St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-01-22
THE ELECTORAL VOTES.
Senators Discuss the Presidential
Count Bill AT Length.


troduced an enabling act in the senate for
the admission of Dakota as a whole. Mr..
Van Wyck introduced bill To prevent the
decentralization of American coin by certain
persons in the United States. maintaining
that a conspiracy existed on the part of
capital 10 demOnetiZe silver. Capital was
arrayiEg itself against the laws and the
prosperity OF the people. against the inter
eSts Of the masses and of labor. The bill
was laid on the table at Mr. Van Wyck'S
request. The first bill was that 10 divide
part of the Sioux reservation in Dakota
into a separate reservation. and TO secure
the REIMBURSEMENT of the Indian title 10 the
remainder. The bill went over and the
electoral count bill came up. Mr.. Sherman
took tine floor and said:
When the senate is clearly on one side Of
party politics. and the house Clearly on the
other, now, If ever, the matter should be set
tied or some basis of principle. The only
mandatory provision on this subject in the
constitution i that the returns shall lie
opened by the presiding officer Of the senate.
and that the votes shall then be counted. No
provision has been made as the settlement
of any dispute relating To the legality of the
votes of the electors All that IS said is that
that the president, in the presence of the SEN
ate and the house of representatives,, shall
open the certificates, and the votes
SHALL THEN BE COUNTED.
The objection I have to this bill under con-
sideratiOn is that il does not settle "A single
one OF the questions that have arisen i'm the
past or that are likely 70 arise In the future.
The bill makes distinction between the re-
turns OF the votes of electors from states
where there Is one return and the vote from
states where there are two returns or papers
purporting TO be returns. This is distinction
without difference, because, in any case of
dispute that may arise. the manufacturing
or creating of two returns is the easiest pos
SIble process by which TO present the QueS-
ton involved. If there be but one return
then the bill provides that the return shall
not be excluded except by the concurrent
vote of the two houses. If the two houses
admit the single return il is held to be con-
elusive. II the two houses agree as to proper
count. then the vote Is counted upon that sin
gle return, hut suppose that single return
presents this question. Suppose it appears
from evidence on file that some of the elect
ors claiming 10 he elected from disputed
state were ineligible. as that they were mem
bers of congress. or officers of courts, or Off
GERS OF the United States, ana there
fore ineligible for the electoral Office.
now would that question he determined where
the matter in dispute cid not 20 To the whole
electoral ticket, but only to a part or it,?
Many cases could be mentioned where il
would not be right TO count the vote of u
IL
should il he counted, and by whom should it
be counted where the two houses disagreed:
Where the two houses agree they might be
regarded the best judges. but If they disa-
greed why give TO the opinion OF one house
myre weight than TO the opinion of the Otherg
Why say that
N 4 CASE OF DISAGREEMENT
the votes shall be cOun;edE The bill provided
that, in case there is n division of opinion
between the TWO houses, the vote shall be
counted. But what voter The whole vote or
part of the vOte< / can see that. If both
houses agree TO reject the vote, it is as
good evidence a. we could have that it ought
10 be rejected; but even that is very dan
gerOus power. That allows congress, which
had not been armed with any constitutional
power. however, over the electoral system, TO
reject the vote of every elector from every
state, without proper cause, provided the
two houses are in accord on il.
Mr.. Sherman then offered an amend
ment-
Striking from the bill the clause allowing
either house TO exclude vote, and providing
that, in case of disagreement between the two
houses, the question in dispute shall be sub
United 10 a joint convention of both houses,
which joint convention shall Immediately,
without debate, upon the rOll-call of the re-
spective houses. vote upon the question or
questions upon which there has been such
disagreement, and the decision of the major
ity OF the members OF the joint convention
present shall be deemed final and conclusive,
and the vote shall be counted accordingly
and be announced by the president of the
senate; that while the two houses shall be in
meeting as provided in this act. the president
of the senate shall have power TO preserve
order, and no debates shall be allowed
and no question shall be put by the presiding
officer except to either house. on a motion TO
withdraw, and upon questions upon which
IA
Edmunds strongly opposed the amend
ment, and Mr.. Evarts favored it as Offering
an opportunity to the senate to overcome
the majority of the house by the vote of the
united body. The senate then adjourned
till Monday.