INDEX OF CONTENTS. 



779 



a Presidential election, 140 ; Congress charged with 

 a most onerous and responsible duty, 141; first sec- 

 tion of the bill, 141 ; object of second section, 141; 

 the selection of a Commission, 141; Senators and 

 Representatives, 142; Judges of Supreme Court, 143; 

 provisions of the bill, 143 ; what is to be decided ? 

 143 ; does it grant too much or too little 1 143 ; shall 

 the Commission descend below the action of the 

 State authorities ? 143 ; what the act is designed to 

 do, 143 ; what are we to do ? 144 ; the tribunal must 

 decide everything, 144. 



This bill is a compromise, 144 ; a bill offered two 

 years ago, 141 ; if Congress goes behind the officers 

 of States it becomes a grand returning board, 145 ; 

 the Constitution creates the duty but does not locate 

 the power anywhere, 145; it is in the President of 

 the Senate or the two Houses of Congress, 145 ; the 

 nature of the bill, 146 ; the Commission a mixed one, 

 146 ; four judges are to select a fifth, 146 ; we have no 

 tribunals made up in that way, 146; fundamental 

 that the actions of the States shall be received un- 

 questioned by Congress, 146 ; the jurisdictional part 

 of the bill, 146 ; the theory of the bill, 147 ; we say 

 in this bill, take the Constitution as it stands, that is 

 your guide, 148 ; it might have been possible to put 

 fetters on these fifteen members, 148; is there no 

 limit in this bill ? 148 ; some say they believe the 

 Constitution authorizes the Commission to go into 

 and settle questions which belong exclusively to the 

 States, 148 ; the boundary of this power is the very 

 marrow of contention, 149; there is an irreconcilable 

 difference of opinion, 149; if everybody were as per- 

 fect as Massachusetts the electoral vote would count 

 itself, 149. 



This bill is enacted for the present, and no longer, 

 150; what does the bill do? 150; if it be the duty of 

 the two Houses to ascertain whether the action of 

 the electors is in accordance with the Constitution, 

 they must inquire, 150 ; this bill secures the great 

 object, 150; how has every count been made? 150; 

 all questions to be decided are to be contained in the 

 written objections, 151 ; what does this Commission 

 decide ? 151 ; the concurrent vote of both Houses 

 necessary to reject a vote, 151 ; do the five judges act 

 in their official character? 152; it is said the bill 

 goes outside the Constitution, 152 ; that it will give 

 the making of President to one man, 152 ; that it in- 

 fringes the prerogative of the President of the Senate, 

 152; amendment proposed, 153; points of conflict of 

 opinion, 153 ; some on the interpretation of the Con- 

 stitution, 153 ; the question of going behind a return- 

 ing board has a great many points in it, 154 ; eleven 

 propositions upon which the most antagonistic opin- 

 ions prevail, 154; what are the advantages of this 

 bill? 155; the electoral vote has been counted for 

 nearly a century under the Constitution, there is a 

 power to do it somewhere, 155; words of the Consti- 

 tution, 156 ; remark of Chancellor Kent, 156 ; is the 

 power lodged in the House of Representatives? 156; 

 can we contrive a commission, and put this business 

 into their hand* ? 156; the power is conferred upon 

 the two Houses to be executed by joint or concur- 

 rent action, IVf; If we have the power to count the 

 votes, it cannot be taken from us, nor can we divest 

 ourselves of it, 157 ; the measure is a violation of the 

 Constitution, 167 ; amendment offered, 158; its effect, 

 158; other amendments offered, 158; lost, 158; bill 

 passed, 159. 



In the House, the Senate bill considered, 159 ; it 

 transcends in importance any measure likely to come 



before Congress, 159; influence of the Administration 

 in the late election, 159; scheme complete for count- 

 ing Tilden out and Hayes in, 159 ; this House would 

 not be passive, 159 ; the logical result of inch a ttale 

 of affairs is civil war, 160; what the Democrat* aimed 

 to secure in the recent struggle, 160; a series of 

 statutes, the fruit of the war, 160; only opening for 

 escape is an agreement upon some method to secure 

 a lawful Executive, 160 ; the proposed measure Is in 

 the very spirit of the Constitution, 161. 



This measure is not a compromise, 161 ; there will 

 be a feeling of relief over the country when it be- 

 comes a law, 161; the radical defect of the bill is that 

 it puts a vast, cumbrous machine in the place of the 

 plain, simple plan of the Constitution, 161 ; counting 

 the vote is a function of a special organization which 

 may be perfected by Congress, 161 ; the measure 

 rests on three propositions, 168 ; it should be ac- 

 cepted in preference to the alternative, 162 ; the hour 

 of deliverance has at last come, 163; bill passed, 163; 

 message from the President, 163. 



Members of the Commission, 164 ; rules, 164 ; 

 counting of the vote commenced, 165 ; proceedings, 

 165; vote of Alabama, 165; vote of Arkansas, 165; 

 vote of Florida objected to, 166; objections, 166; 

 further objections, 167; referred to the Electoral 

 Commission, 168 (see Electoral Commission). 



Report of the decision of the Electoral Commission, 

 203; objection to it submitted, 208 ; vote in the Sen- 

 ate on the Florida decision, 204 ; do. in the House, 



204 ; adoption of the decision by non-concurrence to 

 reject, 205; votes of other States counted, 205. 



Certificates of the vote of Louisiana presented, 



205 ; objections offered, 205; further objections, 807, 

 208 ; referred to \he Electoral Commission, 808 ; 

 decision of the Commission, 208; objections to the 

 decision, 209, 210; documents of the State referred 

 to, 211-215 ; further objections, 216 ; vote of the 

 Senate on the decision, 216 ; do. of the House, 817 ; 

 other votes counted, 317. 



The case of Oregon referred to the Electoral Com- 

 mission, 218; report of the Commission, 808; sus- 

 tained, 219. 



Case of South Carolina referred to the Commission, 

 219; report of the Commission, 219; objections sub- 

 mitted, 220; not sustained, 220; count of the votes 

 concluded, 220 ; the vote for President as counted by 

 Congress, 221 ; report of the committee on the pow- 

 ers and duties of the House of Representatives in the 

 Presidential count, 221 ; views of the minority, 222; 

 close of the session, 222. 



CONKI.INO, ROSCOK. Senator from New York, 186 ; on 

 the Electoral Commission bill, 147-149. 



Connecticut. Meeting of the Legislature in January, 888; 

 resolutions relative to the congressional count of the 

 electoral vote, 222; acts of the Legislature, 888 ; do. 

 amending the act concerning domestic relation!, 888; 

 amendments to the Constitution, 884; finance*, 8M; 

 school fund, 224; savings banks, 824 ; flre Insurance 

 companies, 885; education, 225; normal school, 888; 

 insane hospital. 826 ; school for imbeciles, 886 ; State- 

 prison, 226; militia, 226; new State-house building, 

 227; calamity at Slaffordvlll*, 887; elevated polnu 

 within the State. 287. 



Costa flica.-Sltuatlon. 827; area, 887; pnbll er, 

 228; revenue and expend Itnren, 288; foreign debt, 

 228; map of Costa Rica, 888; shipping. S; progress 

 in railways, 289; telegraph lines, 889; education. 

 829 ; political disturbance, 229. 



CWton.-Crop for 1877,889; 1U weight, t; production 



