The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-12-09


will have exhausted the discuesion on tn
other proposition.
Mr.. Conger: Why should the gentlema
wait with such On important public meal
ure for the discussion Of political quei
tion2
Mr.. wood-I am not obliged to answe
that question, and l move to dispens
with the morning hour. !,
!. This motion was defeated blythe Reput
licans and the Speaker called the Commit
tees. No bills, however, Of public char
acter were reported.
Mr.. McCook, OF New York, introduce,
0 Joint resolution authorizing the Presi
dent to place U. s. Grant on the retiret
list OF the army with the rank and pay
general, as q recognition ofhisemminen
services. Referred.
The Senate bill passed witk the amend
ment removing the political disabilities o
J. NJ. Heiskle, OF Maryland. Subsequent
" Conger stated that he understood thu
Senate bill Just passed had another objec
than the removing Of disabilities, and ask
ed that II be retained on the Speakers ta
BILE for the present. So ordered.
Mr.. Buckner, Chairman OF the Com
mittee on Banking, introduced the iol
lowing as o substitute Tor the funding
bill, and 1t was referred to the Committee
on Ways and Mesns:
Be il enacted, ETC; First-That In lieu oi
bonds, authorized to be issued by an acl
OF July 4,h, 1870. entitled the act to au:
thoriEe the refunding OF the National
debt. and acts amendatory thereof,
the Secretary OF the Treasury ia
hereby authorized to issue Treasury
notes Of the United States In amount OF
not more than $500 000, 900, in denomina-
tons OF not less than $40, and bearingin-
tereet at rate not exceeding four per
cent per annum, OF which said notes, not
more than $50 600, 900 shall mature each
year from the date Of their issue, and said
notes shall be disposed Of by the Secretary
OF the Treasury, at not less than par and
the proceeds thereof shall be applied TO
the payment OF the Eve and six per cent
bonds Of the United States, maturing dur.
ing the year 1881; or the Secretary may ex'
change said Treasury notes for said bonds,
on such terms as he may deem most ad-
yantageous to the United States.
Second=Thst the Secretary OF the
Treasury is authorized to make suitable
regulations tor disposing OF SAID treasury
notes to the best advantage to the govern
ment, and all the expenses attending the
same shall not exceed one-fourth OF one
per cent OF the notes disposed OF or ex.
changed.
Third-That the sum OF Sl00, ,000, 900 OF
coin in the Treasury Of the United States
be set apart as fund for redemption OF
notes known as legal tender notes and any
surplus OF coin over aud above said sum
and belonging to the United States re-
naming in the Treasury shall be used by
the Secretary OF the Treasury In purchase
or redemption on account OF the sinking
fund OF any said six per cent bonds
maturing In the year 1881.
The House resumed consideration OF the
Senate concurrent resolution relative to
the electoral count.
Mr.. Willis was the first speaker, he or.
gued in opposition to the the theory that
the right TO count the electoral vote was
vested in Congress.
Mr.. Robeson said the present resolution
involved the question whether the elec-
ton OF the President should be made BY
the electors appointed by the States, or
whether it should be practically left to ir-
responsible parties.
Mr.. Warner-0r to the Vice President.
Mr.. Robeson replied that the gentleman
assumed too much. He assured the gen.
tleman that until be laid down his propo.
sitions the gentleman could not guess what
they were.
The present resolution declared that
Congress had the right to decide judicially
ON the quality, character and effect OF the
electoral votes. Congress had power to
do nothing except what the Constitution
gave It the power 10 do, and what
was that q legislature power. 1t was
a legislature organized to mako
the laws, not a court organized to pro-
nounce on the operation OF the laws. His
objection to the present resolution was
that Congress had no power to act iudici-
ally upon TO reject or 10 receive the'vote
OF any State. II was violent assumption
that there resided in Congress, under tho
Constitution, (which loudly omitted to
say that Congress should have power to
count the votes) any latent power, In o
convention which excluded even the inhe-
rent legislative power oil Congress. He did
not contend that the Vice President, in
the discharge of bis ministerial function
OF opening all certificates, had any power
10 act luulClhlly. he lluulteN Lne pVnei u
the Vice President by the written words
Of the Constitution itself, just as he limited
the power OF Congress. Every argument
in favor OF the right OF Congress to count
the votes was equally as strong in favor Of
the right Of the Vice President.
Mr.. Hunton said that II he understood
the proposition Of the gentleman from
New Jersey he held that neither the two
Houses OF Congress nor the Vice Presi.
dent bad any power over the subject OF
the electoral vote, except merely to enum
crate, add and declare the result. He
wished to ask the gentleman to state how
he would meet difficulty OF this sort:
Suppose that q committee OF the House
should report that the electoral eertlheate
OF any State was a forged certificate. In
that event who would have power 70 pass
on question Of forgery. Tri
Mr.. Robeson declared Il to be Lis opinion
that the Vice President, neither BY reason