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VOL. Imm-NO. 9.J WINNSI3ORO, S. C., THURSDAY MORNI1NG~ EEBR~ 86 A WOMAN'S WHIM. Santa Cruz, Califorria, is called the Long BranciI of the Pacific. It is a pretty place, with the quaint old town of Monteroy lying ouf in the distance. Ono lovely mnon ligait night a party of people sat on. to vorandah of one of the prinieip hotels, discussing pllans for man a pleasure trip the next day. Tliey had coue to tho seaside in search of health, they said, and found love as well, for every lady, with a singlo exception, had a gentleman by ner side. The lady who sat alone was the haudsome:,t as well as the haugh tiost of the group, and appoared to be vexed. "I will not consent to it," sho said, in an irritated tone. "Just because you know I dislike the man, you all seem determined to force his socioty upon me. "But, Miss Winstanly," said Mr. Radcliffe, "there is no other gentle man who can be your cavalier." "1 see that," she interrupted, with a sneer, "but don't distress yourself about me. There's no neces.ity for .my going, so I shall rcumain at the hotel." "No, no," aroso from the lips of eighteen people. WVe won't go without you," said Miss Stevens. "Do be aimiable for this once. It's our last party, and don't break it up." "Grandfather" S mdorson next took the word; he was called grand father because, although but twenty six years old, a few gcay hairs al ready appeared in his raven locks. "i can't see for the life of me," he said "why you hould object so strongly to George Blake. He is frank. upright and open-handed." to)ie Georg Blakenl wihe s "Also smells of the sawdust," re lhied Miss Winstanly with a most provoking curl of the lip. Exclanations of reprobation from every one, for the gentlemian under discussion was a universal favorite. "Come now, Kate," said Emily Lyttle, "that's uugenerous. I'vo un .aristood that he was born a-in that class of life and of course cannot be blame,1, as he availed himself of the first favorable opportuaity to leave it. He merits respect and not con tempt." There was such a murmur of ap probation at this little speech, that even the proud and fastidious Kate felt somewhat ashamed and hung her head. "The only amends you can mako for being so hard on him is to con sont to be his partner for the day." "No ; no. Apart from : is form er disgraceful life, I detost the man, replied Kate. "Then," said Sanderson, "you must be punished for showing such bad taisto. We'll have a show ot hands. Attention, ladies and gen tlemen. All those in favor of Miss Winstanly being escorted by Mr. Blake to morrow wvill please. raise their hands." Every soul did so with the excep. tion of Kate herself, wh'lo rose in stantly aud hurried awvay, blushing ith confusion and anger. "She's dead in love with him,' isped little Nannie Peters. "And so is he with her, and wvould be at'her feet in a moment if she didn't treat him so outrageously,' remarked a young fellow who had nol ytspoken. Quoth Emily Lyttle : "Hie's as good as she is, every bit, if he onec did turn somersaults in a circus for a living. Everybody knows that Mr. WVinstanly made is money b~y" - A lould buzz interruptedl her revela tion. Sanderson loqguitur: "One of the ajt rules of our society, Mism Lyttle, is 'no slander allowed.' Yor are on the point of breaking it." "I'm sure it's not slander, but th< tr'uth," pouted Emily. "There are plenty of girls as handsome as she im that lie might have for the asking.' Chorus of the ladies: "Plenty plenty--shoals of them." It was pretty Lelia David's turn tc speak. "[t seems to me that in a small, nineteenth-centur'y sort of way, thim is quite a Blened ict and B3eatrict case. Two people affect to hate each other, and yet are longing tc rush into each other's arms, andi *here are we all, friends of both par ties, continually plotting 'andl plan nling to throw them together. ] wouldn't be surprised any time tc hear him say : 'Against my will, T'm gont to bid you come to sup .per.' JRadcliffe rejoined : "According othe rules wich wve twventy mei Sand women undertook h to observe when we all met h'ere for mutual amusement, she must ride with bin to-morrow; b ut how are no to gel him to believe she has consented wvilling 1" "That's easy enough," replied Grandfather Sanderson. 