The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1880-06-03
The Democratic Scheme for Counting
the Electoral Vote.

1t is a striking illustration of the des-
perate feeling prevailing in the Demo-
cratic party that scheme so bad rs the
caucus plan for counting the Electoral
votes can be favorably reported. But
for the bold conspiracy in Maine and
the various seat-stealing operations in
Washington, we should deem it impOs-
sible for so dangerous and revolution
arv a measure to be carried. 1t is in
fragrant opposition to the spirit of the
Constitution, it is contrary to the only
political doctrine the Democratic party
has left, and it is sure TO result in fraud
and Wholesale injustice.
Nothing can be clearer than that the
Federal Constitution requires the Pres
ident to be elected by the States. The
Legislatures are to appoint Electors
in any manner they see fit; the Electors
are to meet in their respective States
and transmit the result of their ballot
ing to the President of the United
States Senate. The laws enacted from
time to time to carry out these provis-
ions of the Constitution establish the
methods by which each State is to de-
termine through its own returning offi-
GERS what Electors have been chosen,
and the proper authorities of the State
are W give W tHC lSiCStOlS SCl-
tificates of title, which must accompa-
nv the statement of their ballots trans
mitted to the President of the Senate.
Nowhere is it so much as limited
that the choice of Electors may
be, or can be, determined, save
in their respective States, and by the
lawful State authorities. The votes
which they are to cast are regarded rs
the votes of the States, not of the peo-
pie; and the States must select their
own agents in their own way. This is
SO plainly in accordance with the DEM
ocratic theory of State Rights that it is
not easy TO see how any Democrat can
bring himself to question it. During
the arguments before the Electoral
Commission, the managers of Mr.. Til
denis case urged this very doctrine as n
plea for rejecting the Hayes votes from
Florida. In the objections to the Re-
publican Electors, Senators Jones,
Cooper and Mcdonald and Representa-
tives ID. ID. Field, Tucker, jerks and
Springer took the extreme gro md that
even if the certificates originally issued
to the Republicans by Governor Stearns
lever had any validity" they had been
annulled and declared void" by the
subsequent action of Governor Drew,
anu also Dy u TeSOlutiOu VI luC
Legislature and Judgment of the SUI
preme Court of the State. 1t would be
! impossible to make broader assertion
of the final and plenary authority of the
State in passing upon the title of its
Electors than by assuming, as the DEM
ocratic managers did in this case, that
after a valid certificate had been issued
| to one set of Electors the State could
annul it and issue another certificate to
a different set, and that its judgment in
this extraordinary and arbitrary course
must be conclusive upon Congress in
counting the votes.
But by the proposed joint resolution
the two houses of Congress are to re-
solve themselves every four years into
a National Returning Board to revise
the figures of the State Canvassers. The
names of all the Electors are to be sub
mitted for approval. before the votes
are counted, and if the two houses
agree in rejecting any vote it shall not
be counted As the two houses are
now controlled by the same party, the
effect of this resolution would be to