Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1880-05-29
EDITORIAL NOTES.
THE ELECTORAL COUNT 1N CON-
GRESS

The views of Mr.. Roscoe COnkllng on
the count of the electoral vote will of
course carry no weight except with peo-
pie who agree with Mr.. Bradley, of
Westchester, that ga bad Republican is
better than good Democrat" Every
body understands that Mr.. Conkling's
only object in arranging an electoral
count is to get in the Republican and TO
keep out the Democrat. If anybody
had doubted this, the speech of Mr..
Conkling in the Senate on Saturday last
would allay his doubts. Mr.. Morgan
took the only ground really possible to
be taken in the joint resolution which
he proposed-namely, that no disputed
vote should be received without the as
sent of both houses. Mr.. Morgan's ar
gument showed that he was not think
ing of the exigencies of the coming
canvass and Mr.. Conkling's speech
showed that he was thinking of nothing
else. Mr.. Conkling has grown callous
even within the last four years, for one
Of the very few acts of his public life
which seemed to show that he was capa-
ole of considering any other aspect of
politics than the needs of the Republi-
can organization Of New York, was his
opposition in 1876 to the pretense that
the President of the Senate had the
right to count tine votes without the con-
currence of either house of Congress
1t is true that this pretense was so pre-
posterous that no lawyer would have
undertaken to maintain it in any court
of any civilized country and that only
one Republican newspaper in New York
had the boldness to give it any counte-
nance. Nevertheless it was gratify-
ing surprise that Mr.. Conkling should
= have undertaken to denounce it, just as
it would be gratifying surprise if Mr..
Conkling should maintain that two and
two made four, if the interests of the
Republican party seemed to be involved
in maintaining "claim" that two and
two made five. Mr.. Conkling has evi-
IDENTIFY repented of that temporary weak
ness, and Saturday showed most stall
wart insensibility to anything but the
needs of the party. 1t will be general
ly admitted that the Senator from New
York must be in a very bad way when
he finds himself forced to invoke the
help of President Hayes in any political
legislation. Although Mr.. Conk1ing
has declared that he knew enough about
'that man Hayes" to sssink him in in
fanny" he attempted Saturday to get
his assistance in a case in which, as
President Lincoln once explained to
Congress, the President has no call or
right to interfere and which is evident
ly left by the Constitution for settlement
by the Legislature alone.
The evident intention of Mr.. Morgan
to make such settlement of vexed
and dangerous question as shall COM
mend itself by its intrinsic fairness to
the people of the country and shall on
that account be very difficult for future
Congresses to overturn, is in gratifying
contrast to the greedy factiousness of
Senator Conkling. 1t is perfectly plain
that no action at all with reference to
the count is required 20 promote the
partisan interests of the Democrats at
this time. They have both houses of
Congress by majorities which certainly
cannot be disturbed until after the votes
are counted and their partisan interests
would be promoted by leaving Congress
entirely free to adopt such rules as
emergencies might call for when the
emergencies actually arose. It was to
be expected that partisan Republicans
should introduce and urge measures in
tended to limit the powers of Congress
and to force upon the majority disa-
greeable stissue" which should compel
that majority either to accept the Re
publican projects or to appear more anx-
ious for party success than for justice.
No Republican seems to have had inge-
nuity enought to frame such a measure.
The Democratic Senator from Alabama,
on the other hand, has introduced
measure which, by defining them, limits
the powers of the houses with reference
to the count and which is SO obviously
fair that the only objection the Repub-
ican Senators can bring to it is at once
overthrown by a Republican precedent
established bv President Lincoln.