'Tll batch up something for the occasion ; bui don't any any of the rest of you say word for lhe's so sensitive that he hil: suspects why she treats him so up pishly, and the first word wouli make him fly the track.". "H-sh!' said every one. lIn th< Adjoining parlor, Kate had truel the first chords of a populabti .Mong and as her rich voice rolled out 0r the balmy n. the ox-athlete stro11m up to merry party on the piazza, and lke then listoned spell-bound to thu tones ho love:1 so well. The song ceased, and after a mo meti's pause she began a duet, ox pecting, no doubt, that Sam Williams, who usually sang with Lor, would take it up outside. Instead of which ho nudged Blake, who iminmo diately, as if irresistibly, began in a round, rich voice, the like of which the disdainful maid had never hoard before, but supposed it was Sander son, or one of the rest. How ox quisitely their voices blended ; (anly hors was untrained, while his had all the culture of an opera sing or. Indeed, many of his homrers wondered if ever lie had been a pro fessional singer as well as athlote, anld thought what a loss to the pub lic was such a voice. Evory one enjoyed the singing, and was especially amused at the thought that Kate was unconscious ly pouring out her whole heart in united melody with the man she profosse I to dospise. Did she ? Of all that group of young men, California's finest, fresh ost sons, Georgo Blake was beyond cavil the Adonis. Although in reali ty thirty-two years of age, his oxceed ingly fair complexion and light brown hair made him look years younger. There was not a line on the broad, white forehead, nor a crow-foot around the limpid violet eyes. "Where did such a low fellow get such heavonly eyes *" Kate asked herself the next morning, as she drow on her riding glovos. He was over six feet tall, and might have been just a trifle he-avy for the ring, but for every thing else ! is proportions were splendid. All that the proud beauty and bello, Miss Winstanly, urged against him was true, except that lie was "low." Nature made him a gentleman, though of low birth and iron for tune. Ten years prior to the open - I ing of this story Blake had come to California 'with a circus . troupe ; Ie was Signor Francesco Soliterino, the "strong muau" of the company. Ho v'aulted with the rost, but his spcialty was firing a cannon off his ba a it, lifting a dozen men at once, mid oither iimcnse weights. Ie was of an old circus family, and evier thought to lovo "the pro fession," but having some money when he reacied the Pacific slope, he was seized wit~h the mania for dabbling in stocks, and to his joy and surprise, by one of those sid den rises in stocks possible only to California, lie made almost a fortune with as much trouble as turning a handspring would have given him. This lucky stroke determined him to retire from the sawdust, and lie soon developed a business talent waich, in a few years, made him a prominent and influential man in Frisco, while his character as a n'm, anod his exceedingly polished man nors, won him the respect of overy body except the wayward beauty on whomn Ie had set his hoart. It romainied for her to drag up and taunt him with the old trade, never alluded to by anybody now, except as a bit of personal history and never to his discredit. \Vhen, the morning after the con versation on the balcony, the party of twenty assembled, sunrise wvas tinging the rod woods and the wild flowoerg. They were soon in the saddle. As Kate glanced disdainfully at her companion, her heart fairly ached as she thought that he was too hand some for a man, and if he had been anything but a low circus creature, even a respectable hod-carrier-but she would die before she would marry such a fellow. And he thought, "She looks more likce a goddess than a mucre woman. I would lay my body down under her feet, and let her crush my life out, if she would but smile on me." She had on previous occasions snubbed him so terribly, that they rode a long time in silence before lhe ventured to - begin a conversation with her ; but wvhen they reached the crest of the hills overlooking Santa Cruz, and lie glanced across thme bay, and sawv the fleecy, sun-tinted clouds hovering over the Monterey range, an. exclamation of delight escap~ed him, and he said with en thusiasm: "Look, look, Miss Winstanly I Is not that a picture painted by God's owvn hand ?"' '-Oh, yes," she replied, in an un gracious and contemptuous tone ; 4 but I never gush-it is not 'good form.'" The insolence of the spoiled beau ty st~ung him to the very heaurt's core, and pangs of despised love and sudden anger caused him to forget himself, and he retorted with re strained passion: "Miss Winstanly, be pleased to remember that if I have by my proence again placed it in your power to insult me', it' Was at your request." They had trotted along until they roaohod 'the beantlful streamn-in other countries it