Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-02-12
The resolution. as amended. was then
agreed to.
THE sENATE's OPINION OF THE AN
-o.r-n- -..r..

THE sENATE's OPINION OF THE AN
NOUNCEMENT.
At five minutes before y O'Clock message
was received announcing that the House of
Representatives would at u O'Clock be ready
to receive the Senate, in order that in Joint
convention both Houses might count the cleo
toral vote.
MessTs. COnger and ngalls-"Letthat stand
over till to- morrow"
1t went over accordingly.
The Chair announced that the concurrent
resolution providing for a joint convention
would now be executed. and at II 80 o'clock
the Senators, headed by the President pro
tempOre and Secretary of the Senate. and,
preceded by the Sergeant at Arms, proceeded
to the House of Representatives At :25
O'Clock the Senators returned to the Senate
chamber, and the President pro tempore Of
the body having resumed the chair, the tel
lers on the part OF the Senate (Messrs. HOar
and Pendleton) appeared, and on their be-
half Mr.. Hoar reported the result of the
electoral count When the tellers' report
was completed the Presi lent of the
Senate repeated verbatim the closing
sentence of the announcement made
by him in the House of Repre- entatives,
relating to the declaration of the vote. That
sentence was as follows: "And the President
of the Senate makes this declaration only as a
public statement In the presence of the two
Houses OF Congress of the contents of the
papers opened and read on this occasion, and
not s possessing any authority In law to de-
clare any legal conclusion whatever"
Mr.. COnger said that he desired as one of
trely dissented from .he declaration that the
President of the Senate or Vice President had
no Ot1er power in announcing that vote than
to announce the fact. and he did not know by
what authority the sentence quoted had been
made part OF the declaration.
SHERMAN'S DISSENT.
Mr.. sherman said: IL also wish for myself
having put on record my opinion on this
question at other un4es-to again assert and
put on record my opinion that the declara-
Gentle
man who presided on that occasion, express
ing his own opinion, and should not be taken
as a precedent, except so far as 1t may COM
mand the Judgment OF measure hereafter. |
believe that the Vice President of the United
states declared and exercised q constitutional
power when he presided over the body to-
day and counted the vote, and that his an
nOuncement of the vote is the conclusive end
of all argument upon the question, and that
IN doing so he not only gave his own opinion
as the result of certain papers given to him,
but he made the only constitutional declara-
tiOn provided for under the existing law of
who is to be President of the United States
after March A."
After remarks from Messrs. Hoar. Lapham
Wilson and Ingalls, on the subject the Chair
(Mr. Edmunds) said that he regarded the
senate as IN no way responsible for the de-
claration made by him. He had performed
his constitutional duty and had on his own
responsibility made the declaration referred
to.
Mr.. Ingalls, offered the following resolution:
HeSOCOe0. lnaJ the senate does not assent TO
the concluding declaration of the President
of the Senate in the announcement of the
vote for President and Vice President of the
United States made in the presence of the two
Houses of Congress this day.
Mr.. Bayard-"Let that go over till to NOR
row."
The resolution went over accordingly.
MIR. HOAR'S RESOLUTION.
Mr.. HOar offered the following resolution:
WHEREAS, The Senate having met the
House of Representatives, in accordance with
the fifth section Of the act of March, 1892, rela
tive to the election of President and Vice
President OF the United States, and the elec-
toral votes having been opened by the Presi-
dent of the Senate in the presence of the two
Houses of Congress, and counted by the tellers
appointed on the part of the two Houses: and
it appearing that the whole numb Der of electors
appointed to vote for President and Vice
President of the United States is 40l, of which
a ma jOrity is pol; and it further appearing
that Grover Cleveland, of New York, had re-
ceived 2l9 votes for President of the United
States, and that Thomas A. Hendricks, of
Indiana, had received 2l9 votes for Vice
President of the United States, which is a
majority of the votes of the whole number of
electors appointed, and the same having been
duly declared by the President of the Senate
in the presence of the two Houses; therefore,
ResOlDed That the Senate is of the opinion
that the constitution and laws have been duly
executed, and that no further declaration OF
these facts is necessary.