Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-12-10
House..

WASHINGTON, December 9th-Baker of Indiana
from the Appropriation Committee, reported the
fertilization appropriation bill. Ordered printed
and recommitted. 1t appropriates S150,0O0
Kelly OF Pennsylvania introduced bill repeating
the bank, stamp, match and patent medicine taxes
Refer ed
law taxing savings banks.
Wood asked how many days the Republicans in
tended to obstruct business?
Conger called him to order for insolent and un-
parliamentary language and Wood withdrew it.
Conger said there must be limit to impertinence.
The Republicans ready to vote on the funding
bill, and even postpone debate.
Wood thought they might indicate a time when
they would be ready.
McLane spoke on the electoral resolution. He
said, i referring to the Electoral Commission that
the law authorizing 1t was disgrace and dis
honor to the country, because it resulted in count
ing in a man who Id not receive majority OF the
electoral votes Of the country and the twelfth art
Gle gave the House power to elect President under
certain contingency, and imposed upon the
House the actual necessity Of counting and verify
ing the votes. Knowing the gentleman the
other eide meant to set the Constitution at Defiance
it was his hope that he would live to see his party
again in majority in the House. Ii gentlemen on
the other side choose to obstruct business until the
day should come for counting the electoral vote let
them have the responsibility. Let the DEM
ocrsts await that day, and when 1t comes
let them take their seats and see that the votes
opened by the Vice-President are genuine votes.
Let them see that every Elector was qualified, and
let them take any other step they pleased In the
way OF inquiry and investigation, to know whether
the Electors who had cast the votes qualified
Electors. II perchance they should find that, as
was the case in 1871 Electors had voted who were
not qualified let them have the courage to refuse TO
certify or count such votes or II they found that
the NONRESIDENT had opened a certificate where
the votes alleged to have been cast were forgeries,
let them have the courage and forever to refuse
such votes Let them do as their fathers had done
take their seats appoint tally clerks count the
and n honorable representatives of the
people certify to the genuneness Of the votes or re-
fuse to certify to it. He had never met man who
had not regretted the necessity for the Electoral
Commission but now he locked back with Infinite
satisfaction to the fact that the Demo-
cratic party had, both in 1876 and 1880, candi-
dates who believed it was the duty of the
houses to count the votes Every person felt that
in delegating that power to another tribunal the
responsibility had been with Congress, and if there
had been any shame or dishonor in the action it
rested here, and had for that reason never felt at
liberty to denounce that tribunal. He would how
ever, never cast vote to create another He hoped
the Democrats would not be influenced either by
fibustering by offensive insinuations that they
were Matching mischief Except in the case OF
st Ites which had voted for Hancock, there was no
question in any State. There was question, and
very serious question, as to the vote of Georgia
He could not conceive of any more deestable thing
than rejecting the vote of State, except voting
State against it. Well, that a crime of the
Republican party. 1t had accepted perjury and
forgery means OF certifying votes In the face
Ol gentlemen on Otner SIDE StcOu
here and endeavored to give the Vice President
power to count the votes. 1t was an attempt at
usurpation that locke to the future and there
legislative action that was not justfable to de.
feat that purpose.
disjointed running debate then ensued, partici-
pated in by McLane, Hunter, Cox of New York,
and Mills, during the course Of which Mills init
mated his opposition to the pending resolution, on
the ground that under its provisions the Senate
might declare who was President
Lapham said at the last session he had locked
npon the pending measure attempt to de-
bauch the Electoral count Why where the wheels
of legislation now blocked to consider question,
when it was admitted that there was no necessity
whatever for the operation of the extraordinary
provisions Of this resoution2 That there was lying
behind it some purpose he was bound to assume
from the tenacty with which this matter was
pressed. Under its provisions questioning return
would justify the majority in rejecting the vote of
State. 1t provided that if more than one list of
Electoral votes, or "papers purportlng to be such
list" were received from Stat, either house may
refuse to receive the vote. What was the paper
An official paper? Not at all but paper certified
TO by the Chairman of Democratic State Commit
tee would answer the requirement of that provi-
SION The Republicans were willing to justify them
selves in resorting to every expedient known to
parliamentary usage to resist the purpose of this
resolution.
Adjourned