The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-02-03


CORE. pondcnt teiegraphs TO that journal as
follows:
"sena,or Logan said to-day that he did
not see how the vo'e OF Georgia could be
counted. ms n was not east on the day pre-
scribed by law. He did not think there
would be any difficulty about arriving D,
the result. however, as II neither house took
any action on tho subject az q rue, tue
Vice. President could issue o notice 10 'ne
eeIec, that en- the day named Tor tue ceie'
mony he should open the returns IN Tue
sensre chamber, and all who wisheo 70 DC
nreseni could come. The tellers wouiu 'heh
be appointed In the usual way, ana the
count would proceed, and the result W ue'
c,ared."
That seems 10 throw some light upon Mr.
! EpuuxDs's recent uiterances. the Cohsu-
tu,iou OF the United States provides that the
two houses OF Congress shall be together
and witness The counting Of the votes Tor
President; but Mr.. EDMUSDs and General
LOGAN think that the President OF the SEN
ate can perform the work satisfactorily IN
the absence Of the House Of Representatives,
he being a Republican, OF course. III So no
particular number OF the members OF ei'ner
body need be present. But the TACT Is tue
Constitution requires that each Douy must
be present as an organized body. 10
constitute an organized body, there mus'
be present quorum. These are The re-
oniremcnts OF the Constitution. Yet Me,srs.
EpyuNps and LOGAN give II as their opinion
that Vice.President WHEELER can notii'
the House and the public that he VIII open
the returns In the Senate chamber, mot 10
the hall Of tho House OF Representatives.
where they have nearly always been open
ed,) and on the day fixed upon proceed 10
omen the certificates and count The votes.
II he has the right thus 10 elect ano'her
man, he would have had the same rignt mus
70 elect himself il he bad run on the ticket
with Mr.. GARFIELD. II follows that IL
Nes>rs. GARFIELD aud Arthur are again
candidates in 1885, as seems now TO be the
universal expectation, Mr.. Arthur VIII
have The ricbt to count himself into elect
himself!
But more and worse: II it is GOT neces'
sarv for The House OF Representatives to be
pres mt as an organized body when tue
vote, for President and Nicc'Pfesdent OF
the United States are counted. then IL Is iih-
pos.IbIe that il can be necessary for The Sen
ate 10 be present a. an organized body, see
ing that TIC words OF The Constitution
which apply to the one body are the same
words aud tic only words which apply 10
the other body. Those words are as iol-
lows
..Tbe Presdcnt OF the Senate shall, in
tho nreSence Of the Senate and House OF
REPRESENTATIVES, oCen all the certificates,
and the votes shall then be counted"
Clearly, nolhipg more is required OF the one
house than of The other. Tuis proposition
is too plain to be disputed.
Tue crowung act Of usurpation Is, bow
ever. to be found in the claim OF the pfesi-
dent Of the Senate 10 count the vote; that
il, except as the mere ministerial oihcer-
the mere servant-the mere band-of tue
two houses, aud counting IN TIER presence
as organized bodies, and therefore by their
advice and consent. Tue trainers OF the
Constitution were masters OF the English
language. They knew bow to expires, Their
meaning 10 words. And it is impossible 10
conceive that if they had intended the presi'
dent Of the Senate to count the votes they
would not Lave made the sentence above
quoted end with the words "count the
votes" and the whole sentence to read as
follows:
"The President OF the Senate shall, in
the presence Of the Senate and House OF
Representatives. open all the certificates aud
count The votes
The turn Of the sentence and the use OF
The words "the votes shall then be count
ed" is clear proof that the trainers OF the
Constitution intended that Congress should
provide means OF counting The votes by
the two houses. General LOGAN and Mr.
EpMUNDs, therefore, would countenance
Mfr. WHEELER in committing an inexcusa-
bic aud outrageous act OF usurPalion.