Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1881-02-17
Our Washington Letter
WASHINGTON, D. G.
-, 1881.

The counting OF the oioctoi" WV
on Wednesday passed off without
incident worthy Of mention. zen.
Garfield was declared next Presi-
dent and Gen. Arthur V~iee-Fresl-
dent of the United States. Inc
galleries were crowded with q bril-
liant assembly composed mostly OIL
ladies, and every inch of room. on
tn floor of the House, not actually
needed for the accommodation OF
the Joint convention, vas also given
to the ladies.
TIE failure to give actual signlf
icance to the vote of the STATE OF
| Georg a., has so wrought upon the
feelings of the delegation of mem
bers and Electors from . that State,
that they will hardly cooperate
with the Republicans in the next
| Congress to secure the passage of
some law whereby sach emergencies
can be settled in the future without
endangering the peace of the coun-
tcy.
Appropos Of this Georgia matter,
Senator Wallace yesterday culled
up i'll the Senate, and spoke at
length upon his constitutional
amendment, changing the mode of
counting the vote FIR President and
Vice. President. The amendment
though proposed BY a Democrat is
well worthy the mature considera-
ton of every Republican, i'll the
country. 1t is founded upon the
broad principle Of minority repre-
sentation, and under its operations
such troubles as the one of 1876,
will be hereafter impossible. 1t is
proposed by the amendment to di-
vide the States into Presidential
districts equal to the whole number
IF members and senator's from each
state and that the qualified electors
in each of the said districts are to
meet on the Tuesday in December
18th, and thereafter every four years
and that in such manner as may be
prescribed by the e .isldture of the
States, they are to vote for Prcsi-
dent and Vice, President, and that
the result in each district shall be
counted Is IL vote for the candid
ate of the majority Of the electors
in each distri t. The vote Of the
several districts in each State shall
then be certified to by the Governor
of said States, and on the second
Monday in February, the votes from
each State shall be opened in joint
convention by The Speaker of the
House, and the votes shall then be
count d by the two Houses, and the
persons receiving the largest num-
Der for President and Vice-Presi-
dent shall De declared elected.
This and other measures for the
Improvement of our e ectoral system
and for the lessening OF danger
from disputes will occupy consider-
able Congressional attention in the
next four years.
There Is an alarming hitch in the
passage of the River and Harbor
bill this session. The friend of the
bill, |, commerce committee) having
fixed up the appropriations to suit
themselves and distributing Ell ugh
small items among the members to
ere tie Il small sentiment in it's favor,
attempted on Monday last TO pa S
it under the usual suspense III OF the
rules. But the attempt failed, aud
nov if the bill passes at all, it will
have to pass as "a regular appropri-
alton u, AM be subjected to
amendment, which will either Kill it
utt rly or raise the ten millions now
appropriated to fifteen. There was a
small discussion upon it Thursday,
COTTON up more to feel the pulse Of
the House than for anytiling else.
1t was found that every member
who got no appropriation from it
for his district would vote against
it, and that all who did would. The
laws governing the River and Har-
Dor Improvements should be boiled
down 50 as to- exclude duck ponds
and trout brooks.
KAT.