Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-02-06
THE ELECTORAL VOTE
The Counting Likily 10 Be Dfa-:-
tiCally Interrupted.
FART OF FAR REACHING SCHEME.
A Petition Protesting Against the Count
ing Of South CarOlina's v ie-ln'
vsstigatiOn Asked For.

CHICAGO, Feb. GA Wash inglon
special snys:
Complications have ariaen which
may iuroish a dramatic interruption
to tho counting Of the electoral votes
next Wednesday.
Representative George Washington
Murray, the only colored mem Der OF
tho HouRe, who represents the
Chayleston district has just relurned
from South Carolina, where he was in
consultation with leading Repub-
licans.
He is armed with petition signed
by thousands OF Republicans protest.
ing against the counting of the Bloc.
toral vote and aaking for an investiga-
ton OF the election lave and state
constitution. The claim is made that
the election laws aud the state COnatl-
tuition upon which they were basel
are not In accord with the FeIeral
Constitution,
While the dispute over the vote In
South Carolina cannot In any way
effect the final result, the best author
tiles agree that the petition cannot be
ignored, and Investigation precedent
elbows that when such protest 10 on.
tered the count must Immediately stop
until the point lie settled. Whatever the
immediate resuit Of this attempt TO
disoredit the South Carolina vote
may be, there lie no doubt that the
program to be thus dramatically In
augurated Is part OF u far-reachiDg
scheme on tho part OF several southern
Republicans to overthrow the registra.
tion and election laws OF several
Southern states where the negro pre-.
dominates, but his vote is Eot factor
he purpose being to secure either
Republican domination OF these
southern states or reduce the Demo.
era 4; representation OF Congress.
SENATOR lIoAR's VIEW ON THE MATT
TER.
WASHINGTON, Feb. q. Senator
Hoar, chairman OF the Senate com.
mittee Oh judiciary, was asked toIny
to express an opinion upon the ques-
tion OF the effect OF an objection to
counting the electoral vote OF South
Carolina, such as threatened by Repre-
| tentative Murray who has charge OF
the petition alleging frauds in the
| South Carolina presidential election,
| in tho Joint assembly for the Two
| houses OF Conareps next Wednesday
| He said: The whole matter 10 covered
by an not OF February 3, 1887, which
pfescribes very clearly the method OF
proceeding in case objection Is made 10
| counting the vote OF any particular
state. The law provides for objections
but 1t requires that all objections be 10
writing clearly settling forth the object
without argument, and that they be
signed by at least one senator as we'll
as at least one represe NATIVE. l.
is further provided TINT no re-
turns shall be rejected from my
state unless there are more than one
return, and when there are more than
one, 1t is directed that only the one
shall be- counted which shall have beel
regularly given by the electors who
| shall have been chosen according to
law. Each state provides its own
tribunal for determining the result OF
its election for Presidential electors,
and when this tribunal has made its
return the governor Ia required to
certify the result OF this action. In
case any objection lie made which
renders 1t necessary for the houses
separately to pass upon the question
involved, the determination OF the
matter must rest upon the Judgment
Of the returning board OF state. We
could not 60 into the legality OF the
returning board OF any Of them"
The senator expressed the opinion
that II put to the test the law would
be found adequate and "all would
work out right" He declined to
express in more direct terms his
opinion ne to the policy of making
such an objection as Murray Ia said to
CONTEMPLATE.