OCR Text |
Show .... icrnb v I ... me popuNr will may .-..tiiod by t.tbT3 th:in those it wi-il wi-il tended to he exeici;od by. This is another instance of re publican publi-can chickens coming home to niast. It is remarkable that wc have no ' record of Senator Morion having made any eTrt between tho years-ISoo years-ISoo and to have this rule .-trieken out, and that he quietly sal in convention at the countim: of the electoral votes in February, 13S and S72, and on the latter occasion saw t two states deliberately turown out ot ! the count under t'ue operationa ol tnis lwent -second rule. But what was sauco for the goose was not .-"auce for the gander, and as soon a-I a-I a democratic house had been elected Senator Morion and some of his colleagues col-leagues became very solicitous in reference ref-erence to tbe c fleet of this outrageous rule, regarding it as danorou-i and revolutionary. But aside from the individual views ot aouWu ill regard to lC w-iUliUi of the electoral votes, and assuming that the rule in q'le-tion has btcn or will be abrogated before the joint meeting of tiie two houses in F-hru-ary next, how do?3 the case ttand under the provisior.s of the constitution? constitu-tion? Tne only reference to tiie sul-ject sul-ject is this : "Tee presUent ol the senate shall, in the presence of t't.e annate and houe of representatives, open all the ctrt.fieatei, a:; 1 ihu vi .tta shall then be counted." Ti:e only specific duty of the president of t:.e enatc id to "open all the certificates." certifi-cates." As the dt-mc-jratic Cjaiiuit tee at Xcw Orleans, in tip.-ir rrply lu the republican s-nlh-uien tin.-re (pub-'i (pub-'i iaiied in to day s 1 ej:ai.Ij), clearly show, common &eino and preec.icnl invest the I wo ho-.- of congress con-gress with the duty of counting tiie vot'.s, and this, the committee alletjed, has be -mi djne tijrongh the medium of leli-T, one of wiiurn l-appointcJ l-appointcJ fr.jfn tije ea.ate and one Irnm the hou-e, '. r in icy yvars. Mr. MortjQ ajs tht the "g ner.il current of oniniuu fr.un the beginning lus been that the two bou-efl, when .iaembletl lo witness the counting of the vote, do U'jt con-t.tute a j-.inl c n-vention, n-vention, or a sing!'; b,.!y eonn'"i-d (if the members of eich house, but thai each house H prMf-nt in i's e-. p ira'.e capacity wirnee to I be C'Hinting of tiie vol-;" but ih-e I.nt words convey th inference that in the ab--,e:Ke of rules tiie two l.c'i-Tf of con i;re-ftarc simply witn'.'.ieH, hut th,a ii timply Morton's jeMntwal toucii, ar.d not corutitu'ional law. CotrrcM ia llieref-jrc to c-int tne vote. Vi;at U the extent of its powers pow-ers in this count? Simply minis t--ri.il , or both rni'iiste.'i d and ju-li ciai? If tho former only, it could not throw out the bi?tard elector-", whMO vb-i mlht plare Mr. Uaycj in the (xeculivu chair for t!if term of lour ypr8. Clearly t'nat would be tho end of our constitution, f -o f.r as the i-xrti.,H of a pr-.-iJeiit if . eonc ri.L-d, Ah the Irgidalivo depart incutof lii"Unilid .Stales charged with irnjtrtiut functions in thr rnovenient ol the electoral machinery, Hj6 cnngr'rifl in lound to nercisc ihos'j funeiionu fur th public wal in Accordancj with tuo public mil rind to fur' her tho enda of pubiic jn-liro. But hern conif-Ji in thn partisan view f the caie, which wo Imvo not room "'mid'T thm mornirig. |