Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1880-05-20
stealing the Presidency

| The boldest scheme for stealing th9
Presidency yet proposed by the Demo
Gratis is now before one of the commit
tees of the Senate, with every probabil-
ity of its being reported for action at a
favorable opportunity and being pressed
to enactment. 1t takes the form of a
concurrent resolution, which does not
require the Executive sanction and
therefore escapes the peril of the Execu-
tive veto, and the unconcealed object is
to place the choice of a President COM
pletely in the hands of the two Houses
of Congress. The methods of the Maine
conspiracy are to be applied to the Pres
idential election, and Congress is to con-
vert itself into Returning Board with
powers so ample that holding an election
to choose Presidential electors becomes
reduced to useless fOrmality. The
scheme was introduced by Senator Nor
gan, of Alabama, who holds the double
position Of chairman of the Standing
Committee on Rules, and Of the Select
Committee on the Electoral Count. The
resolution provided plan regulating the
count of the Electoral votes, and Oh mo-
tion of Senator Morgan it was referred
to the Committee on that subject, of
which he is chairman. 1t may there
fore be taken for granted that it will re-
appear in the Senate with the favorable
report of that Committee, and as the
matter has been considered for some
time by the Democrats Of both houses,
there are reasons for believing that it
will be pushed through to speedy adop-
tiOn.
The nature of the scheme can be east
ly comprehended. By its provisions,
when any State sends up single list of
Electors, the Presidens of the Senate
must read the name of each Elector and
the vote for him, and at the end of the
reading for that State, ask if there is any
objection to either of the Electors. II
objection is made in writing to one OF
more of the Electors, signed by two Sen.
ators and three representatives, the two
houses must withdraw and consider the
objections, debate being confined to thir.
ty minutes. Should both houses agree
in Objecting, the vote of the Elector OF
Electors objected to cannot be counted
There is no specification as to the char
acter of the objections.
With that resolution in force it will
liz in the power of the majority to reject
as many Electoral votes as it desires
upon whatever preteXt it chooses, anG
there is no way left to prevent the out
rage, or right the wrong. If the twent
two votes of Ohio, given for the Repub
lican candidates, turn the scale anC
elect them, it will be in the power of the
present Democratic Congress to SEIZE
upon the most trifing circumstance as &
basis for its action, and reject either the
whole number of Electors, or as many as
will be necessary to accomplish the de-
sired purpose of defeating the Republi
can and declaring the Democratic candi-
dates elected. If they see fit they caA &C
into the election precincts and take
statements that would not be consider
ed for a moment in local court in q
case involving the position of constable
and on them decide to reject the Elec-
toral vote deciding the question of the
Presidency. With such a scheme in Op
Grafton the Democratic Congress might
as well go one step farther, and having
arrogated the power of President-mak
ing, in violation of the rights of the peo
pie, declare the duration of its own ex
istence dependent solely on its OWL
pleasure.-LC Cleveland Herald, 18th inst