Show WtSIHN eTON The Vasa Events at the Capitol Capi-tol jively Debate in Lice Sense on the Electoral Count otlaer Intercstlnc Matters Washington 7By changos mado to day in the Senate committees Blair succeed suc-ceed Ingalla on the pension committee and Sharon on the education committee The Senate decided to appoint select committees com-mittees on civil services Vest chairman electoral law on Morgan chairman OD epidemic diseases Harris chairman on elecion frauds Wallace on Nicaragua olaime Hampton chairman on the Freed mens bank Bruce chairman on the bill Ting the cabinet seats ii the House Pendleton chairman on library Voorhees chairman Tnt committees discontinued are Voorhees negro exodus Davis treasury investigation investiga-tion Kiikwood Cheyenne Indians The discussion in the Housetoday as t < whether the joint resolution on tee else toral count was a queetion of privilege brought out sharply tbe two sides of toe question really involved the democrat Holding that the Huuso alone could judge whether a contingency had arisen which would demand of thu House tbo counting of the vote for president and vice president presi-dent while the republicans headed b Ltobeson Leid that the aou = o could not by t appointing tellers elect a president nor could it create the contingency in wbichit claimed the right to count the vote They could only bo notfied of I such contingency by too Senate If tbe president of the Senate declared tbo president presi-dent elected ho is eltctd Reagan declared de-clared that the preident of thu Senate was only the medium between the two houses whereon Conger mad an oa borao argument technical and general in its logic and he held that the speaker could only declare this a privileged question on some wild theory revolutionary revo-lutionary in itself that the country had barely escaped revolution revo-lution and was tnreated gain and again with some danger Hooker replied to Conger quoting full precedents etc Robeson Updegr Whittuorne and others took part in the debate the Utter asserting that tho pending presidential election was in no wise concerned in this matter Garfield had been electd by the people and ho for one should see that he was inaugurated The speaker said tho chair desires to say that tbe Twelfth Article of the Constitution provides pro-vides fur the counting of the elecaral vote and section 142 of the Revised Statutes Sta-tutes provides that tbe electoral 1 vut chest bJ ascertained ana declared agreeably to the lonslitution This law also fied the time for counting the votes and fires this session as tho one at which the count shall be made of the lat presidential election Uniform practice certainly recent practice goes to this extent of showing and places t fair construction on what has been the mtion of Congress but two of the houses do count and havo counted the electoral vote The two houses of COI ge s in the list section of the Uhirtyeight Congress agreed to the twontysecona joint rule for counting tbe vote Tee Senate in tho first session of the Fortyfourth Congress Con-gress reenacted all tbe joint rules of tbe Fortythird < Congress excpt the Twenty second and the iloue taking no action ttoreon tho Senate declared there were no joint rules in frce Too Senate decided de-cided in tuo Fortyfurth Congress by a vote of 38 to 27 that tbe president of the Senate has no power to count the vote Tbe Senate now sends this joint rule to Uko tim place of the Twentysecond joint rule If the chair were to refute on technicalities to allow tho adjustment between the two houses as to the government govern-ment of the houes when in joint session such proceedings must lead to chaci confusion ptrnaps commoticn but as far AS the question of privilege strictly i3 i concerned tho chair is of thu opinion that it mates no difference by whom the votes are counted If done by the two houses it is the highest duty they have to perform one imposed bytha Constitution Constitu-tion lolatiog to the election of this president i presi-dent a d vicepresident and tbo very existence of our frm of government may depend upon it If counted by any other person it must be dune in tho presence pres-ence of the two bouees so that all rules regulating a joint meeting are of the highest privilege affecting as they do the exercise of the most important function func-tion of the two houses It is not competent compe-tent for tho llouio to make any rule which obstructs in any degree the execution ex-ecution ot the terms of the Constitutijn The cbair theretore considers in the flew of past practicts that this is a question ques-tion of privilege A large number of nominations Were sent to tire Senate today but did not reach tho Capitol till after adjournment The only new appointments however were those of Gen ral Hazen chief signal officer with the rank lit brigadier general I and General N A Mile brigadier general gen-eral vice Ord retired The remainder of the Hit was appointments made during the recess Mho army orders today announce the retirement of Brigadier General Ord Nothing of general interest took place today in the cabinet meeting It is thought in army circles that General Gen-eral Schufiuld will bi relieved in the course of a few dys His euccSsor will probably ba Brigadier General O O Howard now commanding the department depart-ment of Columbia A report is in circulation about the Senate end of the Capitol that Mr Flood of bonanza fame wants to come to the Senate from Cmifornu and that bo had proposed to the democratic members mem-bers of the legislature to milk him their caucus nominee saying to them that if they would ho was confident he could bi elected Representative Belford who returned to Washington today says thu Colo ado congressional delegtion intend to make vigorous efforts to secure representation in President Garfields cabinet They claim that Colorado is entitled to such representatien on many grounds The friends < f Senator Lamar apprehend appre-hend that his health will not permit his attendance in tbo Senate again Ho is said to be very feeble |