The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1877-01-26
rmE NEW plan.
The Conference G0snsnIGtee,a
RiAn OF CORnfinE the
IsAeea0E.saU Vote


Plan OF COGz nflnE abe
Electoral Vote.
The following is the bill introduce
ed ia the q. S. Senate on the 10Th, by
Senator Edmunds, being the report
of the JOINT Committee of the
House and Senate to devise a plan
for counting the electoral vote. 1t
was approved by all mcr bers of
the committee except Senator Nor
ton. We give it entire, that cur
readers may see what it is and keep
it for reference:
A bill to provide for aEd regulate
the counting of votes for President
and Vice President: the decision of
the questions arising thereon, for
the term commencing March 4ih
A. d. 1877.
Be it enacted. etc, That the Sem
ate and House of Representatives
shall meet in The hall of the House
of Representatives at the hour of 10
o'clock a. m, on the first Thursday
in February, a. ID. 1877, and the
President of the Senate shall be the
presiding officer. Tive teIlers shall
be previously appointed on the part
Of the Senate and two on the part
of the House OF Representatives,
to whom shall be handed the certif-
icates as they are opened BIZ the
President of the Senate. All the
certificates and papers purporting to
be certificates, shall be opened pre-
scented and acted upon in the alpha
betical order ofthe States, begin
ming with the letter a and said tel
lers having then read the same in
the presence and hearing of the two
houses, shall make list Of the votes
as they shall apper from said certif-
icates, and the votes having been
ascertained and counted, las In this
act provided, the result of the same
shall be delivered 20 the President
OF the Senate, who shall thereupon
announce the state of the vote and
the names ofpersons,i If any, elected,
which announcement shall be deem
ed q sufficient declaration OF the
persons elected President and Vice
President of the United States, and,
together with list of the votes. be
OB Vi tut Nv -
houses. Upon such reading OF any
such certificate or pa per W here there
shall be only one return froul a
State the President of the Senate
shall call for objections, ii any.
Every objection saali be mad in
writing and shall state CLEARLY aud
conciseiy, and Without argument,
the ground thereof, and shall be
signed by at least one Senator and
one member of the House of Rep.
resentativcs before the same shall
be received. When all objections
60 made to any vote or paper from
the State shall have been received
and read, the Senate shall thereupon
withdraw, and such objection shall
be submitted to the Senate for it's
decision, and the speaker of the
House Of Representatives shall In
like manner submit such objections
to the House of Representatives for
its decision, and no electoral vote
or votes from any State from which
but one return has bean received,
shall be objected to, except by an
affirmative 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 Ques-
ton submitted.
Section 2. That if more than one
return or paper purporting TO be
returns from State shall have been
received by the President of the
Senate, purporiing to be Ger ificates
of electoral votes given at he last
preceding election for P-esfdent
and Vice President in such State,
unless they shall be1dupficates- 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
tellers, and all such returns and pa
pers shall thereupon be submitted
to the judgment and decision as to
which is the true and lawful electo-
raj vote of such State of commits
sion constituted as follows, namely:
During the session of each house on
Tuesday next preceding the first
Thursday in February 1877, each
house shall by viva Eoce vote, ap-
point five ofits members, who, with
five Associate Justices of the Su-
preme Court of q. s., to be ascer-
tanned as hereinafter provided, shall
constitute commission for the de-
cision of all questions upon or in
respect of such double returns as
named in this section. On Tuesday
next preceding the first Thursday
in February, A. D. 1877, or as soon
thereafter as may be, the Associate
Justices of the Supreme Court of
the U. 5. now assigned to the first,
third, eighth and ninth circuits shall
elect in such manner as q majority
of them shall see fit, another of the
associate justices of said court,
which five persons shall be memb ers
of said commission, and the person
longest in commission of the said
five justices, shall be president of
said commission. The members of
said commission shall respectively
take and subscribe TO the following
oath:
+" / do solemnly swear Cor affirm,
as the case may beg that will i'm
partially examine and consider all
questions submitted 10 the commits
sion of which sm q member, aud q
true judgment give thereon, agreea-
bly, to the constitution and the laws.
So help me God"
Which oath shall be filed with the
Secretary of the Senate. When the
commission shall have been thus
organized, it shall not he in the
power of either house to dissolve
the same or to withdraw any of its
members, but If any such senator
shall die or become ply sically una
BILE TO perform the duties required
by this act, the fact of such death or
physical liability shall be by said
commission, before it shall proceed
farther, communicated to the SEN
ate or House OF representatives, as
the case may be, which body shall,
Immediately and without debate,
proceed by viva voce vote to fill the
place so vacated, and the person 50
appointed shall take and subscribe
to the oath herein before prescibed,
and shall become a member of said
commission and, in like manner,
if any of the Justices ofthe Supreme
Court shall die, or become physical
ly incapable of performing the du-
ties required by this act, the others