Year: 1877

is said that the counting Of che electo


raj vote by the separate action OF cacl


house is impracticable; that they vii


never agree. As well might it be SAT-


they would not agree to pass appropri


alton bills or to any other measure


to carry on the Government Thl


concurrence of the. two houses o


Congress upon many questions is es


sential to the existence of TIE Gov


ernment, and when the times com,


when either house of Congress per,


slstently refuses to cooperate IN meas


ures of legislation necessary To theex.


istence of the Government, our sys.


tenn is failure. Such state of thing:


is not to be supposed, nor Is it to be
supposed that the two houses of Con.


gress car not agree upon some mode Of


counting the electoral vote that shall


not only have the forms of law, but be


just and right. No man is fit to re.


present the people of this country in


either branch Of Congress who is moi


willing to unite upon some method
| that will insure fair and honest count


of the electoral vote. Let US demand
this of our senator's and representa-
tives. 1t is reproach. both to their
intelligence and their patriotism to
suppose that they can net adjust their
disag greements. No man can have
stronger convictions than | have that
Mr.. TIlden is honestly and fairly en-
titled to the electoral vote of L6uisi-
ana, and therefore elected president,
but / was never afraid to submit a
good case to fair tribunal for decis-
I ion, and to agree to abide theResult.
believe the Returning kd Of
Louisiana had no jurisdiction under
the State law to canvass the vote for
electors of president and vice presl-
dent and reject votes in its discretion.
Others think differently. IF there be
no other way of arriving at decision
of these questions, let Congress ask
the Supreme Court or any other i'm
partial tribunal what the meaning of
the Louisiana law is, and he will be
bold congressman who, after that OBJ
tanned, shall set up his own opinion
against it. 1t is time for me to sug-
gest what method the two houses
shall adopt to bring about an adjust
ment of pending disagreements, but
the people have right to demand
that they.


FIND SOME METHOD OF DOING IT.


There is a power in this country
more potent than the arbitrary acts of
Returning Boards, the edicts of party
leaders, and the demands of partisan
demagogues it is the power of public
opinion demanding what is right.
There is voice which senator's and
representatives, however blinded by
party passion, and conspirators against
fairness and honesty, however high in
authority, will heed. 1t is the voice
of the people. Let that voice be
heard at Washington through resolu-
tions of public meetings and monster
petitions to Congress demanding of
that body to adopt some means which
will prevent the Inauguration of any
man as president through force, fraud,
or corruption, and that will give effect
to the voice of the American people
as constitutionally expressed. If, un-
fortunately, the two houses should
finally fail to agree as to the count of
the vote from particular State, the
result would necessarily be that the
vote would not be counted-and the
president of the Senate In such case
would have no more power to count it
than he would to pass a bill about
which two houses disagreed.


Mr. Dawes, in the debate on Mr..
Morton's bill last session, has shown
this very clearly. He said IF a
question arises about the opening of
vote, whether you shall count it or
not, and those on whom the Constitu-
tion has devolved the duty of deciding
it fail to agree, the legal consequence
is precisely what that bill says shall be
the consequence. 1t can not be count
ed, because those upon which the Con
stitution has devolved the power of
determining it have failed to agree
that it shall be counted, or how it
shall be counted. And because they
fail to agree, and because the Consti-
tuition has not gone further to dispose
of the question, we propose to do so
by statute. The ingenuity of members
of the Senate and House may be ex-
hausted upon selecting the best and
the safest tribunal, but still it will lack
constitutional authority; and, lacking
constitutional authority, it is naught,
and being naught to set up a man as
president of the United States with
out authority is another definition Of
usurpation."


At the close of Senator Trumbull's
address there was lound and long-con-
tiued applause, followed by three
cheers for the speaker.


RESOLUTIONS.


Thefollowing resolutions were unan-
imously adopted:


Resolved, That it is a matter of
comparatively small moment what in
when legally chosen, may for
four years exercise the functions of
president of the United States, but it
is of infinite consequence to the sue
cess of free government that the one
fairly and honestly elected shall be in
augurated, and not the one who has
not been elected. Applause.


Resolved, That the Government of
the United States, being founded upon
the rights of the people to govern
themselves through the ballot-box,
the free and fair exercise Of the right
to vote, and to have the votes, when
cast, fairly counted, is the most sacred
right of the citizen; that all attempts
to abridge or interfere with
this right, inasmuch as they threaten
destruction of our liberties, necessari-
ly tend to inaugurate revolu-
ton; that the deprivation of this right |
upon an allegation of violence or fraud |
in its exercise is the severest penalty |
which can be visited upon American
freemen; that such penalty should,
never be inflicted except upon clear |
proof before competent and Impair
tial tribunal acting under the plain |
sanction of law


Resolved, That it is the duty of Con-
gress to insist with unyielding frmness
upon the maintenance of its constitu-
tional rights and prerogatives, and by
their just and fair exercise to avert the |
perils which threaten the peace and |
the safety of the country.


Resolved, that in the absence of any
stated rule regulating or ordering the
counting of the electoral vote, the two