Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1852-11-13
Law of the Presidential Election.

A4GA |" VA WAN A~SA~~ANA~A
Some INQUIRIES have been made about the
law with respect to the.casting of the electoral
votes for President and Vice Presidents of the
United States, decided by the election of cleo
tors on Tuesday last. This is regulated by the
law Of the United States, and by auxiliary State
Legislature in each State.
In this State the law requires that the Judges
and commissioners of election in each parish
shall make out three lists of the number OF
votes received by each candidate, two of which
shall be transmitted as soon as possible, by diff
ferent mails, to the Governor Of the State, and
one to the Secretary Of State.
On these returns the Governor, in the pres
ence Of the Secretary Of State, Attorney Gems
eral and District Judge of the district 10 which
the seat of government is placed, examines and
determines who are elected by a majority of
votes, and causes their names to be published
officially in the newspapers.
A law Of the United States further requires
that the Executive OF the State shall make out
official lists of the electors chosen, to be ap>
pended to the certificates of the votes given in
the electoral college, which we shall speak of
below.
The filing of vacancies in the college is also
Iio " ny Il Ia idH. l. Gllf VI liN SlNS-
tors chosen by the people fail to attend before
the hour Of 4 o'clock, ?. NJ. on the day for cast
ing the votes, it is provided that the other cleo
tors shall proceed, by ballot, to supply vacan-
cies, and may ballot three times if a majority is
not previously obtained for the requisite num-
Der. After a third unsuccessful balloting, the
names Of all who shall have been balloted for
are to be placed in a box and enough drawn,
one by one, to fill up the vacancies.
BY a statue of the United States passed
March LIST, l792-which is still in force except
as amended in 1904 to meet the change in the
constitution in the manner of designating the
persons intended to be voted for as President
and Vice President, respectively-the first
Wednesday in December is designated as the
day upon which the electoral colleges through
out the United Ststes shall in each State, at
such place as shall be directed by the Legisla.
ture. The U. S. constitution enacts that the
day shall be uniform--the law appoints the day.
In this State the law designates "the seat of
Government" The electoral college will
therefore meet at Baton Rouge on the first
Wednesday, which will be the list day of De-
cember.
On that day the colleges, after organizing
under the State law, are required to cast their
votes separately for President and Vice Presi-
dent, and make three separate lists of each. To
OF these acts is appended a certificate from
the Executive OF the State, containing the
names of the electors chosen in the State,
which certificate is to be made out and deliver
ed to the electors on or before the meeting of
the college. OF these certified votes and acts
one copy of each, relating to the Presidency and
Vice Presidency, is to be sent by a special mes
whom the electors may appoint, to the
President of the Senate at Washington City, to
be delivered by the first Wednesday in January
next en~suing-one set to be forwarded by mail
10 the President of the Senate, and one deposit
ted with the Judge of the district in which the
shall assemble.
In the absence of the President of the Sen
ste the law devolves the reception and custody |
If these State votes upon the Secretary of State
% be delivered to the President of the Senate
as soon as may be-"
Col. King, the Vice President elect, is now
President OF the Senate, and is moreover i'll at
lis residence in Alabama. He will take no
in the reception and counting Of the votes.
Il the votes of any States are not received
'efore the first Monday in January, the Secre-
airy of State is required to send a special mes
to the District Judge for the copy depo-
tied with him, and to have it transmitted to
Washington.
Congress is required to be in session the en-
uing second Wednesday Of February, when
he sealed certificates received by the President
f the Senate shall be opened, the votes count
and "the persons who shall fill the Offices
f President and Vice President, ascertained
nd declared agreeably to the constitution"
This final proclamation will therefore take
lace on the 9th day of February next, and the
resident and Vice President will be Inaugural
ID on the 4th of March.
The compensation of electors of President
nd Vice President is fixed by the State laws.
Louisiana it is the pay and allowances of a
lember of the Legislature, payable out of the
tate Treasury.
The compensation of the bearer Of the certi-
ed vote to Washington was originally fixed at
twenty-five cents per mile of the estimated dis
nee by the most usual road of travel from the
ace where the electors meet, to Washington. ;
Ie have an indistinct impression that it has
nee been altered. There is a penalty of one
dollars imposed upon any bearer of ! !
who, after accepting the appointment, +
all neglect to execute the duties. y
The only evidence of a refusal to accept, or a :
of the office of President or Vice +
is IN instrument in writing, duly SUBJ i,
ribed, and filed in the office of the Secretary :
State. =
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