The star of Pascagoula. [volume] (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1873-1878, 1877-03-02
CONGRESSIONAL



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In she house on the Hth the speaker
laid before The house . eommaai.a.
ton from JUDGE Clifford president u the
electoral commission, informing The house
that the commission bad arrived Al a decision
10 the Louisiana case, md Transmitted their
d~ecision 10 the president Of the senate, ~
be opened and read 10 the presence Of the
two houses. Mr.. Lamar offered a resolution
directing he clerk Of the house 10 inform
the senate 1t would be ready IL receive that
body q, n O'Clock Monday next. for the pur.
pose Of proceeding with counting Of the
electoral votes. The resolution was adopted
-yeas, i52, nays, III. Among the NAYS we're
the following democrats Anderson. Goodin,
Howard, Potters, Southland, Tarbox, Wall.
ing, Wells, Of Missouri, Whitehouse and
whiting. hr. Lamar moved that the house
take a recess till Monday at 10 o'clock. Mr.
Lamars motion was sgreed 70. Yeas, ti9;
nays, l07, and the house took a recess.
In the house on the 10Th, at 10 o'clock
the house met and took a recess till 1850,
the time being occupied in preparing for the
reception OF the senate. The galleries we're
crowded, as usual on days when the count
is to proceed. Pl esisely at IL O'Clock the
senate arrived. The presiding officer said /:
The joint meeting OF congress resumes its
session. The objections presented to the
certificates from the state OF Louisiana hay.
ing been submitted TO the commission, the
tive houses have reconvened to receive and
consider the decision of that tribunal in
writing by a majority of the commissioner.
aud signed by a majority Of the commission
ers agreeing thereto. 1t IS in language the same
as the decision given in the case Of Florida,
with the difference that where the latter re-
cites "the commission has decided" thu
words of the present decision are, "the com-
mission has by q majority of votes decided"
The official communication continues: "The
brief ground of this decision is that il APP
pears upon such evidence as by the cOnsti.
tuition and law named in said act of congress
ana Ine SlbCtDrhl INV is component anu per- |
tinent to the consideration of the subject
that the aforementioned electors APP
pear to have been lawfully appointed such
electors of president and vice-president of
the United States for the term beginning
November 4, 1877, of the state Of Louisiana,
and that they voted as such at the time and
in the manner provided for by the constitu-
ton of the United States and the law, and
the commission has by a majority of votes
is not competent und er the con-
and law as it existed at the date Of
the passage of said act to go into evidence
of the papers opened by the presi-
dent of the senate in the presence of the
two houses to prove that other persons than
regularly certified to BY the gov
ernor of the state, OF and according to the
determination of their appointment by the
returning officers for elections in said state
prior to the lime required for the perform
of their duties had been appointed
or by counter proof to show that
they had not, that the determine ion of said
returning officers was not in accordance with
truth and fact. The commission, by a ma
of votes, being OF the opinion that it
is not within the jurisdiction OF the houses
Of congress assembled to count the vstes for
president and vice-president, TO enter upon
the trial Of such a question. The commits
sion, by a majority of votes, is also of opin-
ion that it is not competent to prove that any
such persons appointed as Aforesaid, held an
office of trust or profit under the United
States at the time when they were appointed,
or that they were ineligible unuer The laws
of the state, or any other matter offered to
be proved aliunder by said certificates and
Tn commission is also of the opin-
ion, by a majority of votes, that the return
ing officers of the election, who canvassed
the votes Of the election for electors in Louis
lana were a lawfully constituted body by
virtue of constitutional law, and that the va
cancy in said body did not vitiate its pro.
The commission has also decided
and does hereby decide by a majority of
votes and report as q consequence of the
foregoing and upon the ground before stated
the paper purportlng to be the certif-
cate of the electoral votes of said state of
Louisiana, objected to by I . Howe and
marked n. c. No. 2 by the commits.
sion and herewith returned, is not the eer-
.tiicate of votes provided for by the con.
of the United States, and that they
ought not to be counted as such. The sig.
natures are: Samuel F Miller, w Strong,
Joseph P Bradley, George F Edmonds, o P
Fred L Fr~elinghuysen, James A
Garfield, George F HOar. Tn decision hav.
ing been read, the presiding officer asked
there were any objections to
the decision on the ground that
the commission had refused to receive the
evidence which had been offered and had
iecided that the votes mentioned in certif. I
rates one and three should be counted for
and Wheeler, such evidence to the
contrary, NJ twithstandlng. The papers re-
at great length, the proceedings of the I
but the point of 1t is the reiec s
ion of the evidence. 1t is signed by most {
If the democrats of both houses. The read.
ng of the paper occupied just an hour. II I
vas the driest Of legal documents, repetiti {
ions Of various forms in which evidence had {
,een offered to and refused by the commits c
ion. No one, after the frs five minutes, ]
made the slightest p~retence Of hssening to or ]
attempting to understand it. The hum OF
conversation prevailed on the floor and in J
he crowded galleries to such an extent that {
he presiding officer several times appealed {
or order and silence. Finally, when the s
was ended, opportunity was given ]
who had not yet signed the paper {
o step TO the clerks desk and afix their q
ames. This used up more time and added l
the uproar. The senate having withdrawn {
ir. Wood made a motion. but the speaker I
nterfered, the new legislative day beginning i
fter prayer and reading OF the journal of !
Mr.. Wood then moved
hat the house take a recess till
0 Am. to-morrew. Before putting the ques-
ion the speaker desired to present some en-
oiled bills, but Mr.. Conger objected. The
cas- and nays were called on Mr.. Woods
potion and it WAS agreed to--yeas, 40; nays,
20. The following democrats voted in the
t~gative: Messrs Ainsworth, Anderson, John
Bsgley, Bell Campbell, Carr, Finley, Good
!, Hatcher, Raymond, Hopkins, Jones IN
y. Kebr, lie Moyne, Morgan, Neal, Phelps,
Powell, Stevenson, Tarbox, Warner,
Wells (Mo) Wills, Wiltshire and Yestes. The
puse thereupon took a recess, the demo-
Fats remaining in the hall to hold a caucus.
In the house on the goth, the regular
illness of the day was introduced by Mr..
Aefferipg an order that the Hayes cleo.