The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1869-02-19
GRANT AND COLEAx.

A Joint session OF both Houses OF
Congress met IN the hall of the House
of Representatives ON the I1th for the
purpose OF counting the electoral votes
for President and Vice President. The
announcement of the vote by Presiding
Officer Wade was as follows:
Including the State of Georgia, Grant
and Colfax have received PA votes, and
Seymour and Blair so votes; and that,
excluding Georgia, Grant and Colfax
have received PA nd--Seymour and
Blair II votes. / do therefore declare
that Ulysses s. Grant, of Illinois, hav-
ing received q majority of the whole
number of electoral votes, is duly elect
ed President of the United States for
four years, commencing Oh the 4th day
of March, 1869; and that Schuyler Col
fax, of Indiana, having received ma
joIity of the whole number of electoral
votes is duly elected Vice President of
the United States for four years, conf
mencing on the 18th day of March, 1869.
The committee appointed to notify
Grant and Colfax of their election per-
formed that duty on the 18th. Senator
Morton made the address. On receiv-
ing the certificate of election General
Grant said:
That in accepting the Office of Pres
ident of the United States, he assured
them OF his determination to carry out
faithfully the obligations of that office,
and referred particularly to the necessi-
ties for an honest and faithful execution
of the revenue laws. He should en-
deavor to select for his assistants in the
administration of the Government, ca
pable, honest and patriotic men; and in
this he hoped to have the concurrence
of the Senate. That if he did not sue
coed in getting competent men on the
first trial, he should remove them and
select others. That he should have no
more hesitancy in changing his own ap-
pointees than those of his predecessor
in Office. He had from the first deemed
it improper to give any indication who
would receive cabinet appointments
until after he had received official notice
of his own election. He had not yet
advised anybody whom he had selected
for these places lie had not even con-
! versed with any of the persons them
selves. From various communications
he had received, and from what he had
heard, he WAS convinced that some of
| the persons he should choose would be
opposed by combinations of influential
men in the party which had supported
him-nOt because they were unit or
PCAcOA0AAy fOOJCOAAOAAAOlC, Dut lrOCC&uSc
these parties desired the appointments
for their own friends. He must mainly
be governed by his own ideas of fitness
of the men for the work they would
have to perform, and that he had finally
concluded not to give any indication of
his purposes till he sent his nolnina-
tions to the Senate. Ii he did give per-
sons selected previous notice, it would
only be day or two before their names
were sent in. ~
At the conclusion Of the interview
the committee waited on Mr.. CoIfax
and presented the certificate of his cleo
ton as Vice President. Mr.. Colfax re-
piled to the address as follows:
GENTLEMEN: Please convey to the
houses of Congress my acceptance OF
the ONCE to which have been elected
oy the people of the United States, and
assure them 1 shall endesvor to prove
worthy of this mark of confidence by
noenty to principle and duty.