of the
law rela tive to the electoral
vote Is of the gra vest Importance. The
old organic law w arrants no review by
Congress- of the Ell sction for President.
1t leaves, as it 81 ould the States to
constitute their a lectoral colleges in
their own way eith or by a vote of the
people or by the legislatures of the1
States. If however this bill becomes a
law, the States will l 'rsctically have no
voice in the matter o. Ecept as Congress
may dictate, and in I. lat case the voice
Of the people is as Ii kelly to be Of no
account as if it had moi been expressed.
This isa very danger GUS proposition,
and is q step in q revolutionary
course which may eve ntuate in an
archy and confusion. By it Congress
holds whip over every 81 ate and prac-
tically abolishes free elections. So dan
gerous proposition has newer been pre-
senfed in Congress, and it makes no diff
ference in the intent, that it will posi-
lilly fail of,becoming law. This teach ca I
Republicans that they have not only |
. willy but a revolutionary. foe to con- t
tend with. The only way in viii h
these dangerous propositions can be |
frustrated is by a solid union of Re- :
BnbIicsns. IL is not the man in the +
ffesent contest thatshould DO the object /
fafsaity to: the party SO mush as t
the principles which lie at the foun- s
d4ySn. A square solid victory by an T
ispdtsautsd majority will put an end a
9.f--. y-.t.
scheming by the Democrats t
and VII send the pending electoral bill o
cen@@ with Senator Rsysrd's Mar. v
sha .yl into the shades Of obscprity.
Will Republicans it should not be sol !,
sfuch wh6sher Grant Rla;na al ar,ns,, IL