would be calle&'a river-whi. headq at thi CBg Tres and flows downi th6 cangto to th'e sea. Th6 precipice Wvas sheer and steep. d I "Insait you!b i ? de insult $u t' inqired the provode gfrl, her'anger r'isig at thf 'sghfo "Bly prtisumingt di6N to tne what 'good form' is. But for' 1y former life, you would not daro do it." "Dare, indood !" she ochood, the red blood dyoing her chooks. "How daro you say I requested your prcsenco?" It was a lovers' quarrel and a hot one In her excitement she dragged so at the reins that her horse roarod. Blake instantly seized the bridle, shouting and pulling the beast to ward him : "Lot go I let go !" In roaring, her horse had turned so that she did not seo the danger in which she stood. She was on the canyon's precipito'us brink, and be low ran the rivor. "Lot go, you," she answorod, cutting him across the hands ; "how daro you touch my lines ? You have lured mc to leatvo the rest of the party behind im order that you might get mo in your power ; but I am not afraid of you-tako that !" and in her fury i sho struck him again. Between the two the restive animal was half maddened, for Blake was dragging ihu forward and Kate backward, so that lie was plunging and rearing. Blake was white with fear. Ie did not hoed or som to feel her blows, only to see her danger, for, in spite of his herculean strength, the horse! was -backing, backing nearer and nearer the precipice. Another mo mnout and she would be thrown over the yawning chasm. He spiang from his ho.sc, seized both reins with the left hand, and with the right tore the stirrup from the siaddle. "Impertinent clown !" she shrilk ed, but lie paid no heed to her scraams ; her foot fece, he instantly let go thereins, grasped her around the waist, aid with almost super human strength lifted her from the maddened beast and flung her into the road behind. He was not one: momnenst too soon, for, as he did so, the horse backed over the cliff and disappeared. When the rest of the party came galloping up, alarmed by the screams, they found the retired 1 athlete in a (lead faint on the edge of the canyon, and Miss Winstaniy in like plight lying some distanco from him, bmt not within several feet of the frightful precipice. Tue young lady was soon restored and proved to be unhurt ; not so Mr. Blake. The horse had trampled on his feet and hie pain had caused him to lose conscioufsness. Being! only a fow miles from Santait Cruz aid was soon procured, and lie wasi carried back to the hotel a very sick and badly bruised man. Now tWe willful and high tem pered Miss Winstanly really loved Ar. Blake, but her pride had kept her from showing it or even owning it to herself. When she roalized the true cause of his grabbing the lines had been to save her from cor tain death, her heart was filled with conflicting emotions-thankfulness for her life, gratitude to him for preserving it, and shame and re morse at her unwomanly inso lence and rage. She had actually beaten him as he was trying to drag her away from the chasm. In her agony and penitence she openeid her heart to Emily Lyttle, and confessed th it she had loved Blake all along, but now that lie had saved her life her pasion overflowved all bar rit rai and she wanted to tell him so. Nearly all of tihe gay party loft Santa Cruz a fortnigh tjafter Gecorge's accident, but Radiclifte, his bosom friend, and Miss Lyttle staid to keep her betrothed company. Blake's foot was crashed and it would be a long time before ho could be removed to San Francisco. Kate resolved that she would not leave until she had an opportunity of asking George's forgiveness. At last, reports were brought to her that lie wvas improving, wvas able to talk and at length to sit in an arm chair, but lie never alluded to the accident, nor mentioned Miss Win stanly's name. Day after day she plied Emily with questions, and a florce despair seized her wvhen she comprehended that she had lost him-and through her own pride. That was all swept away by her now-born love and humility. She wVas so rabject in her remorse and sorrow, that to obtain a smile from tile despised "clown," as sho had called himt, Raho wouldl glad ly have turnled circus rider herself. On~o day she crept to his door. It was closed against her, but she could hear Emily's voice and Rlad cliffe's talking with Blake.,Sho ualone was shut out fron paradise, but she had deserved and nmust boar it. In a fit of sile'.it tears she sank down on her knees and offered up a prayer ~that she minght yet obtain his for giveness ; suddonly the do,>r opened nfd Emily.caroeo ou~t;, sh~ting .it quickly aftei' her