The daily gazette., 1876-12-26
TIE CONSTITUTIONAL METHOD.

HOW THE ELECTORAL VOTES WERE
COUNTED IN 1906 BY BOTH HOUSES OF
CONGRESS, WITH AARON BURR, VICE
PRESIDENT, PRESIDING.
To the Editor of the Herald.
1 have been examining for myself to
ascertain the practice of Congress in
counting the heelectoral votes for President
and Vice-President, and herewith send
you transcript copied from Benton's
Abridgment of the Debates of Congress)
of what occurred in 1905, when Mr.. JEFF
ferson was reelected President. Your
readers will please note the words which
have italicized:-"Vo Ill, pages 167,
16S. Wednesday, February 13, 1905.
Counting of electoral votes for President
and Vice-Preadent. About II o'clock
the Senators took their seats and imme-
diately after the Speaker and members of
the House of Representatives entered.
'Mr. Samuel Smith, teller on the part
of the Senate, and Mr.. Joseph Clay and
Mr.. II. Griswold, tellcrs on the part of
the House, took seats at a table placed in
front of the Chair, in the area between
the Senate and House.
| "The Secretary of the Senate read the
resolutions of the two houses previously
agreed to.
| ATE.
"The President (AIr. Burr) stated that
pursuant to law, there had been transmit
ted to him several packets which, from
the Endorsements upon them, appeared
to be the votes of the electors of Presi-
dent and PRESIDENT that the returns
forwarded by the mail, as well as the du-
lplicates sent by special messengers, had
been received by him in due time. You
acM no,o proceed, gentlemen, said he 'tC
count the rotes as the constitution dnC
laos direct" adding that, perceiving ne
cause for preference in the order of open
ing the returns, he would pursue geo
graphical arrangement, beginning will
the Northern States.
: "The President of the Senate then pro
ceeded to break the seals of the respectiv
, returns, handing each retul1, and its &C
cOmpdnying duplicate, as the seals ,cer
broken, TO the teiters through the Secretd-
~, M. s. Smith rcdding dt0ud the retm1
and tie dttestdtions OF the 0ppointmen
; Of the electors and Mr.. j. Cldy and NJ
Il. GristrOld comparing them acitb III
! duplicate returns Tying before them. Ac
cording to which enumeration the fol
-. lowing appeared to be the result" TIL
!, result is then given.
w np1rf,rIr> EpoM I,I,rIIEt, HORSE.
after the returns had been ALL crdnl
| med, withoW any objection hdring bee
made 10 receicing ANY Of the roles, MI
.. IS. Smith, on behalf of the tellers, commu
+ nicated to the President the foregoin
r result, which was read from the chail
: when the Vice President said, 'FrOm thi
}. report it becomes my duty to declare
: agreeably to the constitution, that Thom
as Jefferson is elected" &c.
AN HONEST, CONSTITUTIONAL CoUN
WANTED.
i AS the HERALD remarked some week
/ / ago, it is of more consequence to tn
: American people to have fair count tina
t to have any particular man for President
d And they will submit to Hayes or Tide
= as the case may be, but they will insis
|, that the electoral votes must be counte
in the manner provided by the constitu
: ton. If the President of the Senate ha
c any duty to perform other than to ''ope
S all the certificates" in the presence of til
It Senate and House of Representatives;
e he has anything to do with the examine
II ton and count have been unable to di
" cover it. Mr.. Burr would surely hay
Exercised the right to examine and couT
" lif he thought he possessed it; hut all |
e did was to break the seals and hand Il
1t returns to the tellers, by whom they we
y examined. G. Z. J. j.
a NEW YORK, Dec. %, 1876.
Il