Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1877-01-23

Il Biz 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 4th, Il. d. 1877.
BE 1T ENACTED, &C., That the Sen
ate and House of Representatives shall
meet in the hail of the House of Rep
resentatives at the hour OF o'clock,
post meridian, on the first Thursday
in February, A. D.. 1877, and the Pres
dent of the Senate shall be their pre-
siding officer. Two tellers shall be
previously appointed on the part of
the House of Representatives, to whom
shall be handed, as they are opened by
tie President, all the certificates of the
electoral votes which certificates and
papers shall be opened, presented and
acted upon in the alphabetical order
of the States, beginning with the let
ter A (; and said tellers, having then
read the same i'm the presence 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 counted
as in this act provided, the result o!
the Bdiut Suull bG htllNtlCu W llib
President of the Senate, who shall
thereupOG announce the state of the
votes and the names of the persons, if
any, elected which announcement
shall be deemed sufficient deelara-
ton 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 reading OF
any such certificate or paper. When
there shall be only one return from a
a State the President of the Senate
shall call for objections, If any. Ev-
! cry objection shall be made in writing
aud shall state clearly and 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 shall be received When all OBJ
| jections 80 made to any vote or paper
! from State shall have been received
! and read the Senate shall theTeupon
withdraw, and such objection shall be
submitted to the Senate for it's decis-
| ion, and the Speaker of the House OF
| Representatives shall in like manner
submit such objections to the
House of Representatives for its decis-
! ion; and no electoral vote or votes
| from any state from which but one
return has been received shall be re-
! jccted except by the affirmative vote
| of the two houses When the two
houses have voted they shall immedi-
ately again meet, aud the presiding of
| ficer shall then announce the decision
| of the question submitted.
Section 3 That if more than one
return or paper purportiDg to be re-
! turn from State shall have been re-
ceived by the President of the Senate
purporting to be the certificates of cleo
! toral votes given at the last preceding
election for President and e-Presi-
! dent in such State, unless they shall
| be duplicates of the same return, all
such returns and papers shall be open
! ed by him in the presence of the two
| houses when met az aforesaid, and
| read by the telleTs, and all such re-
| turns and papers shall theTeupOn he
| submitted to the judgment and decis.
! ion to which il the true and lawful
| electoral vote of such State of com
mission constituted as follOws-name-
! ly, during the session of each house on
! the Tuesday next preceding the first
! Thursday i'm February, 1877, each
| house shall by UiUQ UOce vote appoint
| five OF its members, who with the five
associate justices of the Supreme Court
| of the United States, 10 be ascertained
hereinafter provided, shall constitute
a commission for the decision 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, Ammo
! DOmini 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 majority Of them shall
| deem lit, another Of the associate jus
tices OF said court, which five persons