Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-12-10
1dnrastcr I..teil.ge,,rtr.
FRIDAY EVENING, DEC. 10, 1880.
The Electoral Count.

1t is very hard for Democratic con-
gressmen to receive Republican appro-
bation. and quite useless indeed for them
to try. They are audaciously assailed
now because they did not at the last ses-
sion enact q law which would prevent
any trouble in making the electoral
count.a the danger to which the cOGn-
try would have been exposed if the re-
suit Of the election was now dis
puted is pictured in the New
York Ii.".s, the leading Republi-
can organ, to the disparagcment of
the Democratic majority in Congress :;
whereas every one knows that at the last
session the settlement Of this matter was
defeated by the opposition of the Repub-
lican minority in the House toa measure
which had passed the Senate.
That measure has come UP in the
House with the opening of the session,
and is again viruIently assaiied by the
Republican members: although it is in
substance the very joint rule governing
the counting OF ti.e electoral vote by
Congress which was adopted by the Re-
publican Congress in 1865, to serve its
purpose IN keeping out the votes of
Southern states. and which WAS MAIN
tanned until lS.5. If il had been contiil-
ucl in force until after the election OF
1876, I'i!den woni.l have been declared!
elected. BY their legislation on this
suh.rct the Republicans have so clearly
d"mon&i rated their disposition to have
the vote counted to suit their existing
eyigcHcy that il is not surprising that they
Should now suspect the Democratic con-
greSs:ncn OF Il similarly sinister design.
Those vino would do evil themselves are
ever ready to HccuS,: every one else OF
being equally mnpri..aipled. Notwith-
standing there is no intjmation Of the
Democratic purpose: to challenge Mr..
Garfield : election, the Republican lead
erS seem to suspect il. An uneasy con-
science probably makes them do SO.
The; h,ay know Of unlawful things
donc 20 elect Garfield, which, if
uncovered before the count in Feb.
ruary. may show him to have been
defeated. They would hardly OF.
pose 50 violently their own plan
Of counting the vote, if they had not
SoEl" knowledge of cause 10 fear Il
future disturbance of the present general
acuGirscnIcc III Garlield's election. They
see in The fact that the Democrats want
t. deprive the vice president of the Ol,-
portUnily to claim the absolute power
of declaring who has been elected, 4
purpose Ia dispute the admitted result
and they seek to retain the advantage
they think they now have.
We are ignorant of any cause for tie
distrust they feel of lhc seating of their
canldatc, although VIC suspect that if
"" knew what the Republican leaders
know, Garfield would never get his place.
The vice president could never give it
to him by in arbitrary assumption of 4
disputed power, if there WAS cause to
challenge his election; and the present
proposition of the Democratic majority
in Congress will not lose it to him if 10
reason appears to distruSt the existing
disposition 10 concede it..
The former Republican joint rule pre-
viIrd that when objection was made 10
the vote "f any state. the concurrence
OF both houses, voting separately,
Shomi,: I've necessary to have it count
ed. y" question could be affirm
already decided without Il concurr;ng
vote. The proposed concurrent resolll-
tinn provides; that any objection offered
shall he made IN writing by ut least two
senators and three representatives : and
that if no certificate is presented from Il
state without objection being made to it,
its vnte shall not be counted unless both
houses. voting separately. shall agree to
il a.: except but enc certificate is presented
frnni tie state. which shall he counted
un!csS both houses aGrtetO throw it out.
These provisions seem fair and, SO far
rs they differ from the former joint rule,
to be an improvement on it. The oSten-
siblc reason urged for opposing their
adoption is that it is beyond the power
OF Congress 10 exercise amy jurisdiction
over the vote. IL We comprehend the Re-
publican argument it is that congressman
sit as mere spectators of the physical per-
fornE,nce Of the wee president in open
ing the envelopes and reporting the
one that suits him best to the teilerS,
who record and add it up. Perhaps,
though. We do not understand
their position. They are so very
slippery that i: i; difficult to
keep track Of their IDEAS. They
change their ground to suit their cil-
cnmstance>: and the only thoroughly
comprehensive thing about their present
performance is their great desire to keep
the count in lie hands of their creature,
the vice president, and to save il from
the touch of Democratic Congress;
and their logic is fitted, rs best they can
do it, to their want.
What His speech Confirms.
Col 1 Wilson Norris who has lpen