The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-12-11

!, se<sss 10 us shs, tue Democrats In the
ucuse a representatives have not shown
much wisdom IN pressing at this session
The rs,.aac Of the bill providing for the
coustiur Of the electoral votes for Press-
dess and Vice President. There can DC no
rsod cause for hurrysnx up the passage OF
that bin, seeing that there can be no posi-
Ole doubt either Of Nc. GARrIELps election
or Of bis being dcclsred elected. NOT VIII
Mr. HAYES sign Il unless Il Is acceptable 10
the Republicans; and II be were to do 80
: RepublIcau Congress could at any time
repeal II; and uusii there shalt be Repuh'
llcsn Congress there can be no danger tna'
the two houses will agree upon measure
objectionable TO the Democrats. The only
reason that we can think OF Is to be FOUND
in the fact thai as Georgia's electors did mol
vote for President and yice-President on
the day Fixed by act OF Congress, there may
be desire Oh the part OF some Democrats
10 provide way whereby The two houses
of Congress may be enabled 10 count the
vote OF that State for HANCOCK. This,
however, does not strike us as matter OF
any importance. Practically 1t would make
no difference In the result II all the Siales
which HANCOCK carried had. like Georgia.
voted on wrong day. GARFIELD Is elected
and there's an end OF II. Why, then, waste
time over the electoral bill at this session
Why thus create necessity for an extra
session OF Congress? II may be important
in some future election, but not in this one,
10 define the respective duties OF The two
houses rs well as those OF the President oil
the Senate. At this time such action IS
not demanded by any considerations oil
public poiIcy.
We are glad that Georgia's electors voted
as they did this year. Their action has
made 10 plain that the two houses OF Con-
gress bave duty to perform in the matte 4
OF counting the electoral votes. That &C.
ton furnished Mr.. McLAyE. OF Maryland,
with an unanswerable argument. The
House OF Representatives, he argued On
Thursday, is empowered by the Copstitu-
ton to elect President OF the United
States In a certain contingency. Who is to
Judge OF that contingency? The House Is
compelled TO Judge. The right to elect ne
cessarily carries with 1t the right t. decide
when the contingency has arisen In which
il may elect. Therefore it Is the privilege oil
the House to decide whetherthe vote OF Geer-
gia shall be counted or not. 1.-THE vote OF that
State would decide the contest In favor OF
HANCOCK, the House would undoubtedly
insist upon its right. The President OF tie
Senate would never he allowed TO elect a
President to suit himself. For The House
OF Representatives to concede his right to
count the electoral votes for President and
Vice-President Of the United states would
be for that body to abdicate its own iunc-
tions and concede TO him the right OF telling
the House of Representatives when 1t bad
become its duty TO elect President Thus
the argument for the right OF the President
OF the Senate to count the votes is reduced
to an absurdity.
Four years ago Mr.. CoNKLISG made an
argument in the United States Senate on
this subject when he was advocating the
bill providing for an electoral commission.
He denied emphatically that the President
OF the Senate had the right now claimed for
him BY the Republicans 10 the House OF
Representatives. Why doesn't some Demo
cIat hunt up Mr.. CoNKLISG's arguments, and
quote them in the Housed? Surely bis au.
tbority ought to override the arguments of
all the Republicans in that body. We do
not now recolIect what points be made; but
our recollection is that they were strongly
stated and powerfully enforced. None can
be better than this: The Constitution reads
as follows:
"The President OF the Senate shall, in
the presence OF the Senate and House OF
Representatives, open all the certificates, and
(count the votes i-no, indeed, butt the
votes shall then be counted"
1t ~ incredible that this form Of express
sion would have been used IL the trainers
of the Constitution had intended that the
President OF the Senate should count the
votes.
p. s. The Washington Post OF yesterday
contains extracts not only from Mr.. CoNK-
Lines unanswerable speech OF four years
ago, but from a speech made by. MIR. ED
MUNDs upon the same question. during the
same debate. We had forgotten that Mr..
EDMUSps took the same side Of the ques-
ton with Mr.. CONKLIyG. Such was the fact,
however; and we ale curious to know bow
their admirers In the House can have dared
to march to the music OF opposition to the
views OF those distinguished Republican
constitutional lawyers.