The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-02-13
XLIID CONGRESS.
SENATE.
WASHINGTON, Feb. II.

w WASHINGTON, E6D. Il.
Mr.. Scott from the Finance Committee, re-
ported with amendment the bill amendatory of
the providing for the redemption and sale of
lands held by the United States under the act
levying direct taxes, and asked its immediate
consideration
Mr. Edmunds introduced bill to authorize
the continued employment of Mr.. Hale, the
agent and counsel of the. United States before
the British and American Mixed Commission,
till he takes seat in Congress, to which he has
been elected.
After some unimportant business the Senate
proceeded to the House to witness the counting
Of the electoral votes for President and Vice
President.
At five minutes past eight the Senate return.
ed to its chamber .
On motion of Mr. Sherman resolution was
adopted for the appointment of one on the part
of the Senate to join two members appointed by
the House to inform the President and Vice
President elect of their election.
Mr.. Sherman was appointed as committee
on the part of the Senate. Adjourned.
HOUSE.
This being the day when the ceremony of
counting the Presidential electoral votes takes
place in the House, the galleries are, in spite of
the rain, crowded with fashionable dressed per-
sons.
The Senate amendments to the bill making
provision for the Vienna Exposition were con-
Cured in.
A message was sent to the Senate that the
House was prepared to receive that body to pro-
coed with counting the ELECTORAL votes for
President and Vice President
The bill amending the Both section of the in
ternal revenue law of the 18th Of July, 1870, SO
as to provide that on all importatons of sugar.
molasseS, pig iron or railroad iron, the amount
of bond required shall only be in penal sum
of double the amount of duties on such art;
cles, and that on all other importations the
bond shall be in a penal sum equal to the in
voice value of the imported merchandise with
the duties added thereto was passed.
At one o'clock the do6r-keeper announced the
arrivalof the Senate. The Speaker and members
of the House remained standing while the Sen
ate took the seats assigned them. t
Ma Colfax, Vice President, took the chair of
the Speaker.
Senator Sherman and Representatives Dawes
and Buck were appointed tellers.
The Vice President called the joint conven-
ton to order, stating that the Senate and
House of Representatives having met under the
provisions of the Constitution, for the purpose
of opening and declaring the vote for the offices
Of President and Vice President of the United
States for the term of four years, commencing
on the 4th of March next and it being his duty
in the presence of both Houses thus convened
to open the votes, he would now proceed to dis
charge that duty. He then broke open the
sealed packages containing the certificate of the
Governor of Maine as to the persons chosen as
electors of that State, together with the certif-
Gates of the electors, and handed the same to
the tellers.
Senator Sherman thereupon read the certif-
Gates of the electors, showing that the votes of
that State were given for U. s. Grant for
President and Henry Wilson for Vice Presi-
dent. The same form was gone through with
in the case Of the State of New Hampshire and
then it was ordered that instead of reading GER
tificates in full the tellers should simply an
nounce the result of the vote in each State I'M
less reading of certificates should be specially
called for, and that course was observed
throughout the proceedings. The first varia.
ton in the uniformity of the count was when
Maryland was reached. Mr.. Buck read GER
tificate from that State showing that its eight
votes had been cast for Thomas A. Hendricks
of Indiana, and for B. Gratz Brown of Missou-
ri, as Vice President; the next deviation was in
the case of Georgia, and Mr.. Beck having ex-
amined the certificate announced that eleven
votes of that State for President had been
given as follows: B. G. Brown 81 votes; Hor-
ace Greeley 8, Charles X. Jenkins 2 and the
eleven votes for Vice President as follows: b.
G, Brown 3, Alfred 81. Calquitt 8, N. P. Banks
one. 49,,
The one vote for Vice President which Gen.
Ranks had received from Georgia caused some
laughter at the expense of that gentleman.
A point of order was raised relative Ito the
three votes of Georgia which were given for
Horace Greeley, on the ground that he was
dead when the vote was given. The Senate re-
tired to consider this and other objections. On
the vote for Mr.. Greeley the Senate voted that
it should be counted, and the Ho9se that 1t
should not. One of the other questions raised
was that majority of the Texas electors had
been appointed By less than hama majority aJ An
for both President and Vice President living in
the same State These were both overruled by
both Houses.
votes of Arkansas and Louisiana, and each
branch taking action, the votes of both States
were excluded.
The general result of the count was then
stated by the tellers through Senator Sherman
The Vice President having received from the
teller an abstract of the votes, declared U. S.
Grant, of Illinois, having received majority
of the whole number of electoral votes for
President and Vice President, was duly elected
President of the United States for four years
commencing on the 4th of March, 1873, and that
Henry Wilson, of Massachusetts, having re-
ceived majority of the whole number of cleo
toral votes for Vice President, was duly elected
Vice President of the United States for four
years commencing on the 4th of March, 1873
The Senate then made its final exit and the
House adjourned.