The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-01-19
THE ELECTORAL COUNT.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 1S-The following is
the complete text of the bill agreed upon by
the joint committee on counting the electoral
votes:
A pill to provide for and regulate the counting
of votes for President and Vice President,
and the decision of questions arising therein,
for the term commencing March 4, 1877:
Be 1t enacted, &C., That the Senate and
House of Representatives shall meet in the
hall OF the House of Representatives at the
hour of one O'Clock, post meridian, on
the first Thursday in February, ammo domiui
1877, and the President of the Senate shall be
their presiding officer Two telers shall be
previously appointed on the part OF the Senate
aud two On the part of the House of Repre-
sentaJves. to whom shall be handed, as they
are opeped by the President of the Senate, all
the certificates and papers purporting to be
certificates of the electoral votes, which GER
tificates and papers shall be opened, presented
and acted upou in the alphabetical order of the
states, beginning with the letter A; and said
tellers, having then read the same in the pres
ence and hearing of the two houses, shall make
list of the votes as they shall appear from the
said certificates; and, the votes having been
ascertained and couLted as in this act provided,
the result of the same shal be delivered to the
President of the Senate who shall therenpon
announce the state of the vote and the names
OF the persons if any, elected, which announce
ment shall be deemed a sufficient declaration
of the persons elected President and Vice
President of the United States, and, together
with the list of the votes, be entered on the
journals of the two houses Upon such read
ing of any such certificate or paper, when there
shall be Ouly one return from state, the Presi-
dent of the Senate shall call for objections, If
any. Every objection shall be smade In writ
ing, and shall state clearly and concisely AID
wi bout argument the ground thereof, aud
shall be signed by at least one Senator and one
member Of the House of Representatives be-
fo-e the same shall be received When all
objections so 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 to the Senate for
us decision, and the Speaker of the House of
Representatives SHALL in like manner, submit
such objections to the House of Representa-
tives for its decision; and no electoral vote or
votes from any states from which but 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 de-
| cision of the question submitted.
SECTION 2. That if more than one return or
| paper purporting to be return from State
shall have been received by the President
of the Senate, purportlng to be the certificates
| of electoral votes given at the last preceding
| election for President aud 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
1 two houses when met as aforesaid and read by
the te,lers, and all such returns and papers
| shall thereupon be submitted to the judgment
and decision as to which is the true and lawful
electoral vote of such State, of commission
constituted as follows, namely: During the
i preceding the first Thursday in February, 1877,
| each house shall by Uiya yoce vote appoint five
OF its members, who with the five Associate
| Justices of the Supreme Court of the United
| States to be aScertalned as hereinafter provid-
| ed, shall constitute a 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. D., 1877, or as soon thereafter
| as may be, the Associate Justices of the Su-
preme Court of the United States, nov assign
| ed to the first, third, eighth and ninth circuits
/ shall select, In such manner as majority of
hem deem fit, another of the Associate Justi-
ces of said Court, which five persons sLail be
| members of said commission, and the person
longest in commission of said five justices shall
be the President of said commission. The
| members of said commission shall respectively
take and subscribe the following oath: 81 do
solemnly swear, or affirm, as the case may be
"th,t will impartaly examine and consider
all questions submitted to the commission of
| which 1 am a member, and true iudgmen
give thereon, agreeably to the Constitution and
the laws, So Help me God" Which oath
shall be fled with the Secretary of the Senate.
When the Commission shall have been thus
| organized 1T hall not be in the power of either
House to dissolve the same, or 10 withdraw any
| of its members; but If any such Senator or
member shall die, or become physically unable
to perform the duties required by this act the
| fact of such death, or physical inability, shall
be, by SAID comm sson, before it shall proceed
further. communicated u the Senate or House
/ of Representatives,, as the case may be, which
cody shall Immediately, aud without debate,
proceed by yiUa Uoce vote to fill the place so va
Gated, and The person so app Jint-d snail take
and subscribe the oath hereinbefore pre-
scribed, and become member of said
commission; and 10 like manner, if
.oy of said Justices OF the Supreme
Court shall die or become physically incapable
If performing the duties required by this act,
he other of said Justices, members of the
said commission, shall immediately appoint
another Justice of said Court a member of said
commission; and N such appointments regard
snail be had TO the importantly aud freedom
from bias sought by the original appointments
70 said G ,mmIssion, who shall theeeupon im
medlately take and subscribe the oath herein
before prescribed, and become a member of
said commission to fill the vacancy so occa-
soned. All the certificates aud papers pur-
porting to be certificates of the electoral vo es
Of each state shall BIZ opened in the alphabetl
cal order of the states, as provided in sectIon
one of this act, and when there shall be more
| han one snch certificate or paper, all the GER
titicates aud papers from such state shall be SO
opened, excepting duplicates of the same
return" They shall be read by the telers,
and thereupou the President of the Senate
shall cal for objections, if any. Every objec.
lion shall be made in writing and shall state
clearly aud concisely and without argument
the ground thereof, and shall be signed by at
least one Senator and one member OF the
House OF Representatives before the same
hail be received When all such objections so
made to any certificate, vote or paper from a
state shall have been received and read all such
certificates. votes and papers SO objected to,
/ and all papers accompanying the same, to-
gether with such objections, shall be forthwith
| submitted to said commission which shall pro-
/ coed to consider the same with the same powers,
| if any now possessed for that purpose By the
| two Houses, acting separately or together, and
| by majority of votes decide whether any and
/ what votes from such state are the votes pro-
vided for by the Constitution of the United
States, and how many and what persons were
duly appointed electors in such state, and may
| therein take into view such petitions, deposit
tons and other papers, if any as shall by the
Constitution and now existing law be compe-
| tent and pertinent in such consideration, which
decision shall be made in writing, stating
| briefly the ground thereof, and signed by the
members of said Com mission, agreeing therein,
whereupon the two houses shall again meet
and such decision shall be read and entered in
| the journal of each house, and the counting of
the votes shall proceed in conformity Herewith
| unless upon objection made thereto in writing
| by at least five Senators and five members of
| the House of Representatives, the two houses
| shall separately concur in ordering otherwise,
1
| govern. No votes or papers from aay other
state shall be acted upon until the objections
| previously made to the votes or papers from
| any state shall have been finally disposed Of
SECTION 8. That while two houses shall be
in meeting as provided in this act no debate
shall be allowed AMI no questi ms shall be put
by the presiding officer, except to either house
on motion to withdraw and he shall have
| power to preserve order.
SECTION 4. That when the two houses sep
ara,e to decide upon an objection that may have
been made to the counting of any electoral vote
or votes from any S ate, or upon objection to
report of said commission on other questions
arising under this act, each Senator and Repre-
sentative may speak to such objection or gues-
ton ten minutes, and not oftener than once,
but after such debate shall have lasted two
hours it shall be the duty of each house to put
the main question without further DEBATE.
| SECTION 5. That at such joint meeting of
| the Two houses seats shall be provided as fol-
lows; For the President of the Senate the
Speakers chair, for the Speaker Immediately
| upon his left, the Senators IN the body of thu
hall upon the right of the presiding officer; for
the Representatives 10 the body of the hall not
provided tor the Senators; for the Telers, Sec
| rotary of the Senate and Clerk of Representa-
tves at the Clerks desk; for the other officers
| of The two houses in trout of the Clerks desk
1 al oiI CO.