New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1877-01-19

| from the expression of our satisfaction that
your committee, composed of equal mem
oers OF both parties, has fortunately been
| able to do what has been ATTEMPTED in vain
heretofore, almost unanimously to aerea
upon plan, considered by them all to be lust,
wise and efficient. We accordingly recon-
mend the proposed act to the patriotic and
just Judgment OF Congress.
GEORGE f. EDMUNDS,
T. 7. FRELiNGHUYSEN,
ROSCOE CONKLING,
A. G. THURMAN,
T. P. BAYARD,
l.. A. RANSOM,
Senate Committee.
II. B. PAYNE,
EPPA HUNTER,
WILLIAM M. SPRINGER.
GEORGE w. McCRARY,
GEORGE F. HOAR,
GEORGE WILLARD,
Of House Committee.
A bill to provide for and regulate the
counting of votes for President and Vice
President, and the decision of questions
March 4, A. d. 1877:
he 1t enacted, etc That the Senate and
House of Representatives shall meet in the
Hall of the House of Representatives, at
the hour of l P. M, of the first Thurs
day OF February, A. D. 1877, and the
President OF the Senate shall be their pre-
siding officer. Two tellers shall be pre-
viOusly appointed on the part of the Sem
/ ate, 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 pur-
i porting to be certificates of the electoral
votes; which certificates and papers shall
be opened, presented and acted upon in the
/ alphabetical order of the States, beginning
/ with the letter "a" and said tellers hay.
ing then read the same in the presence
and hearing of the two Houses, shall
| make q list of the votes as they shall ap-
pear from the said certificates, and the
votes having been ascertained and counted,
i as in this act provided, the result of the
same shall be delivered TO the President of
| the Senate, who shall thereupOn announce
the state of the vote and the names of TIE
| persons, If any, elected, which announce
ment shall be deemed q sufficient declara-
! ton of the persons elected President and
| Vice President OF the United States, and,
together with list of the votes, be entered
on the journals of the two houses. Upon
such reading of any such certificate or pa
per, when there shall be only one return
from State, the President Of the Senate
shall call for objections, if any. Every OBJ
lection shall be made in writing, and shall
state clearly and cOneisely and without ar
| gument the ground thereof, and shall be
signed By at least one Senator and one
| member of the House of Representatives
before the same shall be received. When
all objections SO made to any vote or
paper from a State shall have been
received and read, the Senate shall there
upon withdraw, and such objections shall
be submitted to the Senate for its decision;
and the Speaker of the House of Represent.
atives 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 bat one
return has been received, shall be rejected
except by the 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 question.
SEC. ,. That If mere than one return or
paper purporting to be q return from
State shall have been received by the Presi-
dent of the Senate, purpOrting to be the
certificates of the electoral votes given at
the last preceding election for President
and Vice President in 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 and papers
shall thereup0n be submitted to the jadg-
| ment and decision, as TO which is the true
| and lawful electoral vote of such State, of a
commission constituted as follows, namely:
During the session of each house of the
Tuesday next preceding the first Thursday
i
voce vote, appoint five of its members,
who, with the five associate Justices
of the Supreme Court of the United States
TO be ascertained as hereinafter provided,
shall constitute q commission for the de-
cisiOn of all questions upon or in respect OF
such double returns named in this section
On the Tuesday next preceding the first
Thursday in February, A. ID. 1877, or a.
soon thereafter as may be, the Associate
Justices of the Supreme Court of the
, United States now assigned to the first
), third, eighth and ninth circuits shall select
in such manner as a majority of them shaI
deem fit, another of the Associate Judges O
the said court, which five persons shall bG
members of said commission and the per
son longest in commission of the sale
justices shall be the president of the saiC
commission. The members of the said com
l- mission shall respectively take and sub
II scribe the following oath: II do solemn,
swear or affirm las the case may bel that
A. | will impartially examine and consider al
a questions submitted to the commission 0
\ which am a member, and true judgmen
4 | give thereon, agreeable to the Constitution
q and the laws, so help me God" Which Oatl
lt shall be fled with the Secretary of the Ser
o ate. When the commission shall have bee
u | thus organized it shall not be in the powe
d of either house to dissolve the same, or
IT withdraw any of its members, but
le any such Senator or member shR
36 ulo VI DocOno phJ5ASuAAy uu0DlS
{, perform the duties required by thi
,e act, the fact of such death Q
is physical inability shall be by said cOmmi
Is sion, before it shall proceed further, con
munieated to. the Senate or House Of Re-
10 resentatives, as the case may be, who
,9 body shall Immediately, and without a
he bate, proceed by UiUG voce vote to fill q
Jn place so vacated, and the person SO 81
n pointed shall take and subscribe TO the Oai
,ia hereinbefore prescribed, and become
,e- member of said commission; and in iii
Mt manner, if any of said Justices Of the 8
a preme Court shall die or become physical
iu incapable Of performing the duties require
Mt by this act, the other Of said justices, mel
Mt bers of the said commission, shall immei
m ately appoint another Justice of said cOu
ial member of said commission, al
nv in such appointments regard shall
al had to the impartiality and fri
di- dom from bias sought by the origin
&C. appointments to said commission, w
ie shall thereupon Immediately take and So
re. scribe to the oath hereinbefore prescribe
di- and become member of said c0mmiasil
Art TO fill the vacancy 30 occaRiOned. All Z
Ten certificates and papers, purp0rting 70
an certificates Of the electoral votes Of "a
in State, shall be opened in the alphabeti
i'd order of the State, az provided in sacti
tee one of this act, and when there shall
ha more than one such certificate or paper
leh the certificates and papers from such St
the shall 30 be Opened-excepting duplica
fng of the same return-they shall be read
,ee. the tellers, and thereup0n the President
;or | the Senato eha1l call for nhfae4il