Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-12-16
The Electoral Count.

The exploded claim of the Republi-
cans in 1877 that the President of the
Senate alone has right to count the
Electoral vote, is again renewed and
forms the basis for acrimonious debate
and any amount of tilibustering on
the part of the Republican minority
in Congress to establish this dangerous
Innovation upon the constitution and
the precedents of the past. The Dem
ocrats claim that the Electoral vote is
required by the constitution to be
counted by the two houses of Congress
in Joint session assembled. The cleo
tion of Garfield is unanimously adj
mitted, and there is no pretence of
opposition to his Inauguration in Con-
gress or elsewhere. Then why this
effort on the part of the Republicans
10 establish the precedent that the
Vice President alone must count and
Declare the election of the President
Simply because it is a link in the
chain of revolution to wrest power
from the immediate representatives of
the people according to the old Federal
principle, and vest it more directly in
the Executive government. The anX-
iety now on the part of the stalwart
Republicans to affect this innovation
i not difficult of solution. They have
elected a Vice President upon whom
they can rely TO carry through any
project that may be presented in 1884
10 perpetuate their lease of power how
ever the people may decide. Arthur
can be relied upon to give effect to
any emergent scheme that may be
uevised for this purpose, hence their
Iight is for the future, not for the
present. The great struggle between
The Democracy, representing the rights
md sovereignty of the people, and the
aristocracy under the usurped name
of Republican, representing the old
Federal doctrine of the IIamitonian
school, in the Capitalization of power
In the National government, is post
poned until 1884. That the present
agitation of the electoral count is only
preliminary to this great struggle
which must and will determine the
future character of the Government is
evident from the fact that no opposi-
ton is contemplated or feared from
any quarter, in Congress or out of it,
TO the peaceful Inauguration of the
Presidcnt-elect, however it may be re-
GREETED that n man adopting the SEN
timents of Hamilton should have Sc
cured an endorsement by plurality
of votes.
This fight is to be made. All the
acts of the opposition to the Democra-
cy in favor of centralizing powerin the
Executive, and surrounding the polls
Of the people with the creatures of his
power, the abuse of the elective fran
chise, the corrupt contributions of the
money lords to buy up the votes of
States and secure fraudulent results,
are not done to secure n mere Temporal
~ triumph. They are only links in
the chain to create that demoraliza-
lion necessary to make efectual the
Evolutionary design to change the
Democratic character of the govern
ment. The time has come when the
Democracy should look square at the
issue the events hinted at bring to
view. They are not the emanations of
chance circumstances, but show a set
tied policy which the Democracy,
keeping in view the fraud of 1876,
should consider and bear in remem-
brance, and by timely organization be
prepared to resist and overcome.
GALUsHA A. GROW, with his fifty