Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-02-12
oht to be called President-elect.

right to be called Presldent-elect.
The members arose and the Senate
filed up the center ailse and took the
places which had been assigned to
them. Among that grave body the
faces of many famous men were seen,
but two were conspicuous for their
absence. These were the premier of
the next administration and the
leader of the Grant guard, the
stalwart 3O6, Blaine and Conkling,
great men, both, and great enemies
as well. The latter put in his APP
pearance later in the proceedings,
prancing and passing up the man
aisle, the observed of all observers,
like well-fed, well-groomed stallion
at country stock show.
At 1910, the ice-President took
the chair and Immediately the hush
of death fell over the vast throng.
He annouced that, in accordance
with the provisions of the Constitu~
ton, he would Immediately proceed
to open the returns, and they should
be counted. With this he fell to, not
unlike green oystershusker, break
the seal of the returns from Alabama
and handed it to the tellers. It was
then read, with all its "to-wits," y
''whereases, "saids,' &C., ten minutes
being consumed in the reading. The
same programme was observed with
Arkansas, and everybody was bored
to death with it's prolixity and dull
ness. This slow process did not
suit the nervous great men, and the
proposition to omit the formalities
met with unanimous consent, The
count then went on swimmingly
until Georgia was called. A sensa-
ton went all over the audience and
everybody leaned forward with ILL
restrained eagerness. The suspense
was increased when the irrepressible
Springer bounded to his feet and de-
handed that the full text of the re-
turns be read. This seemed to jndi
safe that a scene was approaching,
and old Aleck Stephens who, in his
invalid's chair, had been occupying a
place in the area before the Speakers
desk, hyrriedIy wheeled himself out
of the chamber. When the teller
was half through the papers, Spring
er arose and withdrew his request.
All knew now that no bone of con-
tention would be raised and the fur
ther proceeding commanded no at
tention until the tellers began to add
up their sheets. One of them arose
and the crowd was quiet enough for
the traditional "pin dropping. He
announced the result to the Vice.
President and the latter in deep,
solemn tone, announced to the CON
vention that, "Were the returns from
Georgia counted, the vote would be:
For Garfield, .214; for Hancock, 155.
Were it not counted, the vote would
stand: Garfield, 214; Hancock, IA. "
He then proclaimed 'James A. Gar
field, of Ohio, and Chester A. Arthur,
of New York, President and Vice
President of the United States for four
years, beginning the 4th of March,
and the work was over. A little
applause ON the Republican side fol-
lowed the announcement, but ther~
wise the crowd was very undemon-
strative.
This is the end of the Morgan
resolution, and the incapacity of the
majority is apparent to all. The
great question of the Constitutional
method for counting the electoral
vote is no more settled than it was
seventy years ago, and the chances
of an extra session are growing
brighter every day. Twenty-one
days from now " samrandallism "
will die of pure hamilton, and the
46th Congress will go down in his
tory as convention of incapacity,
ignorance and malice, which can
never be equalled. "DERF.'