The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1880-12-23
THE ELECrOlsAL COUNT.


OF Congress have resorted to all man
ner Of fillibustering to defeat the pas
sage Of the Morgan joint rule fol
counting the electoral vote. and they
aver their purpose to persevere 10 III,
end, at whatever sacrifice of public
interest, TO prevent its adoption. They
insist that a single individual shal
have the power to count the votes ani
determine all questions relating there
10. and to declare the result witlseu
any restrictions upon his authority
whatever. Could anything be NOR,
repugnant to republican principles
than clothing one man with the arbi
trary, despotic power?
The Pittsbnrg Post in the following
article shows the importance of adopt
ing some rule similar to the one nov
pending in Congress for determining
this vexed question:
Owing to some informality or neg
lect, the electors OF Georgia did no
meet on the first Wednesday Of De
SCuOCss os tC4uiICu cy Jaw. duu C0S
their votes tor President and Vice
President, but on a subsequent day
The Constitution and laws are EN-
pha,ic that the electors of the differ
ent States shall assemble on the sam,
day. The Constitution declares -
"The Congress may determine the
time of choosing the Electors, and ih,
day on aDhich they shall giue thei,
cotes, UAich day shall be the sam.
throughout the United States" Con
gress has designsied the day by law
which has stood in force since 1892
the first "Wednesday in December
This year December began on Wed
nesday. and Wednesday, december
was the only lawful day of meeting
AS stated, the Georgia electors die
not meet and cast their votes until ,
later day. Very fortunately, this yeal
it makes no great difference for whom
the vote of Georgia shalt be counted
or whether counted at all. That is, i
will not affect the result; but refusa
State, and counting them will bt
against the letter as well as the spiri
of the law, for the requirement the
electors Of all the States shall vote or
the same day, rests on substantial
grounds. Suppose the Presidency
depended on the vote of Georgia, al
it did in 1876 on the vote of Louisiana
the country would now be divided
into hostile factiens- one insisting the
equities and the will Of the people
should prevail, and the other main.
tanning the strict letter of the law
must be the governing rule. The con-
tingency might lead to very serious
consequences.
The Chicago Tribune demands that
Congress when it assemblies in joint
session shall refuse to count The vote
Of Georgia Its reasoning is partisan,
but it's conclusions are stated as fol
lows: -.
cit has been said the vote Of Geor-
gia should be counted because sat will
make no difference" That is an equal
ly good reason for l. OF counting il. If
it shall be rejected few times when
1t makes no difference. it will come in
proper form when it may make diff
terence. The law of tho United States
requiring all the Electoral votes to be
cast on the same day has sufficient
basis in common sense and practical
utility. 1t is designed to prevent
trading or corruption, and especially
10 insure tho return of the vote TO
in due season and in
proper FORM"
The next question that comes up is
o determine where the power resides
% reject The vote of Georgia. Is it in
he Vice President or the two houses
If Congress The question is one
hat will assuredly haye to be met on
he second Wednesday of February,
" hen the two houses come together to
count the vote. We may be sure there
ire some who will insist that Georgia
,hall not be counted, and others who
will contend that the State shall not
Ose its vote because OF legal tech
This makes manifest the Importance
If action by the House on the joint
'ule now pending in that body, and
which the Republicans are resisting
~ revolutionary methods. Ii pro-
rides an orderly way of discussing
md deciding the question. and one
hat is in accord with an unbroken
inc of precedents from the fOunda
ion of the Government, and bas had
he sanction OF the Democratic, the
Whig and the Republican parties.
That is, that the power to determine
what electoral votes shall be counted
)r what votes rejected resides in Con-
,ress. The Morgan joint rule" as
he Republican twenty.secOnd rule,
provides for the exercise Of this pow
sr with dignity aud precision.
Whether the vote Of Georgia tshall
be counted or not, is immaterial be-
'ide the more important question as
10 who shall decide the point, the
Congress or the Vice President.
The RepublicaDs-or at least some
Arc just now pushing the theory the
has the power. He
has never exercised it-not once in
The history of the Government. On
the contrary, Congress has done so on
many OCCASIONS with the sanction of
the great men of all parties, aud no
party in American history has SO en-
maintained the power of
Congress, as the Republican by the
joint rule, which they
adopted as soon As they got control of
Congress, and held on to as long as
they had power in both branches, and
therefore tho capacity to enforce the
rule.
This is not a trivial question, as
some papers pretend, but one of vast
and far reaching importance. The
Republican claim on behalf of the
Vice President is put forward, not
that it is Of any practical account to-
day, but because four years hence the
power will be in the hands of Arthur
"a man of most shameless political
and official character, kicked out of
office by Hayes and Sherman for brib-
sry, corruption and incapaclty-be-
cause. we repeat, in 1884, if the claim
IS allowed this man Arthur will hold
he decision of the Presidency in the
hollow of his hand.
Taxation of Greenbacks.
The bill introduced by Senator Nc.
Donald. of Indiana, to authorize the