The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-02-14

state University.
THE sneer that the Republicans who now
defend the right Of the President of the Sen
ate to count the electoral votes will be on
the other side of the question in 1889, when
Democratic Vice -president will probably be
in Office, could only come from an ''inde-
whose mind is SO petty and narrow
as to be incapable of entertaining any
but such paltry idea. The power
had never been questioned until 1877. The
doctrine is advocated now by the same men
who advocated it then, though its adoption
would put the power so much feared into the
hands Of as intense a Democrat and partisan
as ever occupied the chair of the Senate. We
are perfectly willing to leave this "power"
with Mr.. Hendricks, as with any Democrat or
Republican. We do not doubt that it would
be properly and constitutionally exer-
cised The use of this ''power' has
nothing to do, necessarily with the question
of deciding possible disputed electoral votes in
the States. That possibility should be pro.
ovided for by law compelling the States to
settle any dispute for themselves The voice
of the States settled by the States-as it
should be--there could be but one Certificate"
go up to the President of the Senate from
any one State; and then the power to open
those certificates, and to count the votes fol-
lows in the natural and orderly proceeding of
the Constitution. The only difficulty in the
way is in the determination of what is the real
vote of State The State should settle that
for itself. To propose that such dispute
may be settled by Congress is in direct repug-
nance to the fundamental theory of the
Constitution in its regulation of the
coordinate departments of the gov
eminent. The controversy about this
power of the President of the Senate, and
the proposal to refer possible dispute over an
electoral vote to the Congress, or to the
House of Representatives, arises, as it seems
to us, from misapprehension of the
real danger attending the present method
of electing a President, and of a
marvellous misapprehension of the spirit
of the Constitution, which, by the most care
full provisions excludes Congress or the
House of Representatives acting as body
from any connection with the choice of the
executive. Provision being made for the set
Element of disputed votes by the several States,
the "power" of the President of the Senate
to open the certificates and to count the votes
is simply the exercise of sufficient sense to
determine between legal and properly au-
thenticated Certificate" and a comic valen-
tine, and the ability to add up two columns of
figures. And yet, out of this, some people
have conjured up ''power' that threatens to
disrupt the government, overthrow liberty,
and bring about a wreck of mat
ter and crash of worlds. It is
the old and oftrrepeated gymnastic exercise in
logic, of setting up man of straw and be-
laboring him as though he were something
alive. 1t is to be hoped that. as result Of
the discussion, Congress will be driven to the
adoption Of some law for the settlement, be-
yond question, Of the validity of the vote of
State by the State itself; that done, we shall
never again hear of the awful possibilities con-
cealed in the power to "count the votes"