The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1877-01-20

shall, by q vipa roce vote, appoint five
of its members, who, with associate JUS
tices of the supreme court Of the nlted
States, to be ascertained as hereinafter
provided, shall constitute the commits
sion TOR the decision of all questions
upon or in respect of such doubtful re-
turns named in this section on the Tues
| day next preceding the first Thursday
| in February, A. ID. 1877, or as soon there
after as may be. The associate justices
of thesupremc court of the United states
now assigned to the first, third, eighth
and mini circuits shall select, in such
manner as the majority of them shall
deem fit, another OF the associate justices
of said court, where five persons snail
be members of said commission, and
the person longest in the commission of
the said five justices shall be president of
said commission. The members of said
committee shall respectively take and
subscribe to the following oath:
1, -, do solemly swear or Affirm,
as the case may be, that | will impair
tally examine and consider all questions
submitted TO the commission OF which
am member and a true judgment give
thereon agreeably to the constitution and
laws. SO help me God.
Which oath shall be filed with the sec
rotary of the senate. When the COM
mission 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 sena-
tor or member shall die or become physi.
cally unable to perform the duties re-
Qured by this act, the fact of such death
or phys inability shall be by said
commission before it shall proceed
further communicated to the senate or
house OF representatives as the case may
be, which body shall immediately
and without debate proceed by rira coce
vote to Till the place so vacated, and the
person so appointed shall take and sub
scribe to the oath heretofore presented
and become a member OF said cOlnlnls-
sion, and in like manner, III case any OF
said justices OF the supreme court shall
die or become physically incapable OF
performing the duties required by this
act, the other Of SAID justices. members
OF said commission, shall Immediately
appoint another justice OF said court a
member of said commission, and in such
appointments regard shall be had to the
impaI TALLY and freedom from bias
sought by The original appointments to
!! said commission, who shall thereupon
| Immediately take and subscribe the oath
hereinbefore prescribed and become
member of said commission to fill the
vacancy so occasioned. All the certifi-
| Gates and papers purporting to be certifi-
Gates Of electoral votes OF each state
| shall be opened in the alphabetical order
| of states, as provided in section / OF this
| act, and when there shall be more than
one such certificate or paper as the GER
titicates and papers from which such state
shall so be opened, excepting ,duplieates
of the same return. they shall be read by
tellers, and thereupon the president of
the senate shall call for objections, if
any. Every objection shall be maize in
writing and which state clearly and con-
cisely and without argument the
| grounds thereof and shall be signed
| by at least one senator and one
member of the house of representa-
| tives before the same shall be received.
When all such objections so made to any
| certificates, vote or paper from a state
| shall have been received and read, all
such certificates, votes and papers so OBJ
jected TO, and all papers accompanying
the same. together with such objections,
shall be forthwith submitted to said COM
mission, which shall proceed to consider
the same with the same powers, if any,
now possessed for that purpose by the
two houses acting separately or together
and of a majority of votes decided
whether any and what votes from such
state are the votes provided 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 veiw such petitions,
dispositions. and other papers, if any, as
i htrf hn nd -ist-
ing law be competent and per-
tinent in such consideration, which de.
cision shall be made in writing, stating
briefly The ground thereof and signed by
the members OF said commission agree
ing therein, whereupon the two houses
shall again meet, and such decision
| shall be read and entered in the journ al
| Of each house. The counting OF the
votes shall proceed in the conformity
| Herewith, unless, upon objection made
thereto in writing by at least five sena-
| tors and five members Of the house of
representatives, the two houses shall sep.
| arately concur in ordering otherwise, in
| otherwise, in which case such concurrent
order shnll govern. No votes or papers
from ary other state shall be acted upon
| until objections previously made to the
votes or papers from any state shall have
been finally disposed OF.
Sec. 3. That while the two houses shall
be in meeting. as provided in this act,
no debate shall be allowed and no ques-
tons shall be put by the presiding officer,
except to either house, or motion to
withdraw, and he shall have power TO
preserve order.
Sec. 4. That when the two houses sep
arate to decide upon an objection that
m HOY a haan pta do II. hA nj
any electoral vote or votes from any state,
or upon objection to report of said COM
mission, or other question arising under
this act, each senator and representative
may speak to such objection or question
ten minutes, and not oftener than once.
But alter such debate shall have lasted
two hours, it shall be be the duty OF each
of the two houses to put the main ques-
ton without further debate.
SEC. 8. That at such Joint meeting OF
the house. seats shall be provided as fol-
lows: For the president OF the senate,
the speaker S chair; tor the speaker, i'm
medately upon his left; the senator's in
the body OF the hall upon the right of the
presiding officer for the representatives
in the body of the hall not provided tor
the senator's; for the tellers, secretaries
of the senate and clerk of the house Of
representatives at the clerks desk; for
other officers OF the two houses
in front OF the clerks desk and
upon each side OF the speak
er's platform. Such joint meeting
shall not be dissolved until the count of
electoral votes shall be completed and
the result declared, and no recess shall
be taken unless question shall have
arisen in regard TO the counting of any
such votes or otherwise under this act,