The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1877-02-01
COMPROMISE BILL.

L
arising thereon, for the term commen-
cling March 4, Ammo Domini, 1877.
BE It, enacfcd by tie Senate ard House
Of Representatives qfHte United States of
America, IN Congress assembled, That the
Senate and House Of Representatives shall
meet in the hall of the House of Represcn-
tatives, at the hour Of l o'clocb, Past Meri-
dian, on the first Thursday in February,
\. ID. 1871 and the President of the Senate
shall be their presiding officer. Two tel
lers shall be previously appointed on the
part 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 OF
Electoral votes, which certificates and pa
pers shall be opened, presented, and acted
upon in the alphabetical order of the States,
beginning with the letter \. and said tel
lers having then read the presence and
hearing Of the two houses, shall make a list
of the votes as they shall appear from the
said certificates, and the votes having been
/ aScertained and counted as in this act pro
vided, the result of the same shall be de-
! livered to the President of the Senate, who
shall thereupon announce the state OF the
vote and the names of the persons, if any,
/ elected, which announcement shall be
! deemed a sufficient declaration of the per-
/ sons elected President and Vice President
| Of the United States, and, together with
/ list Of the votes, shall 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 conciscly, and without argu-
ment, the ground thereof. and shall be signed
! by at least one Senator and member of the
! House Of Representatives before the same
| shall be received. When all the objections
! so made to any vote or paper from State
! shall have been received and read the Senate
! shall thereupon withdraw, and such objec
! tions shall be submitted to the Senate for
/ its decision, and the Speaker Of the House
! of Representatives shall in ike manner sub
nit such objections 70 the House of Repre-
Sentatives for lis decision, and no Electoral
/ vote or votes from any State from which but
one return has been received, shall be rejec
ted, 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
decision Of the question submitted.
SEC. ,. That If more than one return or
paper purpyrting to be return from a
State shall have been received by the Prlsi-
dent Of the Senate, purPorting to be the
certificates 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 return, all
such returns and papers shall be opened by
! him in the presence Of the two houses,
when met as aforesaid, and read by the tel
lers, and all such returns and papers shall
thereupon he submitted to the judgment
and decision as to which is the true lawful
Electoral vote Of such State, Of a commits
sion, constituted as follows, namely Dur
ing the session Of each house on the Tues
day next preceding the first Thursday in
February, 1877, each house shall, by UtUa
race vote, appoint five of its members, who,
with the five Associate Justices Of the
| Supreme Court Of the United States to be
assertained as 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 Thurs
day in February, 4. ID. 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 a majority Of them shall deem fit, an
other Of the Associate Justices Of said
court, which five persons shall be members
| of the said commission, and the person
| longest in commission of said five Justices
| shall be President of said commission.
Members Of said commission shall respec-
lively take and subscribe the following
| oath:
II, do solemnly swear or affirm, as
the case may be- that | viii impartially
examine and consider all questions submit
ted to the commission Of which / am a
member, and true judgment give thereon,
agreeably 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 fhall not be in the power
of either house to dissolve the same, or to
withdraw any of its members, but if any
such Senator or member shall, die, or be-
come physically unable to perform the
duties required by this act, the fact of such
death or physical 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 vi0a Uaee vote, to fill all place SO
vacated and the person so appointed shall
| take and subscribe the oath hereinbefore