Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1876-11-23


constitution provides that the Elec-
tors "meet in their respective States,
aud vote by ballot for President and
Vice President, one of whom shah
not be an inhabltant Of the State with
themselves. < And they
shall make distinct lists of all per-
sons voted for as President, and of all
persons voted fer as Vice Pres dent.
and of the number of votes for each /;
which lists they shall sign and certi-
fly, and transmit sealed to the seat of
the Government of the United States,
directed to the President Of the Sen
ate. The President of the Senate
shall, in the presence of the Senate
and the House of Representatives
open all the certificates, and the vote
shall then be counted. The person
having the greater number of votes
for President shall be the President,
if such number be a majority of the
whole number of Electors appointed"
etc.
BY acts Of 1892 and 1904 as adopt
ed in the Revised Statutes Of the
United States, the following regula-
tions are made:
Sec. 1855. The electors for each
State shall meet and give their votes
upon the first Wednesday in the year
in which they are appointed, at such
place, in each State, as the Legis-
lature Of such State shall direct.
Sec. 1S6. 1t shall be the duty of
the Executive Of each State to cause
three lists of the names of the Elec-
tors ofsuch State to be made and GER
tilted, and to be delivered 70 the Flee
tors can or before the day on which
they are required, by the preceding
section, to meet,
Sec. 1877. The Electors shall vote
for President and Vice President,
respectively, in the manner directed
by the constitution.
Sec. l38. The Electors shall make
and sign three certificates of all the
voter given by them, each of which
certificates shall contain two distinct
lists, one of the votes for President,
and the other of the votes for Vice
President, and shall annex to each Of
the certificates one of the list of the
Electors which shall have been fur
nished to them by direction of the
Executive of the State
Sec. 1919. The Electors shall seal MP
the certificates SO made by them, and
certify upon each that the list of all
the votes of such State given for
President, and of all the votes given
Tor Vice President, are contained
therein.
Sec. 14O. The Electors shall dispose
of the certificates thus made by them
in the following manner
/. They shall, by writing under
their hands, or under the hands of a
majority of them, appoint person to
take charge Of and deliver to the
President Of the Senate, at the seat of
Government, before the first Wedncs-
day in January then next ensuing,
one of the certificates.
2. They shall forthwith forward
by the Post Office to the President of
the Senate, at the seat Of Govern
ment, one other of the certificates.
3. They shall forthwith cause the
other of the certificates to be deliy-
cred to the Judge Of the district in
which the Electors shall assemble.
Sec. 142. Congress shall be in SEES
sion on the second Wednesday of
February succeeding every meeting
of the Electors, and the certificates,
or so many of them as have been
received, shall then be opened, the
votes counted, and the persons to fill
the office of President and Vice Pres
ident ascertained and declared, agree
able to the constitution"
On several occasions prior to 1869
objections had been made to receiv-
ing the votes of certain States, on ac-
count of alleged irregularities, but no
such vote was ever formally rejected.
In 1861 resolution was adopted
by Congress excluding the electoral
votes of States then in rebellion, but
as no votes were received from any of
them, none were rejected A pre-
cedent was, however, set for the re-
lection of the vote of State by a
joint resolution concerned in both
houses of Congress.
When the questions arose during
the first half of the century touching
the acceptance or rejection of the
votes Of States the returns from
which were irregular. long debates
sometimes arose which seriously in
terfered with the prompt announce.
ment of the result. To cut off such
debate, the Twentr-second Joint
Rule of the two houses was adopted
in 1865, and re-adopted by each sue
ceeding Congress except the present.
The following is the text of the rule
'.It upon the realing of any such
certificates by the tellers any question
shall arse IN regard to the counting
of the votes therein certified. the
same having been stated by the pre-.
siding officer, the Senate shall there
upon withdrawn, and said question
shall be submitted to that body for
its decision; and the Speaker of the
House shall in like manner submit
the said question to the house for its
decision, and no question shall be de-
decided affirmatiyely. and no votes