when she sawdthe' crouching girl. "Why' !.what's'this?" she iiqnired, lastouzshed.. "'What do you mnean, Kate, by crouching aroundl en sl jours like this I" '"Oh, Emily," sobbed the wrote ed beauty. "I am perfectly miserab I I must, I. will go in and see him I Xt wva All r@~ fault P Do yp think he will ever forgive -met". .II 'don't~ know, i'mn sure' ~said ildeyly "Z *onldat''in his e. I'd bo T6e iged - but, you uae ioh onhil paa gotona, and above all remcmlber it was cnly becalse he was anl) atileto that lho -vas able to hold your horse until he could wrench you from tho saddle and toss you out of danger. No other than a strong mani coald have saved your life. So go in and humiiiblo yourself to him." She opened the door and called R-Idcliffo out. Tlhey strolled off together, while Kato glided into the room and flung herself at tho feet of the ex-athlete. He took his revenge, for when he got well ho married her.-Illue traft(l IWVeekly. The Negroos as Voters. From the New York'llertild. It is commonly assumed by prominent Republican leaders amd journals that States like South Carolina or Louisiana must neces sarily be Republican bacause the blaclks there faro ill the mljo.ity ; that is to say, they assume that tae colored voter is unmovol by reason and necessarily supports tho .Republi can ticket. Now, if this weio true, it would be a public calamity, and would show that the cololed m-m is unfit to be a voter; for ho has now had nearly ten years' training inl political duties, and ought to be a movie or less reasonable being, <mught at 1east to be affected by ap )eals to his own interests. But the facts are all against the Republican assumption; many causes have conspired to alienate the iespectablo and intelligent colored men in the South fiom their usually corrupt gnd selfish white Republi caM leade.rs. Wo wl 1inmerate only a few. The failure of the Freedmn's Bank, inflicting dis tressing losses on a great inany in dustrious blacks, has led many to leave the Republican party. The high taxes imposed by Republican rule in such States as Louisiana and South Carolina havo induced a great many colored property owners to go over to the Democratic ranks. Tho const:uit tibulence of these States. compared with the orderly con dition of Arkansas and Alabama, has led mamy colored men to seek similar quiet by giving the local government to the Democralls Tacy have discovered that negroes have all their rights in Dnpcratic States, and are more prosperous thin in the Republican States. Again, disappointment at not re co.ving from General Grant, after ma.ny years of waiting, the celebrat ed "forty atres and a mule," which Republican politicians in the South so freely promised, lhas embittered many ignorant plantation negroes against the Ropublican party. The fact that employers of labor, im poverished by public robbery, could not aflord wages to labor, has had its just, influence, for, in some parts of Louisiana, dozens of costly sugar plantations are not worked because their owners cannot afford to run the risks of a crop with the prevail ing high taxes. It nmst be0 remembered that all these pleas against the Republican party were incBsanltly and properly urg~ed upon the colored voters dlmi - ing the past canvass, not only by the whites, but by men of their own race. Thj~irty colored speakers, prominent andl influential mien, c'an.. vassed Lo~nisiana on the Demo cratic side, while on the Republican side such illfluontial colored leaders as Pinchback wvero silonL ansi absent from the State Nor is this all. We are n)ot to forgot that in the course of years the relations be twveen the races have become more kindly and confidential, and thus the natural and just influence of intelligenceo and property has beenf broughlt to boar upon the colored vate'r. WVhether the three Disputed States have cast majorities for Tilden or Hayes remainls to be0 as certained. But if they or any of them have gone Democratic, it would be absurd and muishievous to claim that this would b)0 prima f'acie ovidce of fraud or intimidation. On the contrary, it ought to ho0 ex pe'ted as tho result of natural and proper causes-causes so numerous and strong 'that, exept for the Federal in terference durihig the canvass, wve should have contidently expected such a change, ai1 even nowe the presumption lies, it seems to us, in favor of the Democrats rather than the Republicans. La'st week as the mail train from Columnbia was within a half-mile of Woodwar'd's, three negroes attempt ed to cross the track in the face of the train. Two of them succeeded, but the third was struck by the