CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. 



on the record, after depriving three or four hun- 

 dred thousand American citizens of their dear 

 right of suffrage, pave three or four thousand 

 popular majority t'>r Ham-nek. Another count 

 gives three or four thousand for (iarticld; hut 

 lam not bringing that into discussion. The 

 popular vote was very nearly equally divided ; 

 and to-day, whether there be nine or ten mill- 

 ion voters in this country, speaking in rough 

 and equal phrase, they are about one half Dem- 

 ocratic and one half Republican, as the States 

 are about the same, and they will in all proba- 

 bility remain ahoiit the same. This even di- 

 vision seems to l>e the natural outgrowth of 

 republican institutions based on free discus- 

 sion, and seems as clearly predestined almost 

 as that the world should be peopled one half 

 of one sex and one half of the other. It so 

 comes; and we are not escaping this contin- 

 gency except for four years. No man knows 

 what four years, or one year, may bring forth 

 in the tides of political fortune. 



" Therefore, I say it is the first duty of com- 

 mon patriotism that both parties should devote 

 themselves to a constitutional, comprehensive 

 remedy, and not have us present the spectacle 

 every four years of going through some extraor- 

 dinary contrivance by which we shall prevent 

 anarchy from ingulfing the country. I think 

 the severest strain to which this country was 

 ever subjected outside the war of the rebellion 

 was the incidents connected with the settle- 

 ment of the presidency in 1876, and I doubt 

 whether, if the terra had been for a period of 

 ten years, this country could have found an 

 entirely peaceful solution. I say that for the 

 benefit of the gentlemen who think we ought 

 to have a longer presidential term. If that had 

 been for a ten-years' settlement of the presi- 

 dency, I do not believe we could have had as 

 peaceful an adjustment as we happily reached. 

 We got the advantage of a short term of four 

 years, giving a period in the near future in 

 which the case might be tried over again before 

 the high court of the people. The shorter the 

 term the more content the people are to sub- 

 mit. That is why the States that have had 

 annual elections have had the most peaceful 

 administrations in this country, and why they 

 have had the most peaceful political contests. 

 I believe the honorable Senator from Connecti- 

 cut and myself will both live to see, with regret, 

 that the New England States are giving up their 

 old system of annual elections, and resorting to 

 the biennial period. I believe the annual elec- 

 tion of Governor and Legislature in these States 

 has conduced very largely to the peacefnlness 

 and harmony and success of their administra- 

 tions, as well as to the general readiness and 

 heartiness of submission to the result by the 

 defeated party. If beaten this year, in only 

 twelve months you can try it again, and with 

 one or two notable exceptions there has been 

 very little excitement or disorder consequent 

 upon the result. 



" I am very sure, at all events, that there has 



been less of unhealthy and dangerous excite- 

 ment in States that have had annual elections 

 than in any other States in the Union, and I 

 lulievo that, just in proportion as you elongate 

 and lengthen the term of service of the Presi- 

 dent of the United States, just in the same pro- 

 portion will there be extraordinary ' agitation 

 attendant upon it. If it were a two-years' 

 term, elected as the House of Representatives 

 is, bearing the imprint, as the Executive ought, 

 of the popular brunch of Congress, there would 

 be less excitement than there is now. Make 

 the term six, eight, or ten years, and you in- 

 crease the excitement exactly in the same ratio. 

 Now we have a four-years' term. It is not 

 likely to be changed, certainly not within the 

 life-time of this generation ; but four years to 

 men who have reached forty and fifty and sixty 

 years comes around very rapidly ; it comes 

 around rapidly to all. It will be here very 

 soon again, and it will be a reproach to that 

 side of the chamber and to this, to the Senator 

 from Ohio and to myself, and to all of us, if 

 there be not something done to relieve the 

 country from the apprehension of what oc- 

 curred in 1876, and what may occur again if 

 no wise forecast be taken to prevent it." 



The Presiding Officer : " The question is on 

 the amendment offered by the Senator from 

 Connecticut [Mr. Eaton] to the amendment of 

 the committee." 



The roll-call having been concluded, the re- 

 sult was announced yeas 27, nays 33. 



So the amendment to the amendment was 

 rejected. 



The amendment, as amended, was agreed to. 



The Presiding Officer : " The question is on 

 the resolution." 



The resolution was agreed to. 



In the House, on February 5th, the joint 

 resolution was considered and adopted. 



COUNTING THE ELECTORAL TOTE. 



At twelve o'clock M., February 9th, the 

 Door-keeper announced the Senate of the 

 United States. 



The Senate entered the hall, preceded by its 

 Sergeant-at-Arms and headed by the Vice- 

 President and the Secretary of the Senate, the 

 members and officers of the House rising to 

 receive them. 



The Vice-President took his seat as presid- 

 ing officer of the joint convention of the two 

 Houses, the Speaker occupying the chair on 

 the left of the Vice-President. 



The Vice-President : " The two Houses have 

 assembled in pursuance of the Constitution 

 that the votes may be counted and declared 

 for President and Vice-President of the United 

 States for the term of four years from the 4th 

 day of March, 1881. It becomes my duty 

 under the Constitution, as the President of the 

 Senate, to open the certificates of election of 

 the several States of the nation, in the presence 

 of the two Houses, and I now proceed to dis- 



