CONGRESS, UNITED STATES (1875). 



151 



ence of this rule imperils the peace of the na- 

 tion, 193 ; an amendment moved instead of the 

 repeal, 193; no objection to an electoral vote 

 shall be valid unless sustained by both Houses, 

 193 ; the constitutionality of the rule altogether 

 may well be doubted, 194; it was passed in 

 1865, 194 ; where can the power be found giv- 

 ing the two Houses of Congress the right to 

 say whether votes shall be counted or not be 

 counted? 194; the duty of the President of 

 the Senate is simply ministerial, 194 ; no rule 

 which can be framed that will not be open to 

 defeat by some supposititious case, 195 ; all the 

 votes received must be counted, 195 ; provi- 

 sions of the Constitution, 195 ; no question of 

 contest before 1872, 196 ; it is said that the 

 decision of the question who has received the 

 votes of a State for President rests with the 

 President of the Senate, 196 ; the proposition 

 now is to reverse the rule, 197 ; every return 

 should be considered as correct, and not re- 

 jected unless both Houses concur, 197 ; take 

 the case of Louisiana, 197 ; the question was, 

 Who were the electors ? 197 ; it is asked, What 

 have you to do when there come up two re- 

 turns from a State? 197; the amendment does 

 not provide for such a case, 198 ; proceedings 

 in the case of two returns, 198 ; fearful temp- 

 tation to throw the election into the House of 

 Representatives, 198 ; suppose the cases of 

 two years ago under this rule, 199 ; the rule 

 in its present condition is a magazine that may 

 be exploded at any moment, 199 ; resolution 

 referred to the Committee on Privileges and 

 Elections, 199; the committee ask to be dis- 

 charged from further consideration, 199. 



A bill reported on the same subject and con- 

 sidered, 199 ; the bill proposes to meet the 

 dangerous difficulty of two sets of electors, 

 199 ; all votes shall be counted unless both 

 Houses concur to reject them, 199 ; an oppor- 

 tunity given to raise a false claim to defeat a 

 true election, 199 ; the second section does not 

 ineet the want which all recognize as existing 

 in the Constitution, 200 ; only an amendment 

 of the Constitution will answer, 200 ; suppose 

 the second section stricken out, 201 ; both 

 Houses accept or reject, 201 ; cannot heap up 

 the votes of a State, 201 ; what must we do 

 where there is more" than one return? 202; 

 same as at the last count, 202 ; the difficulty 

 under the Constitution, 202; what does the 

 bill say ? 203 ; amendment offered and agreed 



to, 203 ; not a word been said in favor of the 

 principles of the bill, 204; if necessary, it 

 should be passed at the next session, 204 ; mo- 

 tion to postpone lost, 204; nothing partisan 

 in the bill, 204 ; the bill more dangerous than 

 the rule, 205 ; if passed into a law, the Presi- 

 dent becomes charged with its execution, 205 ; 

 the Constitution is operative, and you cannot 

 add to or diminish its powers, 206 ; if it be- 

 comes a law, how will you get rid of it in fu- 

 ture ? 206 ; bill passed, 206. 



In the House, resolutions fixing the term of 

 the presidential office to six years offered, 206 ; 

 the time has arrived for such a change, 206 ; 

 suppose the President to die after the first 

 week, would not the Yice-President be ineli- 

 gible to a second term ? 207 ; the people should 

 have a right to elect a man as many times as 

 they choose, 207; question taken, 208; lost, 

 209. 



In the Senate, a resolution offered calling 

 for information relative to military interference 

 with the Legislature of Louisiana, 204 ; moved 

 to amend by adding "if in the judgment of 

 the President it is not incompatible with the 

 public interests," 209 ; this is not a case in 

 which we interfere with warlike movements, 

 209; to what does this resolution relate? 209; 

 it seems as if all sensibility on the subject of 

 liberty was being lost in this land, 210 ; is 

 Louisiana the only State in which troubles 

 occur ? 210 ; scenes in Ohio, 210 ; in Pennsyl- 

 vania, 210 ; if we are to have information on 

 this subject, let us have the whole history, 210 ; 

 the purport, the sum and substance of the 

 resolution, 211 ; has the Senate ever refused 

 to insert such words in a resolution, when 

 proposed? 211; time that the people should 

 ascertain if the amendments for human rights 

 have any vitality, 212 ; shall an innocent man 

 have a right to call on the Government to pro- 

 tect him ? 212 ; this speech has been delivered 

 at least half a dozen times within a few years 

 in the Senate, 213 ; what have Southern out- 

 rages to do with the subject-matter before the 

 Senate ? 213 ; the time has passed when plain 

 violations of law can be defended by such a 

 cry, 214 ; what warrant for charging the people 

 of Louisiana with being a set of assassins ? 214 ; 

 why is Louisiana agitated ? 214 ; further de- 

 bate, 215, 216 ; the amendment agreed to, 217; 

 the resolution agreed to, 217; answer of the 

 President, 217. 



