The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-01-22
RETURNS OF THE STATES.
GRHAT CARELEssNEsS IN SEND
ING IN CERTIFICATES.

The Methods SO slipshod That Chaos
Would Have Been Caused Had the
Election Been Olose-Many of the
Messengers Not Provided With
Credentials.
WASHINGTON, Jan. N.-The certificates
Of all the states of the votes cast for Presi-
dent and Vice President ought TO be In the
hands Of the president Of the Senate by
Monday next As a matter of fact four
teen states have failed 30 far TO comply wish
the law by sending on their electoral oer-
tifioates by messenger, and many of those
states which have complied with the law
have done so In SO slipshod manner that
IL the late election had been In any way
close, official ascertainment Of the result
under the constitution and laws might have
been made almost impossible, and the whole
government might have been thrown into
chaos.
NOT PROVIDED WITH CREDENTIALS.
One of the first things to be noted 10 that
many Of the messengers purporting to bring
on the action OF the states have come utterly
unprovided with credentials. Kansas was
one of the most conspicuous offenders I'm
this respect. The eminent populist delegated
to bring on the vote Of the bleeding state
was presented to the president Of the Senate
by Senator PETER, Congressman Jerry
Simpson and one of bis colleagues, who
vouched for him, but their voucher In the
absence OF the slightest scrap Of writing
from the electoral college was nos
the kind of voucher that the
treasury department required in order
n eriu him his fnilannA and diam for
bringing on the vote. As Senator PETER
finally and sorrowfully said: "The only
thing left for US il TO pay his way back to
Kansas ourselves and trust to the state to
reimburse u.s."
PACKAGES NOT INDoRsED.
This is not the only case OF the kind.
Many of the packages brought by the mes
senRers have had nothing on the outside to
indicate their contents. Two states sent
| their votes to the President Of the United
| States" instead OF to the President of the
| Senate" and Idaho sent her vote 30 the
| Secretary OF State. 10 was a marvel OF
| good luck that none Of these packages was
| torn open and thus rendered invalid. Many
| states have failed to indorse on the package
| what it contained. Some messengers have
been able to say that there was a
sealed and indorsed package inside
the outer envelope. In that case the
president OF the Senate has opened the outer
casing aud found duly certified package
inside In other cases the messengers have
said they did not believe there was any
sealed inner package. and In those instances
the envelopes have been put in the Senate
safe and left untouched. They may contain
the electoral vote or they may not. The
| president of the Senate has only the word
| of the messengers to assure him that these
| packages actually contain the votes Of the
states as represented. Some one might have
changed the packages on the messengers.
| All of the states have transmitted their
| electoral votes by mail and have been res
oeived by the president Of the Senate.
THE MESSENGERS STILL DUE.
The following states have not yet sent
their electoral votes by messenger, at least
they have not yet been received by tho
president OF the Senate: Colo~
RADIO, Connecticut. Florida, Georgia,
Indiana. kentucky. Montana, North
Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South
Dakota, Tennessee. Washington and Wis.,
consin-l4. OF course these states have
under the law until Tuesday next, the law
knowing no part OF the day, "the fourth
Monday in January" would run till Tues