cow catcher, and, singular to relate, was throwvn upon that part of the engine known as the bumpeor. He was car ried to Woodward's, wvhere he dil mogutpody p~nhurt and lauglhipgs at his adv~enture. A meeting of the Board1 of Foreign Missionm~id the AsaocIAte Rbfoi'iiied &dsbyterian Chureb 3fe held~ in Ibue West A hoift titin 'alde, and it was detertried to setid Re . spirit b efor e his a e a t r , w will take place next sprmng.; A Letter to Gen. Ruger. COLUMIA, S. C., November 30. General . H .IRuger, conmanding United Sates Troops in uth Carolina : DFAR Sin-Wo have just heard, through Major McGuinnis, of your staff, your orders communicated to Mr. Wallace, Speaker of the House of Representatives, that at 12 o'clock to-morrow the members elect from Edgetiold and Laurens would not be allowed upon the floor. To say that we are surprised at such i an older after the oxplana tions aid p:odges made by you to each one of us, is to use very mild language. When the outrage of i(Tuesday was committed by the placing of it med sentinels at the door of the hall of the House of Representatives, who decided upon the admissiwn of membeis to their seats, and when the docisions of the Supreme Court were brought to your attenti on, you distinctly and warmly asertod again and again that your orders were misunder stood ; that you had not intended to. havo sentinels at tihe door of the lhal!, and that you had not and did Iot intendol to assume to decidO 111)011 the legality of any man's sent or upon nis right to enter the hall. You wei then reminded by us that your guard - roccived,,, instiuctions ic oi one Dem.is, a citizen and par tisau of Governor Chamberlain, to admit parties upon his own pass or that of one Jones, and had, through armed forces, excluded all Don(; crats from the hall until the Repub lican organizativn was completed. You assured us again that such were not your orders. You were told by us that, notwithstanding the perpetration of this inexpressible shame upon our free institutions and the rights of the people, the evils could be still romedied without any violence or bloodshed by the simple withdrawval of your guard from the doors of that hall ; that the Democratic members could still enter, and 11y a parliamentary wrestle with e Republicans and a majgrity of votes decide all ques tionsgn'aogordancc with law and the usages of lpgislative bodies. You stated that no troops should be at the door, and that under no circumn stances would you interfere except there should occur a serious . dis turbance of the peace. You affirmed your determination to excise no sup)ervisory control whatever over the body or bodies claiming to be tho House of Representatives. All tims occmred on yesterday. In a lator interview last night with Sena tor Gordon you made the same asseverations. and this morning, after both bodies were assembled in the hall, you assured General Hampton that under no t-ircum stances would you interfere, except to keep the peice. What now can justly measume our astonishment at the issuance of such an order as the one just sent by you? There is no breach of the peace, and no prospect of its disturbaince. You had it officially brought to your knowledge that absolute good humnor prevails in that hall. We cannot refrain f.m 011expressinlg the apprehension that the fiact that a number of lead ing Republicans are taking issue with the legality of the proeceedings b~y the Republican House has changed your views as to your line of duty. It is proper that we should say, inl conclusion, that we relied upon0) your honor as a man and your character as a soldier to mf:lintafinl yonr pledged position of non-inter venltionl. Th'ie Democratic members 01om Edgelield and Laurens are enititled to sei'is by tihe judgmont of thie Supreme Court of this State, [and we have advised them to remain in that hall until removed by your troops, that the issue may 1be made inl tiis centennial year' of American indoponldonee wvhether we have a govei nmnent of law as construed by courts, or a centralized despotism, wvhoso only law is force. Lot tile American peCople behold the spect1 ele of a brigadier general of the army seated by the sidoe of~ovornlor IChamberlain in a room of the State IHouse, and issuing his orders to a legislative b~ody p)eacefully assem bled in one of the originali thirteen commonw~ealths Sof this Union. Very respectfully, yoms ,. WADE HAMPTON, TJ. B. GoRDoN, A. 0. HJAsKELL,. The following conversation be tween a prominopt Louivill Repub lican and a member of the'Qlpositionl is given as a true talk: "Good morning, o11ld ian; you want that job, do you ?"