Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1876-12-20


that two persons be appointed teller
on the part of tho House "to make
list OF the votes as they shall be dc
clared !" that tho result be delivere,
to the President, &c, who shall "ar
nounce the state of the vote and th
persons elected, to the two Houses.
Jackson and Pitkin were appointed te
lcrs by the House. The Senate adopt
ed this resolution toitsclf, and Mnco
was made teller
On Wednesday, February 18th, th
House Informed the Senate that il wa
ready TO receive them, and to "procce
in opening the certificates aud countin
the votes.' The Senate attended, an,
took seats in the House. Tn
Journal OF the House (p3s5), dc
clares that "the President Of the Sen
ate, in the presence of both Houses
proceeded to open the certificates O
the Electors OF the several States, bc
ginning with New Hampshire, whicl
were delivered to the tcllers, by whom
they were read, and who took lists o
the same as far US Indiana. When th,
President of the Senate was about [,
open the votes OF that State for n
purpose Of hdring the same counted,
Taylor, of New York, member o
the House, "rose aud objected to tn,
same, saying that in his opinion, tn,
votes Of the clcctorsoi the said State o
Indiana, &c., ought not to be received
Upon which objection being made, th,
Senate, on motion of one of its mem
bcrs, withdrew"
Thereupon the question was debate,
in the House the resolution TO reiecr
the State indefinitely postponed th,
Senate came back, and Indiana wa
counted. In the Senate Journal there
is notice taken OF the incident Of re
tinng, but the report is made as if nc
objection or interruption took place
In a note, however (p 9l6,) to th,
ANNALS of Congress" the editors say
that, when the Senate retired, Barbour
in the Senate, moved a resolution thai
Indiana had right to be counted
which was supported by Mason, Tai
bot, Barbour, Dana, and Daggett, bur
esistedbyCampbcll and Throgmorton
Before any vote was had, the messing,
came from the House; Barbour with
drew his resolution, and the two
Houses were united On the mex
morning there was discussion ovel
what TO say in the Senate journal. AZ
the doings were novel and might be Z
precedent, and il was decided that tn,
journal should be according to former
preccdents."
But after the counting Of the vote,
and the election, jackson, of the Hous,
committee Up. f06,) made a report re
specting notification of the Prcsiden,
elect. This report is No. 81 of reports
Of House committees Tor that Con,
gross, aud grew out of the assumption
by the Senate TO notify the President.
elect without association OF the House
which assumption the committee
sternly rebukc. The Senate, however
would not recede, and subsequently,
by vote of 20 10 l2, Il refused to cor.
rect its journal according TO the real
occurrences in opening or counting the
votes.
In the debates Of the House, which
are meagrely reported, the only point
discussed was whether Indiana was a
State when her electors voted.
1t appears that in the legal theory
of that day the two Houses were as
semblcd in an entirety--tho House
with its Speaker, and the Senate with
its President--and when q member Of
either body raised a question or made
a motion the other body instantly re-
tired. When, therefore, Taylor, of
the House, was about to argue his ob.
jec.ions to lndana,the Speaker stopped
him, and Varnum, Senator, address.
ed motion, to the President that the
Senate retire, "for the purpose of al
lowing the House TO deliberate" and
the President then and there put the
motion to the Senate, which adopted it.
And when the Senate returned the
Speaker said that tho House "had not
seen IT necessary TO come to any rcso-
luton, or to take any order on tho
subject which had produced the scpar.
alton of the two Houses"
But four years later in the Missouri
case, the two Houses did agree TO take
the decision into their own hands, and
not leave il TO the President, and they
lid instruct him what to do and say
lbout tho votes OF Missouri To be
'nre in the case Of Indiana the vote
vas counted, and Missouri by strange
ievicc, both was counted and was not
counted, in the result and declaration
" the President Of the Senate.
In 1857 similar resolutions were
'dopted as in 1917 for raising commit
ees for ''mode OF examining the
'otes, and they reported, among other
birgs, the appointment Of tellers ITO
make a list Of the votes as they shall
% declared But the tcllcrs IN the
ctual proceedings assume larger and
more positive power, The tellers, aiter
ii the certificates were opened by the
resident aud examined by them, re.
'orted formally on their regularity
hat Wisconsin Electors did not vote
n the day specified by law and, in
luding Wisconsin, they gave the whole
lumber Of votes TO the President Of
be Senate. lie, taking the report of
he tellers, declared Buchanan elected
Without objection, including Wisconsin
Or Fremont, but, after the declaration,