Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-02-16
The Electoral Count.

Of the representatives to complete the for
malities prescribed by the constitution for
determining and declaring the result of a
presidential election. Events had long ago
discounted active interest in the last formal.
tiles connected with the late election. The
one notable and striking feature attending
the ceremony was the striking contrast,
present in all minds and which found ex-
preston on every hand, between the tame
and spiritless proceedings attending this
count of the electoral vote and the stormy
scenes, trembling on the verge of revolution,
of four years ago. Then the passage of the
custodians of the electoral certificates from
the senate to the house was guarded by
double lines of policemen in uniform, while
numerous detectives in the press of specta-
tors watched with undisclosed vigilance for
the outcropping of any movement to lay
violent hands on the boxes which contained
the verdict of the people. In the barracks
in the city of Washington powerful mill
tary force slept on its arms to enforce, if &C.
casion arose, the retiring presidents deter
mination to hand over the government in
tact to his legally constituted successor. On
Wednesday the customary guardians Of the
peace were sufficient to maintain order about
the capitol, and there were no soldiers in
Washington TO overawe turbulent and rev.
dictionary populace which the incendiary
appeals of demagogues and conspirators had
summoned to the national capital. The in
stallation of a country parson could hardly
have been accomplished with less exciting
or more peaceful incidents. The feeling in
Washington was an index of the feeling
throughout the nation. There were no
anxious crowds besieging the newspaper Of
fees or greedily clutching the daily papers
as the railway trains distributed over the
land the record of the progress Of contest
upon the issue of which
" Humanity, with all its fears,
With all the hopes OF future years
was hanging with breathless suspense. Peo-
pie waited on Wednesday with mild curl
osity to read the account of the final formal
tiles of contest which, in fact, commenced
four years ago and which was waged with
conspicuous rancor and bitterness until sub
mitted to the final arbitrament of the people
on the second day of November. They read
a dull and formal record of the barren fact
that at the appointed hour the senate, pre-
coded by its officers, having in custody the
electoral certificates, proceeded to the house
of representatives. The vice president, as
suunng the chair of the presiding officer,
announced the object of the joint assembly,
and proceeded to open in alphabetical order
the packages purporting to contain the votes
of the several states of the Union. These
packages were handed in turn to the tellers,
who reported the votes and entered them on
their tally sheets. The totals were reported
to the joint convention as they would stand
if the vote of Georgia should be counted, and
also as they would stand if the vote of that
state should not be counted. 1t appeared
that James A. Garfield as president, and
either case PA electoral votes; that Winfield
S. Hancock and William II. English had,
counting Georgia's eleven votes, 1876, or, if
not counted, IA electoral votes; that the
total vote was 1863, of which 1S5 was ma
jority. Garfield and Arthur having received
independently of Georgia's vote, majority
of all the electoral votes, Vice President
Wheeler declared them duly elected pres
ident and vice president respectively of the
United States for the four years common
cling on the 4th of March next. This declar-
alton was received with loud applause by
the republicans and with an emphatic ejac-
ulation of good" from Mr. Conkling. The
democracy exhibited that praiseworthy de-
gree of resignation displayed by the Dutch
mans wife in the presence of death-re-
signed, because, "Mein Colt, she had to be !"
After the senate had withdrawn resolution
was offered in the house reciting the facts
ascertained in the joint convention and de-
claring that no further declaration of these
facts is necessary. When the negative vote
on this resolution was called, Mr.. Thomas
Turner of Kentucky amid the otherwise
profound silence that reigned, loudly re-
sponded, "Nol"
During the count Senator Edmunds care
fully tailed the vote of each state, and, as
usual, proved much more efficient "scorer"
than either Mr.. Hamlin or Mr.. Thurman, the
official tellers on the part of the senate.
Their tally sheets were found to be full of
errors, giving Garfield states to Hancock
and vice versa. On one sheet Vermont's vote
was given to Hancock, and it is stated that
a proper footing of Senator Hamlin's tally
list would have given majority of votes to
Hancock. Incapacity for correct figuring
Of political results seems to be a weakness
of the Maine senators.
Not a whisper was heard of the false
charges 80 loudly shouted by the democracy
after the November election that the cleo
toral vote of New York was obtained by
fraud. The leaders Of party which three
years ago had brighter prospects than ever
before gilded the future of any political Or
ganization, had they made patriotic use Of
the advantages which circumstances had
thrown at their feet, were compelled To
sit silently by and see the grand prize, for
which colossal contest had been fought
passed for the sixth successive time into the
hands of their opponents by a verdict SC
mandatory in its imperious clearness that
the brazen effrontery which had set the
country agog with apprehensions of evil was
shamed to utter silence, and would doubtless
have preferred to endure grand fusilade Of
political rocks and mountains TO the ordea
through which they passed on Wednesday
The bitterest disappointment cannot poin
TO flaw in General Garfeld's title to the
presidency. The practical settlement of al
belligerent political questions paves the wa,
for studious devotion TO the arts of peace
A great-brained, great-hearted man, ricl
in statesmanlike experience, will enter with
out controversy or bitterness on the dis
charge Of the duties of his high office. H,
will be the president of fifty million people
That rivalries, political rancor and sectiona
animosities will disappear like "exhalaton
that rise from hill or steaming lake in tn
sunlight of his administration, we firmly be
ieve.
BIBLE REvIsIoN.-Rev. DIR. Philip Schai
of New York, president of the American