-"By ejmbers I. do,.an badl at that."-,-"4Me, you~ a g 1~c Catholio, "---'dFaih,'am I, from tj# sowi of 16e hbe' to the ~j hfh ' this what's you~r opio1inn of Republicarn, old mi"W.-,.j , jabegs, iho $qn back bare-futted. ~er thar'8 11~ ei s brks* o t o I ~ ~ 2 U The Method of Counting the, Electora Vote. The extremo doubt in which th< returns received recently loft th< result of the Presidential election has made the counting of the electo ral vote in February next, likely to be an event of very great interest an. importance. On more tha one occa sion the defects of the machinery for determining which of two or more candidates has been legally elected to the Presidency, have be'en strik' ingly shown, and attempts have been made to remedy them ; but whilh none of these efforts have met with success, it has also been fortunate that on no occasion which has over arisen, has the actual result been effected by the vote of any State which firwarded its voto and the validity of whose returns has been questioned. Now it s3ens pJssiJl3 thAt siuch. a contingency nay niio. No provision has ever been ma de for settling a disputo of this kind. Section 1, Article II, of the Consti tution, directs that "cach State shall appoint, in such manner as the Leg islaturo thereof may direct, a num ber of electors equal to the whole number of Senators and i Reprosenta tives to which the State may bo en titled in the Congress ; but no Sena tor or 1tepresentative, or person holding an office of trust or profit under the United States, shall be ap pointed an elector." The twelfth amendment to the Constitution provides that the elce to s "mcot in their respective States, aad vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom shall not be an inhabitint of the same State with themselves. * * * And they shall make distinct lists of all persons voted for as President, and of all persons voted for as Vice President, and of the number of votes for each ; which lists they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of government of the United States, directed to the president of the Senate. The presi dent of the Senate shall, in the pres onco of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certifi cates, and the votes shall then be counted. The person having the greatest number of votes for Presi dent shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed," &c. By acts of 1792 and 1804, as adopted in the Revised Statutes of the United States, the following reguhtions are made : SEc. 135. The electors of each State shaill meet and give their votes upon the first Wednesday in Decem ber in the year in which they are appointod, at such place, in, each State, as the Legislature of such Stato shall direct. SEC. 136. It shall be the duty of the executive of each State to cause three lists of the names of the elec tors of such State to be .made and certified, e.nd to bo delivered to the electors on or before the day on which they are required, by the pre ceding section, to meet. SEc. 137. The electors shall vote for President and Vice-President, respectively, in the manner directed by the constimtion. SEc. 138. The electors shall make and sign three certificates of all the votes given by them, each of which ertificates shall contain two dis tinct lists-one of the votes for Pre sident, and the other of the votes for Vice-President-and shall annex to each of the certificates one of the listri of electors which shall have been furnished to them by direction of the Executive of ihe State. Soc. 139, Tfhe electors shall seal up the certificates so made by them, and certify upon each, that the lists of all the votes of such State given for President, and of all the votes given for Vice-President, are con tained thereini. See. 140. The electors shall dis pose of the certificates thus made by them in thme following mnanner: One. They shall, by writing under their hands, or under the hands of a majority of them, appoint a person to take charge of and deliver to the President of the Senate, at the seat of .Government,' befoi e the first Wednesday in January then next ensumng, one' of the certificaites. Two. They shall forthwith for ward by the postoffico to the Presi dent of the Senate, at the scat of Government, one or the other of the certificates. Three. They shall forthwith cause the other of the certificates to be delivered to the judge of that dist riot in wvhi~ch the electors shall' a's semnbie. ""Sec. 142. Congress shall he in .eessionon the lieconid WednesdyjnA Februpry supcceding everyr meeting off eletoiadtd the certfloate, bys~ay'of the~m as have beeni ae 2dit~ed,E shall theoi b~ opened,- the otq ,xIte pr ots t iOn eealibc~sspriorjtoA ~9, Ado tbye .