The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1881-01-27
The Morgan Joint Rule.

~ IL luiuOICo ia w tilbe IhO
Democrats are making "still hunt to
secure the attendance of q sufficient
number of their own members in the
House of Representatives to constitute
q quorum and then push through the
Morgan joint rule for counting the Elec-
teral vote which passed the Senate at
the last session. As the proposition is
in the shape of joint rule of Congress,
it will not come under the Executive
supervision and will escape the review
of the Judiciary branch of the Govern
ment. Thus partisan majority of one
of the three coordinate branches of the
Government, to the exclusion of the
other two, proposes to determine the
most important and vexed question of
the day.. What does this meanp
The joint rule in question proposes in
effect that the objection of either House
shall operate to defeat the counting of
the vote of any State. There is no ne
cessity for this or any other rule. The
election of General Garfield is conceded
by all parties. 1t would be supreme
folly for anybody to deny this fact.
There is nothing to do but to count the
votes that have been properly certified
under the law. All that remains to be
done is a simple matter of computation.
The counting may proceed as it did
during three-quarters of q century.
There will be no party nor individual to
dispute the result. Then why do the
Democrats insist that rule shall be
adopted under these circumstances
which shall enable either House to re-
ject any votes that have been castp
Congress has its hands full of busi-
ness of an urgent nature. 1t is stated
that the passage of ali the necessary Ap-
preparation bills will require four of the
sefen weeks which remain in the pres
ent session. The Refunding measure is
scarcely second in importance to the
Appropriation bills, and there is now
SO WIDE difference of opinion in both
Houses as to the terms and conditions
under which refunding should be under
taken that the discussion of the meas
ure will probably consume considerable
time. The report of the Census Bureau
is ready. and the necessary information
will be furnished to Congress for pro-
ceeding with the new apportionment,
which ought to be made at the present
session in order to enable the various
Legislatures to redistrict in time for the
elections to the first Congress under the
new census. The friends of National
railway supervision, who include the
great mass of the American people
without regard to party, are anxious
that some agreement upon this subject
shall be reached at once. There are
numerous other measures which appeal
to Congress with urgency, and it is clear
that it will not be possible to accom-
plish at the present session all that
ought to be done. Then why do the
Democrats propose to consume time
and resort to their partisan majority,
which has already been repudiated by
the people, to pass joint rule which is
in no sense necessary if they intend to
count the vote honestlyP
This state of things leads up to an
inevitable inference that the Democrats
contemplate misunderstanding, and any
desperate effort to force through the
proposed rule will be so regarded by
the people. They have no right to put
this temptation before themselves, if
they do not actually intend to make a
dishonest use of the opportunity the
proposed rule will give them. The
vexatious question of electing the
President and counting the Electoral
vote ought to be settled deliberately
and finally by a Constitutional amend
ment, upon which not merely all the
branches of the Government, but the
people themselves through their local
Governments, should pass judgment
The proposition to settled it tenn.
porarily by mere rule of Congress,
and in such manner as will give q
partisan majority in either House an
opportunity to defeat the will of the
people, and at time when no settle
ment of the question is necessary. Is
vicious on its face, and tho Democrats
can only argue it ct their peril
Chicago 7ribNne.