Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-01-22
FORTY-NINTH CONGRESS-.
SENATE.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 2l

aialr, reported favOrably bill for the relief
of the sufferers BY the wreck of the United
States steamer Tallapoosa. The bill was
placed on the calendar,
Among the bills presented was one by Mr..
Butler TO enable the people of the Territory
of Dakota 10 form constitution and State
government. He said il was intended as a
substitute for the bill already pending. The
new bill is the "Enobling Act" and applies to
the whole territory instead of merely to the
southern portion; referred to the committee
on territories.
bill was introduced BY MIR. Van Wyck
TO prevent the decentralization of American
coin BY certain persons in the United States.
In introducing TINS bill, Mr.. Van Wyck said {:
The senator from Verne nj, Wednesday,
remarked that no parties in the Senate, or
out of il, were seeking to demonetiZe silver
But even now Mr.. Van Wyck continued,
"and tor some time there has been a deter
mlnation or conspiracy on the part of capital
TO demonetize silver and violate the Law S and
constitution" The bill, at Mr.. Van Wyck's
request, WAS laid on the table for the present.
resolution, offered by Mr.. Hoar, was
agreed to, calling on the secretary of the
treasury for information showing the char
scter and amount of claims paid under the
treaties with France of 1908 and 1881, and
the treaty with Spain of 1919, together with
the names OF the claimants.
The Senate then proceeded to the con-
sideration Of the bills on the calendar. The
first bill in order was one 10 divide part of
the Sioux reservation in Dakota into sepa-
rate reservation and to secure the reliuQuish-
ment OF the Indian title to the remainder.
Mr.. Teller protested against the Indian
tribes being treated as independent nations.
bpp M s,i fnr hair
if not as citizens then as wards" of the ma
ton. They should be made self-supporting
as soon as possible.
MIR. Dawes said we had already treaties
with the Indians, and even if We concluded
to make no more we should not violate those
already made
After further debate the bill went over and
the bill to provide for the counting of electoral
votes WAS taken up.
MIR. Sherman then took the floor. He did
not wish, he said, to infict a speech on the
Senate as to this bill, but he wished TO say
that no time was better for its consideration
than the time when there WAS no great po-
litcal question before the country. The mat
ter involved point more dangerous to the
future of the country than probably any
other In most of its features the bill was
not Objectionable to any one. The critical
the fourth section of the bill That section
provided that in case that taere was but one
return from the State the House ould meet
according TO the provisions of the constitu-
ton that the returns should be opened bv
the presiding officer of the Senate in whose
custody they wOu.d then be and that the votes
should be counted; that the mandatory pro-
vision was the only mandatory provision on
the subject in the constitution that the "votes
shall then be counted" There was no mode
pointed out in the constitution bv which the
votes should or might be counted no pro-
visions made TO the settlement OF any di.
pute relating to the legality OF the votes of
electors neither the electors had conformed
to the law of the constitution where one set
or another set of electors have been elected
no provision pointing out any authority of any
person or body to decide which of the two
sets of returns shall be counted; whether the
votes of some of the electors Con account of
ineliglbility Of such electors) should or should
not be counted or to have its vote counted.
There was, however, no declaration that the
president of the Senate, VINO opened the re-
turns should count the electoral votes, or
that the House or Senate should pass on the
question. All that was said was that the
president of the Senate, in the presence of
the Senate and House of Representatives,
would open the certificates and that the votes
shall then be counted. The trainers of the
constitution adopted new provision, but that
new provision has presented many of the
same difficulties that occurred under the old
and to this day Congress has never been able
t. solve any of them. He cited cases where
trouble had been imminent owing to the i'm
perfection of the existing law and he said,
think this a question that We ought to decide
We ought to approach it without regard to
party atfiiation and try, if we can, to decide
this most difficult question OF American pol
itics The objection have to this bill under
consideration i. that it does not solve any of
these questions. 1t does not settle single
one of the questions that have arisen in the
past or that may arise in the future.
Mr.. Hoar's theory i. that when the State
presents itself and by one utterance declares
that this is my action" it shall be counted
as a constitutional act of the State unless
both houses of Congress agree to reject it.
When there are two voices each purporting to
be, of course not each actually, but each pur-
porting to be. a declaration Of the State rs to
what its act. n has been, then it requires the
concurrence of both houses to reject one and
accept the other.
Mr.. Sherman offered an amendment strik-
ing from the bill the clause allowing either
house TO exclude the State and providing that
in case of a disagreement between the two
houses the question in dispute shall be sub.
mtted to joint committee of both
houses, which joint committee on shall
immediately, without debate upon the roll
call of the respective houses. vote upon the
question or questions upon which there has
/ been such disagreement. The decision of a
majority of the members Of the joint com
mttee present shall be deemed final and con
elusive and the vote shall be counted ac-
cordirgly by the president of the Senate
that " hlle the two houses shall be in meeting
As provided in tins act the president of the
Senate shall have the power to preserve or
der, and no debate shall be allowed and nc
question snail be put by the presiding Office
except to either House on motion to with
/ draw, or upon questions upon which the tive
houses have disagreed as aforesaid.
I Mr.. Edmunds said the proposition Of Sher-
man that in case the Senate and House
/ of Representatives disagree in their constitu-
/ tional and automatic capacity a govern
ment of the United States there should be
cons solidated count of heads of 10 Senator.
and 325 Representatives and that the majority
I of all per capita should determine the result
| ''If | were a mouse" said Mr.. Edmunds
land had got to be eaten up by a cat at last
/ | should just as soon be swallowed today as tc
! be undergoing discussion in her claws fol
| three or fOur davs before | WAS swallow ed