The daily gazette., 1880-12-09
SECOND EDITION
WASHINGTON.
THE PRESIDENTIAL COUNT

w WARRINGTON, Lee. o.-lne OeuO~
cratic members of the House claim
that they drove Mr.. Robson into cor
ner to-day, ana they are in some glee
over it tonight. Mr.. Robson started
in to make constitutional argument.
Nominally debating on the proposed
joint rule regulating the counting Of
the electoral vote by Congress, he was
gong very deep into the whole ques-
tion of the constitutional powers OF
Congress. In nutshell, his argument
was that Congress could never act in
judicial capacity, and, therefore, could
not do more than sit as silent specta-
tor of the declarations made by the
Vice President regarding the electoral
vote. The Democrats paid him a
courtesy which many of his Republi-
can associates did not.
The Democrats seemed to succeed not
so much in mixing Mr.. Robson up by
their skilful fusilade of questions as in
making him dodge. MIR. Hunton, Mr..
Mclean, and Mr.. Springer reminded
Mr.. Robson again and again that he
was not answering the questions that
his argument suggested. They told him
that he was begging the question, or
giving answers to questions they had
not put. The substance of the questions
they put to him was this: Do you claim
that the Congress has no rights decide
which is asproper return and which an
improper one, in case two returns arc
received from any State? Has the Vice
President the sole right to assume this
judicial function? This was skilfully
put to Mr.. Robson in various forms and
illustrated by imaginary cases.
Mr.. Hunton, for instance asked him II
the Two Houses had no right to reject
clearly proved forged certificate of cleo
toral votes in case the Vice-President
determined to count it. 10 this Mr..
Robeson replied that no Vice-President
would count clearly proved fraudulent
vote. Mr.. Cox reduced his question to
writing. 1t supposed that the electoral
certlticate of New York while on the
way to Washington was changed SO a, to
read Hancock instead of Garfield, and
it asked Mr.. Robenson If the two Houses
had no right to decide that such was an
| improper return. Mr.. Robeson's answer
that the duplicate certificates from New
York would prevent any such trouble.
Then Mr.. Mclean crowded him still
harder, and SAID:
"But suppose the duplicates were
similarly changed"' Mr.. Robenson's an
swer, to this was "Suppose The heavens
should fall?"
Thus they kept goading him with
questions until his face became great
ly flushed by the mental exertion re-
quired to keep his wits about him. He
kept his temper, however, not noticing
the keen thrust of Mr.. Cox, who sug-
gested that the Republicans were get
ting ready to count Garfield out, and
who also intimated that if the Repub-
licans continued on this tack the elec-
ton might possibly yet 60 to the
House in a constitutional way, and
Hancock be seated. Mr.. Robson was
goaded with sharp pointed questions
for an hour and half. He did not get
vexed, as Mr.. Keifer seemed to. This
gentleman interfered for a moment,
was nnhorsed speedily by MIR. Huntor
and went back to his seat, where he
was no more heard from. At last the
Democrats let MIR. Robson go on with
his speech, and when he finished the
House adjourned.
| a caucus OIL Inc DenOCIdIAO Lhoh'
bers was held in the hall of the House
of Representatives Immediately aftel
adjournment to-day for the purpose o.
naming a successor to Mr.. Stewart
late Postmaster of the House. Tht
names OF three candidates were sub
mitted and + 'ulted in the selection o
A. w. @. Nowlin, the present Assist
ant Postmaster, he receiving 81 votes
George G. Wedderburn, 80; Silal
Carr, 18. No other business was trans
acted,