Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1877-01-22
The Bill in Relation to the Presi-
Dental Count.

The following is the complete text OF the bill !:
4 bill to provide for and regulate the counting of
votes for President aud Vice President and the
decision of questions arising thereon, for the
term commencing March H. \. ID. 1877,
BE Il enacted By the Senate and House Of Repre-
sentatiUes If tie United States Of america in Con-
gress asSemblea That the Senate and House of
Representatives shall meet in the hall of the
House of Representatives at the hour of o'clock
p. NJ, on the first Thursday in February, A. ID.
1877, and the President of the Senate shall be
their presiding officer. Two tellers shall be prev
ously appointed on the part of the Senate and two
on the part of the House of Representatives, to
whom shall be handed As they are opened by the
President of the Senate all the certificates and
papers purporlng to be certificates of electoral
votes, which certificates and papers shall be open-
ed, presented and acted upon in the alphabetical
order of the States, beginning with the letter A,
and said tellers having then read the same in the
presence aud hearing of the two houses shall
make a list of the votes a. they shall appear from
the said certificates. and the votes having been as
ceraiued ard counted as in this act provided, the
result OF the same shall be delivered to the Pres-
dent of the Senate, who shall thereupon announce
the state Of the vote and the names OF the persons
if any, elected, which announcement shall be
deemed a sufficient declaration Of the persons
elected resident and Vice President of the United
States, and together with list of the votes, shall
be entered on the journals of the two houses
[ pom such reading OF any such certificate paper
when there shall he only one return from a State,
the President of the Senate shall call for ohiac-
tions, if any Every objection shall be made in
writing, and shall state clearly and coucisely and
without argument the ground thereof, and shall
be signed by at least one Senator and one member
of tue House of Representatives before the same
shall be received. When all objections made
to any vote OF paper from State shall have been
received and read the Senate shall thereupon
withdraw and such objections shall be submitted
to the Senate for its decision, and the Speaker Of
the House of Representatives shall in Ike manner
su bmit such objections 10 the House of Represen-
tatives tor its decision, and no electoral vote or
votes from any State from which but one return
has been received shall be rejected except by the
vote Of the two houses. When the two
houses have voted they shall Immediately again
meet, and the presiding officer shall then announce
the decision OF the question submitted.
SEC. 2. That if more than one return, or paper
puTporting TO be a return, from State shah have
been received by the President Of the Senate pur-
porting to be the certificates of electoral votes CIV
en- at the last preceding election for President and
Vice President 10 such state, unless they shall be
duplicates OF the same return, all such returns
and papers shall be opened by him in the presence
OF the two houses when met as Aforesaid, and read
by the tellers, and all such returns aud papers
shall theieupon be submitted to the Judgment and
decision, as to which i the true and lawful cleo
toral vote Of such State, Of commission consti.
tuted as follows namely: Daring the session of
each house on the Tuesday next preceding the
fir.t thursday in February, 1917, each house shall
by viva voce vote appoint five Of It's members who
with the FIVE Associate Justices of the Supreme
Court Of the United States to be ascertained as
hereinafter proy led, shall constitute q commission
for the decision of all questions upon or ID respect
of sucu double returns named IN this section. On
the Tuesday next preceding the fist Thursday in
February, A. ID. 1871, OF as soon thereafter as may
be, the Assoc ate Justices of the Supreme Court
Of the United States now assigned to the FIRST,
Third, Eighth and Ninth circuits shall select, in
such manner "a a majority Of them shall deem fit,
another of the associate justices OF said court,
which five persons shall be members of the said
commission, aud The person longest in commission
Of said five justices shall be the President Of said
commission. The members Of said commission
shall respectively, take and subscribe the follow
ing oath.
l., do solemnly swear Tor affirm, as the case
may be- that will impattiay examine aud con-
slder all questions submitted to the commission Of
winch am member. and a true judgment give
thereon. agreesbly TO the Constitution and the
Jaws. So hep1ne Cod
which oath shall be filed with the Secretary of
the Senate. When the commission shall have
been thus orgsnzed II shall not be IN the power of
either house 10 dissolve the same or 10 withdraw
any Of its members, but if any such Senator or