The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1877-02-08
TIE ELECTORAL TRIRUNAL.
The Fun Text Of the Bnl Reported nv the
JaiBt Committee OF Congress.

mittee on counting the electoral vote of
the United States:
A bin to provide for and regulate the
counting of votes for President and
Vice President and the decision of
questions arising thereon, for the
term commencing March 4, A. ID.
1877:
BE II enacted. ctC, That the Senate
and House of Representatives shall meet
IN the hall of the House of Reprcsen-
tativos. as the hour Of one O'Clock T. NJ.
on the iiTs, Thursday mi February. 4.
ID. 1877, and the president Of the Senate
shall be their presiding officer Two
tcllers shall be previously appointed ON
the part ot the Senate and two ON the
part Of the House of Representatives. %
whom shall be handed, as they are open
oj by thc president of the Senate, AL
the certificates and papers purportmg 60
ho certificates Of electoral votes, winch
certificates and papers shall ho opened,
presented and acted upon in the npha-
beuol order of thc States, beginning
with She letter A, aud said tellcrs having
then read the same in the presence and
hcaring oi She two houses, shall make
list of tae votes MS they shall appear
trom the Nad certificates, and, the votes
having been aScertained and counted as
In tins ac. provided. the result of the
same shall be delivered 20 the president
of the Senate. who shall th0uupou au-
noGnca tAe state Of the vote and the
names of the persons, II any, elected,
winch announcement shall hC dccmed q
sufficient declaration oi the persons
elected President and Wee President Of
tAo United States, and together with a
lis. of the votes shall be entSrId ON the
Journals O. the two houses, Upon
such reading oi amy certificate or
paper, when there shall bc only
one rctaru from the State, the
president I'll the Senate shall call for uh-
lcctous, if amy. Every objection shall
be made hi writing. and shall state clear
ly and concisely and without argument
the ground thereof. and shall be signed
bv 20 least one senator and one member
oi the House Of Representative before
the same shall he received When all
objections 50 made to any vote or paper
from a State shall have been receIycd and
read, the Senate shall thereupOn with
draw. and such objections shall be sub
mittcd e. tho Senate for It's decision, and
the Speaker If the House oi Representa-
tiyeS shall in like manner submit such
objections 20 the House uf Representa-
tives for its decision, and no electoral
vote or votes from any State fr1n which
bul one reun has been received shall
hg rejected except 10y the affirmative vote
a.. the two houses When the two
houses have voted they shall immediate-
IL again meet, and the presiding officer
shah then announce the decision of the
question submitted.
Sic. = That if more than one return
Dr Uaper purporuug 70 be a return from
State shall have been received bv the
president u the Senate, purporung 70
be the certificates Of electoral votes gwen
at the last PRECEDING election for PreSi-
dent and Vice President in such State,
unless they shall be duplicates Of the
same return. all such returns and papers
shall bg opened 10y HIM. IN the presence
of the two houses. when met as atOre-
said, and read by the telers, and all
such returns and papers shall thereupon
be submitted % the Judgment and decl-
sluls SIS u which Is the trGa and lawful
electoral vote of such State. Of commits
sion constituted as follows, namely:
During the session uf each House ON the
Tuesday next preceding the first Thurs
day in February, 1877, each House shall
10y gis1 voes vote appoint five Of its
members. who, with the five associate
justices o5 the supreme court Of the Uni
ted States, II be ascertalned as herein
after provided, shall constitute COM
mission for the decision of all questions
upon Cr IN respect of such double re-
turns named IN this section. On the
Tuesday next preceding the first Thurs
day ci February, 4. d. 1877, or as soon
thereafter sS NAV be, the associate JUS
tlces Of tine supreme court of the United
States now assigned to the first. third,
eighth and ninth circuits shall select, in
such manner rs "a majority of them shall
deem fit, another OF the associate JUS
tices u s3;d court, which five persons
shall lie members of the said commits
sion, and the person longest IN commits
sion Of sad five justices shall be the
president Of said commission. Members
uf said commission shall respectively
take and subscribe the following oath
L -. 10 solemnly swear Tor
affirm, as the ease may be- that l viii
impartially examine and consider all
questions submitted 10 the commission
ot which ] am a member, and a true
judgment give thereon, aCreeabhy to the
Constitution and laws, so help me God s"
Which oath shall be filed with the seCre-
taTv Of the Senate.
When the commission shall have been
thus organized it shall not be in the
power of sither House 10 dissolve the
same or to Withdraw any Of its mem
bers; but if any such senator or mem
her shall die or become physically un-
able to perform the duties required by
this act, the fact Of such death or phvsi-
cal inability shall be by said commission,
before it shall proceed further, communi-
Gated "a the Senate or House Of Repre-
sentatives, IS the case NAV be. which
body shall Immediately and without de-
bate proceed by rira rOcc vote TO ill the
placed 50 vacated and the person ap-
pointed shall take and subscribe the
oath hereinbefore prescribed. and be-
come q member Of said commission.
And, in ike manner, if any Of said JUS
tees Of the supreme court shall die or
become physically incapable Of perform
ing the duties required by the act, the
other Of said Justices, members Of the
said commission, shall Immediately ap-
point another justice Of said court o
member Of said commission. and in such
appointments regard shall be had to the
impartiality and freedom from bias
sought by the original appointments TO
said commission, who shall thereupon
Immediately take and subscribe to the
oath hereinbefore prescribed, and be-
come a member Of said commission to till
the vacancy 50 occasioHed.
Al the certificates and papers purport-
ing TO he certificates OF the electoral
votes OF each State shall be opened in
the alphabetical order of the States. as
provided in section one Of this act. and
when there shall be more than one such
certificate or paper as the certificates or
papers from such State shall be opened
Excepting duplicates Of the same return.
they shall be read by the tellers. and
thereUpon the president Of the Senate
shall call for objections, ii any. Every
objection shall be made in writing, and
shall state clearly and c0uciselv, and
without argument, the ground thereof.
and shall be signed by at least one SEN
afDr and one member Of the House Of
Representatives before the same shall be
received When all such objections so
made to any certificate, vote or paper
from State shall have been received and
read, all such certificates, votes aud
pgpers 50 objected to, and all papers ac-
c1mpauying the same, together with such