Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-05-28
FROM WASHINGTON

THE SENATE PASSES TIL MORGAN RESOLUTION
ron COUNTING TIL ELECTORAL VOTE, AND
THE ELECTION SUPERVISORS B1LI-sP1R1TEp
DEBATEs-yAEIoUs MOTIFS.
In the Senate on Monday last Senator Nor
gans resolution providing for new Joint
rule for counting the electoral vote was pass
ed by q strict party vote. This rule provides
that when the electoral certificate Of State
is objected to the objection shall not prevail
except 10y the concurrent vote Of both Houses
OF Congress. and that when there are con
fctng certificates from IA State, only that
one shall be accepted which shall be approx
ed by like concurrent vote. The old twenty
second Joint rule. which was abrogated be-
fore the last Presidential count, provided that
no certificate TO which objection had been
made could be accepted except 10y "a concur
rent vote of both Houses thus giving the
preference to the objection rather than TO the
certificate itself Under that rule the elector-
al vote Of "a State could be thrown out on
purely partisan grounds IL either the House
or Senate voted to sustain the objection made
70 1t. and under the new one both Houses can
throw out the vote Of o State TO which ublec-
ton Is made. Senator Edmunds eLdeayored
90 prevent this possible DISTINGUISHING Of
States 10y Congress. by having adopted either
as a substitute for the Morgan resolution or
us au amendment 10 it. his own bill. which
was recently reported upon adversely by the
select Senate committee on the electoral
count This bill provided hat whenever ID
dispute arose IL to the validity of conflicting
certificate, tho question should be referred
to the Courts Of the STATE. and their decision
should be binding upon Congress but it was
rejected, and this Congress is not likely 10
give us anything better than the Morgan res
olution. which, although III improvement on
the old Republican, twenty-second Joint ruiz.
still enables a partisan Congress 10y the con-
current action Of both Houses 10 reject the
votes of a. many States a. 1t pleases. OF tind-
necessary TO secure the success OF the Demo
cratic candidate.
The Senate had spasm OF activity Tues
day. and passed about thirty pension bills a.
fast as they could be read. Mr. Bayard then
succeeded il getting his bin to regulate the
term OF office of elective supervisors taken
ny, and the remainder of the day was spent
upon that without reaching vote. the Dem
ocrnt, making no secret OF their purpose 10
remove all the Federal safeguards surround
ing the ballot-bo1 Tho bill provides. among
other things, that no one who now holds or
hns held the Office Of supervisor shall be It
appointed. and Ia this respect j. intended to
legislate COmmlssiouer John l. Davenport
out of office and make hin ineligible for re
appointment On Wednesday the discussion
was renewed. and the bill finally passed
Senator Edmunds made a perfectly unanswer-
able legal argument, establishing the uncou-
htltuuonahty of the measure. and showing
that II II became law 1t would furnish pre-
cedent for making any other class Of citizens
ineligible to hold Office whenever the whIu
or necessity Of party majority il Congress
should render such al act desirable
The Senate has passed Mr. Bayards bill to
pay the marshAls the money due them. but
Mr.. Conklings amendment, making II apply
also to the deputy marshals appointed for du-
Is IL connection with elections. WAS Re elected
10y the solid Democratic MAJORITY. The mp
shot Is that the Democrats IL Congress have
kept the United States government IN the
dlsgraceful attitude OF defAulter toward it,
own employees for nearly year, and then Re-
fused to pay a portion Of them for services
fairly and legally rendered.
There was kind Of poetic Justice il the
introduction of a bill by Senator Wade Hamp.
ton on Saturday appropriating $50, 600 for
marking the localities Of the field OF Gettys-
burg, and for purchasing the information
concerning the battle collected by Col. John
Batchelder and 10y large number OF officers
and soldiers Of both armies. This action Of
the South Carolina Senator. coupled with ms
refusal to vote Kellogg out Of ms seat, show
side Of his character hitherto unsupported
10y Northern Republicans.
1t Is at present very doubtful If Congress
makes al adjournment on the 3lst as pro
posed