Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-01-24
SENATE.
WASHINGTON. Jan. II.
SENATE.
A PlNn q Count the Electoral Vote,

L
SENATE.
A Pian ID Count the Electoral vote.
| WASHINGTON, Jan. 1S.-Jones OF
Florida, presented petition of dem.
ocratic presidential electors, claiming
to have been legally elected and ask
ing that the vote cast by them be
counted.
/ On motion of Jones, the petition
was tabled until next week.
Edmunds, from special joint elec-
toral committee, reported in writing
accompanying the report with bill,
expressing qualification that all men,
bers of both committees, had signed
the report, with one exception. The
committee would desire to take the
bill up by Saturday or Monday at the
farthest, believing their recommend
alton was not a compromise but a
measure Of justice in aid of constitu-
tional government, which would CON-
mand respect and which surrendered
no body.
The following is the bill accompa-
nying the report presented by Ed
munds:
A bill to provide for and to regulate
the counting of the votes for Pres
idcnt and Vice-President, and the
decision of questions arising there
on, for the term commencing March
4th A. ID. 1877.
Be 1t Endcted-That the Senate and
House of Representatives shall meet
in the hall ef the House of Represent
atives at the hour of 10 o'clock A. NJ. /,
on the first Thursday in Feb. A. %.
1877, and the President of the Senate
shall be the presiding officer. Two
tellers shall be previously appointed
on the part ofthe Senate and two on
the part Of the House of Represent
atives, to whom shall be handed, as
they are opened by the President of
the Senate, all certificates and papers
purporting to be certificates of the
electoral vote, which certificates and
papers shall be opened, presented and
acted upon in alphabetical order Of the
states. beginning with "a" and said
tellers having then read the
same in the presence and hearing of
the two Houses. shall make list Of the
votes as they shall appear from said
/
ascertained and counted as i'm this act
provided, the result of the same shall
be delivered to the President of the
Senate, who shall thercupon announce
the state Of the vote and the names of
the persons, if any. elected, which
announcement shall be deemed suf-
ficient declaration 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 the reading of any
such certificate or paper where
there shall be only one return from
n State the President of the Senate
shall call for objections ifany. Every
objection shall be made in
writing and shall clearly and concise
1y and without argument give the
ground thereof, and it shall be signed
by at least one Senator and one men,
Der of the House of Representatives
before the same shall be received.
When all objections are made to any
vote or paper from State shall have
been received and read, the Senate
shall thereupon withdraw, and such
objections shall be submitted 10 the
Senate for its decision, and the Speak
er of the House of Representatives
shall in like manner submit such OBJ
jections to the House of Representa-
tiyes for its decision, and no electoral
vote or votes from any State from
which but one return has been receiv-
ed 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 question submit
ted.
| Sec. 2. That if more than one re-
,urn or paper purporting to be a re-
turn from State shall have been
received by the President of the Sem
ate, purporting to be certificates of
electoral votes given at the
last preceding election for
President and Vice President in
such State, unless they shall be
the duplicates of the same return,
all such returns and papers shall
be opened by him in tie presence OF
the two houses, when met, as afore-
said, read by tellers, and all such re-
turns and papers shall thereupon be
submitted to the Judgment and deci-
sion 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, on the Tuesday next preccd-
ing the first Thursday in February
, 1877, each house shall, by a rira roct
vote, appoint five Of its members, who
with five Associate Justices of the
Supreme Court Of the United States
to be ascertained as hereinafter pro
vided, shall constitute q commission
for the de ,ision of all questions upon
or in respect to such double returns
named in this section. On the Tuesday
next preceding the first Thursday il
February, A. ID, 1877, or as soor
thereafter as may be the Associate
Justices of the Supreme Court of thu
United States now assigned to the
First, Third, Eighth and Ninth Cir
cults, shall select in such manner as :
J majority of them shall deem fit, an
other of the Associate Justices O
said court, which five persons shal
| OC AuCtIlUCAS vi sshlu COUlIllsSIOAy uut
the person longest i'm commission Of
said five justices shall be President o.
this commission. The members of sai(
, commission shall respectively tax,
and subscribe to the following oath:
81, do solemnly swear
Cor affirm, as the case may bc), that
|, will impartially examine and consid
er all questions submitted to the com
mission of which am a member, ,anG
a true judgment give thereon agree
able to tho Constitution and laws, S,
D help me God"
II Which oath shall be filed with tn
: Sec'y Of the Senate. When the commits
D sion shall have been thus organized
: it shall not be in the power Of eithe
House to dissolve the same or 1,
withdraw any of its members, but
/. any such Senator or member shall di
i or become physically unable to per
/ form tho duties required by this aci
the fact Of such death or physical ina
4 bility shall be by said commissions be
/ fore it shall proceed further, commu
nicated to the Senate or House of Rep
resentatiyes, as the case may be, w hic