Mexico weekly ledger., 1877-01-25
copNrIse raE ELECTORAL VOTES.
rn. Mn Agreed Upon by the Commit
tee OF the Senate and House and he
conn M ended for Passage rae. *EtS5Ea

Tns oT The senate and House and Re
Commended for PassageotFat, go st8tE&
A Rul to provide for and regulate the count
ing of votes for President and Viee,Pres-
ident, and the decisions Of questions arts
ing thereon for the term commencing
March 4, Ammo Dorfini 1877.
. Re If enacted by the Senate aud, House OF
penresentatiyes OF the United States OF
America in Congress assembled, That the
Senate and House of Representatives shsli
meet In the hall Of the House OF Repre-
sentstives at the hour Of l0 o.tdock POSI-
meridian. on the first Thursday III Februa-
~. A. ID. 1877. and the President OF the
Senate shall be the presiding officer. W.
tellers shall he previously appointed ON the
mart of the Senate 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 purporting to be certificates,
and the papers shall be opened, presented
and acted upon in alphabetical order OF the
States, beginning with letter A, and said
tellers having then read the same. In the
presence and hearing Of the two Houses,
shall make a list of votes as they shall APP
near from said certificates, and the votes
having been ascertained and counted, as in
the 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 the per-
sons. il any, elected, which announcement
shall be deemed a sufficient declaration of
the persons elected President and Vice
President of the United States, and, togeth-
er with d list of States. be entered on the
Journals of the two Houses. Upon such
reading of any such certificate or paper,
when there shall be only one return from a
State, the President of the Senate shall call
for objections, if any; every objection shall
be made in writing. and shall state, clearly
and concisely, and without argument, the
ground thereof, and shall be argued by st
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 OF from
a State shall have been received and read,
the Senate shall thereupon withdraw, and
such objections shall be submitted to the
Senate for it's decision, and the Speaker of
the House of Representatives shall, in like
manner, submit, such objections to the
House of Representatives for It's discussions;
and no Electoral vote or votes from any
State from which but one return has been
received shall be objected to except by the
affirmative vote Of the two Houses. When
the two Houses have voted, they shall i'm
mediateiy again meet, and the presiding
officer shall then announce the decision or
the question submitted.
Sec. 2. That II more than one return or
paper, purporting to De returns from a
State. shall have been received by the Pres
ident OF the Senate, purportlng to be cer-
t~ificates Of Electoral votes given at the last
preceding election for President and Vice
President in such State, unless they shall
be duplicates of the same returns, all such
returns and paperss shall be opened by him,
in the presence OF the two houses, when
met as aforesaid, and read by tellers, 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 a Commission consti-
tuted as follows, namely: During the SEES
sion Of each House, on the Tuesday next
preceding the first Thursday in February,
1877, each House shall, by a viva voce vote,
appoint five OF its members, who, with five
Associate Justices of the Supreme Court Of
the United States, to be ascerta1ned as here
matter provided, shall constitute the Com
mission for the decision Of all questions upon
or in respect to such doubtful returns
named in this section, on the Tuesday LeXt
preceding the fiIs5 Thursday in February,
A. D. 1877, or as 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 the majority Of them shall deem fit, an
other of the Associate Justices Of said
Court, which five persons shall be members
of said Commission, and the person longest
in commission o: said Justices shall be Pres
ident CT said Commission. The members
of said Commission shall respectively take
and subscribe to the following oath:
l, -, do solemnly swear or affirm, as
the case may be, that | will impartially ex-
anime and consider all questions submitted
to the Commission of which l am a member,
and a true judgment give thereon, agree
ably to the Constitution and the laws. So
help me God.
Which oath shall be filed with the Secre-
tary Of the Senate. When The Commission
shall have been thus organized, it shall not
be in the power OF either House to dissolve
the same or to withdraw any one Of its
members, but if any such Senator or mem
Der shall die or become physically unable to
perform the duties required by this act, the
fact o. such DEATH or physical inability shall
be by said Commission, before it shall pro-
coed further, communicated to the Senate
or House OF Representatives, as the case
may be, which body shall Immediately and
without debate proceed by a Cl6G COce vote
DILL the place SO vacated, ana the person
SO appointed shall take and subscribe to the
oath heretofore presented and become a
member of said Commission; and in like
manner, in case any Of said justices OF Su
preme Court shall die or become physically
Incapable of performing the duties required
by this act, the other If said Justices, mem.
bers of said Commission, shall immediately
appoint another Justice of said Court 9
member of said Commission, and in such
appointments regard shall be had to the i'm
partially and freedom from bias sought by
the original appointments to said Commls
sion, who shall thereupon Immediately take
AND subscribe to the oath hereinbefore sub.
scribed and become a member Of said Com
mission to fill the vacancy so occasioned,
All the certificates and papers purportipg tt
be certificates of Electoral votes Of eacl
State shall be opened in the alphabetical or.
der Of States, as provided in section one O
this act, and when there shall be more thai
one such certificate Or paper, as the certiti
Gates and papers from such State shall be 81
opened, excepting duplicates Of the same
return, they shall be read by %teliers, ant
thereupon the President of the Senate shall
call for objections, If any. Every obj ectiol
shall be made in writing, and shall stat
clearly and coneisely and without argumen
the grounds thereof, and shall be signed b.
at least one Senator and one member of tn
House OF Representatives before the sam
shall be received. 10 When all such objec
lions SO made8t any certificates, vote o
paper, from a State shall have been receiy
ed and read, all such certificates, votes an
papers SO objected to, and all papers &C
eompany1ng the same, together with sue
nhipnfiGne 0hnn he fnrth,-,+h c1.hrpixfad z