The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1877-03-08

vote of South Carolina, and had transmitted
the decision to the President of the Senate
The two houses thereupon met in joint
session. ..After the Senate had withdrawn from the
Hall of the House, Mr.. Springer made motion to adj
Ourn for the day. This defeated-yeas, 90 nays
| TO- demand was then made for the reading OF
the testimony taken in the South Carolina case,
large printed volume of some 300 pages. This was
also defeated-yeas, 81; nays, 1T. After some fur
Their attempts at delay Mr.. COchrane offered reso
luton that the decision of the Electoral Commission
on the votes of South Carolina be not sustained by
4 the House, and that the votes be not counted A
LONG and heated debate followed, at the conclusion
i of which the resolution adopted and the two
houses met in joint convention.
JOINT CONVENTIONAL 1910 p. 10. the two
houses met in Joint convention and le decision OF
the Electoral Commission in the Of South Caro-
ina was read Two sets of objections to the count
ing of the vote were presented-one by Mr.. Phillips
of Missouri, and the other by Mr.. Southland, of
Ohio. The objections were based upon the same
grounds taken by the DIRECTORS before the commits
/ sion. After they had been read the Senate with
drew that the two houses might act separately, and
decide upon them. The two houses came together
again, at 6:20p. m and, the action OF each body on
the South Carolina decision having been read the
presiding officer announced that the two houses not
conc,rring otherwise, the electoral votes of South
Carolina would be counted, and they were there
upon declared as for Hayes and Wheeler. The
votes of Tennessee Jo) and Texas {8) then an
nounced and, counted for Tilden and Hendricks
| without objection. Then came Vermont with four
votes for Hayes and Wheeler. Mr.. Poppleton asked
the presiding officer whether any other certificate
| from Vermont had been received by him, and he
replied in the negative. Mr.. Hewitt stated that he
held in his hand package purporting to contain
had been delivered to him by express
about the middle of December, and that with
it came a letter stating that a similar package
had been forwarded to the President of the Senate
by mail. On learning to-day that no corresponding
package had been received by the presiding officer
he had rendered to him this package (holding it up,
the seals of which were still unbroken and the pre-
siding officer declined to receive it. He now ten
dered the package to the presiding officer as pur-
porting to contain the electoral votes of Vermont
The Presiding Officer-.Th Chair has stated that
he has received but one certificate from Vermont
The Chair also states that the prohibits him from
receiving any certificate after the first Thursday in
February His duty is to receive open and have read
all that have been received on that day" The pre-
siding officer then asked if there were any objections
to the vote of Vermont, whereupon the following,
signed by Senator Merrimon and Representatives
Springer and Hamilton of Indiana, was presented :
8 The undersigned Senators and members object to
the counting Of the votes Of the State of Vermont
for the reason that two returns or papers purpOrng
to be the returns of the electoral vote OF said State
forwarded to the President OF the Senate, and
that only one of said returns has been laid before the
two houses. The President of the Senate having
stated that but return had been received by him
from said State duplicate copy OF one OF the said
returns is herewith submitted for the consideration
of the Senate and House of Representatives" Mr..
Poppeton then presented two sets OF objections to
the vote of Henry N Sollace of the electors,
the ground that he was Postmaster when elected,
and that the law of Vermont did not authorize an
appointment by the College of electors to fill the
vacancy caused by the absence of an elector. Mr..
Springer demanded the reading OF the duplicate re-
turn sent up with his objection, but the presiding
officer persisted in his refusal to have it read. The
two houses then separated.
THURSDAY, March -SENATE.-Nothing was
7o,,o Tho CoDo+o VOTING tO tha
toral vote of Wisconsin for Hayes.
HoUsE.-Tbe days proceedings in the House
were of an exciting and at times dsorderly, charac
ter. Those in favor of preventing conclusion of
the electoral count, led by Mr.. Springer and Mr.
Wang, resorted to all sorts of flibusterng tactics
and the morning hour passed before anything was
done. Mr.. Poppleton succeeded in getting resolu-
ton read reciting, in the form OF preamble, that
sealed package was addressed to the President of the
Senate by Mr.. Hewitt that it appears by tele-
gram from the Clerk Of the United States
District Court of Vermont that duplicate of such
return was deposited in that office on the 18th of
December 1876; that such package had been made
part of the objection to the certificate of Vermont
and still remained unopened, and that the objection
cannot be considered until such package is opened
according to law; that such package is retained by
the President Secretary of the Senate, and there
fore resolving that the refusal of the President of
the Senate to open such package in presence OF the
two houses violation OF law and OF the prlv1-
eges of the House. and until such package shall be
opened the counting OF the vote cannot proceed fur
ther according to the constitution and law, and that
the Senate be requested to meet the House In joint
session that such package may be opened and pro-
ceeding had thereon according to law. Speaker Ran
dali ruled the resolution out of order. A scene of
excitement then ensued, nearly half the members be-
ing on their feet at once. good deal Of colloQuy
ensued as to what had become of the paper, and,
while the discussion was in progress, messenger
from the Senate entered the hall and ten
dered the package to Mr.. Hewitt, who refused
to receive it, Mr.. Garfield read letter from the
Secretary of the Senate, saying that he had put the
package, purporting to be the second certificate, in
his pocket as the package looked like private
| communication, but, being sadmonished that his
reception of it might be construed a re-
ception of it by President Ferry he took it from
his pocket and placed it on his desk, and since
that time he had not seen the package. Mr.. Stone
who was one of the telers, stated that he saw the
Secretary of the Senate throw the package under the
| desk and among the rubbish that he (Stone) i'm
mediately wrote note to Mr.. Hewitt, and that Mr..
Hewitt and he had conversation, during which he
saw the Secretary take the package from under the
desk and put it in his pocket. Mr.. Field
offered an amendment to Mr.. Caulields resolution
to the effect that the second certificate from Yer
mont be opened the presence of the two houses of
Congress and sent to the Electoral Commission.
vote the resolution was then taken amid the most
intense excitement, and it was defeated-yeas, 1l6
nays, 143 number of dilatory motions were made.
and it was not until $3.50 p. M. that vote
was taken the resolution that the vote of
Elector Sollace be not counted. 1t was carried
l.
voting with the majority, for the purpose of
sooner bringing the question to close The
two houses then assembled in joint session. AS
soon as the Senate had withdrawn, Mr.. Mills, of
Texas, offered resolution to the effect that, as
there had been failure to elect President of the
United States, the House will proceed Immediately
in obedience to the constitution to choose President
from the persons having the highest number of
votes not exceeding three the list of those voted
for as President Mr.. Wood of New York, moved
an adjournment, but there were objections, and a
scene of l1proar and confusion ensued, lasting for
several minutes, in the course of which Blackburn
exclaimed that Friday, hangmans day, had been
ushered ina fit day to witness the contamination of
the vlainy and scandal of this proceeding. At $40
a. M the debate closed, and the House decided, by a
rising vote, not to count the vote of Downs. Mr..
Mills then withdrew his resolution to go into an
election for President. The joint session was then
resumed.
| JOINT CONFERENCE.-The two houses met in joint
session at II p M The action of each house on the
objections having been read, the presiding officer
announced that the two houses not concurring 9th
erwise) the electoral votes of Vermont would be
| counted and they were therefore declared as for
Hayes and Wheeler. Then the certificate of Virginia
was read and the vote of that State was announced
as II for Tilden and Hendricks. The votes of West