The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1881-02-03
The Electoral Count Once More.

the Democrats are determined to pass
In the House the Morgan resolution in
regard to the Electoral count. They
will find some difficulty in doing so,
arising from several sources. In the
first place, goodly number of the DEM
ocratic members have lost their interest
in the proceedings of the present Con-
gress, and habitually absent themselves
from its sessions. In the next place, of
those who remain, q considerable pro-
portion are much more concerned in the
particular provisions of the varions ap-
preparation bills which affect their dis
tricts than they are in the declaration of
the Alabama view of the proper method
for counting the Electoral votes. Then
there are others who do not believe in
the soundness of the Alabama doctrine,
or in the propriety of insisting upon it
ut the present time; who think, on the
contrary, that there is no shadow of un-
certainty as to who was elected Presi-
dent, or as to who should be duly de-
clared elected. Finally, the Republic
ans are entirely united in the resolution
that no such policy as that invented by
Senator Morgan shall be adopted by
Congress, and that the orderly, timely
and undisputed Inauguration of the
President-elect shall be provided for in
due time, if the power of the minority
is able to accomplish it.
Under these circumstances the deter
mination of a few hair-brained leaders,
to take advantage of the peculiar
situation of affairs to insist upon an
extreme settlement of doubtful
question in regard to the Electoral
count, is not likely to be carried out. 1t
certainly cannot be, unless the body of
Democratic representatives have utterly
lost their ordinary political sense. The
Democratic Party has for to many years
been engaged in winning itself the
reputation of grasping at power on
every technical pretext and sacrificing
the essential purposes of our institutions
to bubbles that might help it along.
The feeling on the part of the country
that the party was not inclined to act
in good faith, and that it was willing to
bring the Government when it had con-
troll into great danger if party advan-
tage could be obtained by perverting the
forms of law at the expense of its sub
stance, had good deal to do with the un-
popularity of the party. If now, because
the party has q majority in both
branches of Congress, and because q
joint rule of the two houses is the
ordinary mode by which their proceed
ings shall be regulated when they meet
to witness the Electoral count, the
majority shall declare that no such
joint rule shall be adopted, and no
count shall take place unless they
are permitted TO assert their extreme
theory as to the method of the count,
the country will be justly indignant.
No one supposes that there is any doubt
as to who has been elected President of
the United States, or as to the duty of
the two houses of Congress to perform
such functions as the Constitution i'm
poses upon them with reference to the
counting of the votes. 1t is hardly con-
cefvable that the Bourbon leaders in
Congress really entertain the purpose
of plunging the country into confusion
over the form of carrying into effect
the unquestioned act of the people,
simply in order to gain the benefit of a
precedent in favor of the Bourbon doc
trine. Such a precedent would have
no binding force. 1t could be upset by
the Senate and House four years hence
should they be Republican. Should
they be Democratic, the theory now ad-
vanced could then be acted upon as
readily, no matter what the present dis
position of the subject might be. Moth
ing less than political madness could
induce the Democrats to stake every
thing upon the passage of the Morgan
resolutions, and if they finally resort to
such q course, it will only be another
proof of the incapacity for the honest
discharge of their duty in public affairs
which they showed in connection with
the last extra session, and their long
and barren struggle to coerce the Ex-
ecutive into the abandonment of his
Constitutional rights.
In q country governing itself under a
written Constitution, the people are
compelled to demand of every party
reasonable forbearance and . whole
some and sensible effort to make the
institutions of the country work easily
and with substantial efficiency. just
as all courts are required. by one of
the oldest and best established rules,
to interpret laws, when there is any
doubt as to their meaning, SO as to
make them operative, if possible, so in
our National Legislature the majority
is in duty bound to SO perform its part
as to give full effect to the Constitution.
II the majority of moment, happen
ing to be intrusted with purely formal
participation in the process for declar-
ing the result of an election, refuses to
perform its task unless it can be al
lowed q narrow, partisan advantage, it
really performs an act of gross and un-
iustiiiable usurpation, of which public
opinion will not fail to take cosni-
zance. No real and permanent ad-
vantage can be gained from any such
trickery. Wehave already been brought
into a situation disagreeable enough,
and even dangerous enough, by the un-
fortunate indefiniteness of the Constitu-
tional provisions regarding the Electoral
count. At that time there was a real
and sincere difference of opinion as to
| the result of the election. Now there
| is none. Then it was a matter of i'm.
mediate consequence on what interpre.
tation of disputed provision of the
| Constitution the action of the two
houses should proceed. Now it is 9
matter of no essential importance what
ever. The party which seeks to en-
force its peculiar views at the risk o.
bringing about anything like the com
plications of four years ago will deserve
and vii! incur. the condemnation of the
country. We believe we are justified
in thinking that there are enough Demo.
Gratis in Congress who appreciate this
fact to prevent any such unfortunate
and disgraceful outcome of the present
situation. We are confident that If il
be threatened the representatives of the
party which is in majority in the
Union, if not in the Congress, viii
know how to prevent it.-N. Y. Times
4 Significant Contrast.
| The action of the Maine Republican,