~ ,%i~ ~ ei redd Maehowdovqin innethoboj atnon n4sh at red in by both housosof Congress. When the questions arose during ithe first half of the centurv touch ing the acceptanco or rojection of tho vo of States, the returns from which were irregular, long dobates sometimues arose, which seriously in torfored with the prompt announce nient of the result. To cut off such debate, the twenty-second joint rulo of the two houses was adoptel in 1865, and re-alopted by each sue ceeding Congress excel the present. The following is the text of the rule : "If upon the reading of any such cetificate, by thle tellers, anly ques-r tionl shall ariso in regard to the counting of the votes thereil cert i lied, the same h 'aving bfen staed by the presidinig officer, the H-o ota shall,1 thoroulponl withdIraw, and' sn:ilt qIlestion sl l be slibillit hed t ih At body for its decision ; aid the speak.. or of the house shall. in like na-mner, submit the 8ahI :mI -n to the House for its dec;i*si m, :uid no ques. tion shall be decided -h-mahrtively, a 0d no votes objuete.d a) shall be counted, except by eon'Irrent votes oI the two hiousaies, which hieing ob tained, the two houses shuahlle assel ble, and the pr'eidin11g oflicer shell then axiloulnce the aeisiion' of tho quostion subnitte i ; and ul)on such question there shall be no debate in either house, and any other question to this objc:t for whAi--h tlWe two houses are asseibled. may he sui) mittedi and deter'lined in like man ner. In 1873, electoral voLos were rejected from several State; under this rule, but its operation was so unsatisfactory that the sen timent at that timo was almost unanimous not only for its repeal, but also for an entire chango in the mode of electing President. It was repealed at the last session of Congress by a failure of the Senato to adopt it. From this hasty review, it'appears, (1) that the president of the' senate has never assumed to determino any question as to the validity of tho vote received from any State, but that when such questions have arisen, they have invariably been re forred to the two houses of Con gross for their decision. (2.) 'That neither house of Con gress, by itself, has ever claimed the right to reject the vote of any State, or to determnino, in case two sets of returns from a single State appear, which of them shall be counted, ex cept by authority of tile Twenty second Joint Rule, which no longer exista. (3.) That while neither the Con stitution nor the laws. of the United States expressly provide the moans of determining controversies that may aiise ill regard to the counting of the electoral vote of any State, that power has beon exercised by the concurrent action of the two houses of Congress.-AV. 1. Tri bune. A Ount.ageous Proceeding. Night before last Mr. Mazyck, a hlighlly resp~ectable citizen 1esiding at tile corner of Rutledg~e and Morris streets, was aroused in tile dead of night by a noise of somc ono0 breaking into his house. Ho quick - ly put on his clothes, and quietly w~entL down staiirs wvith a donleh barrel shot-gun in his hand, opened the dloor on his p'azza, and there he sawv a negro standing with tihe shutter of the windowv in his hands, wvhich ho had succeeded in wrench ing from the hinges ; lhe took aim a~t the burglar and pullel the trig ger, but tile cap) snapped, thme burg lar threwv dowvn the shutter a.nd ran, jumping over theo banister int.> the) yard. The scond barrel was pnUiid~ on him and thme followv ran off, jump ing over the t'fence ; thea phee whero he jumped over w s examninedl an~d blood was on the fence and grannid. Tile p)olicemian onl this beait hearing the report rushed upon the premis es, and seized the( genthlema n~ who was thus protecting his homeb and firesido from the depredations of mnidnighlt robbers, arrested Mr. Mazyck, and he was held for thie space of eight hours a prisoner. The burglar was allowed to escaipo and go off unhcoded b~y this polica officer, andi a citizen protecting his1 home was dragged at night tiino to pr'ison. This' is the sort of govern ment we live under to-day.-. (Uharleston .Journal it of ommerce. The gin house of Mr. W. P Devlin, a tesident of Abbeville county, was burned by an incendiary lost week. Two bales .of cotton, several hlun (ire - bn'els of edttoji 'eed wviti theo machinery gnnn, etc. wer loi.NeidwaA'thocut fivuo hundred 4o01) s isurangeo oni tho place'whichipycove ibiOhfne lialf of'tihedss John~ L p Qb , and oe o s e y el irated menI e ig''frsm, i "r fin