New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1877-02-03
The Electoral Tribunal.


the other commissioners. A committee was |
appointed to frame rules, which we're
adopted. They are as follows:
l. The commission shall appoint secre.
tary, two assistant secretaries, marshal |
and two deputy msrshsls, q stenographer, |
and such messengers as shall be needtul to |
hold during the pleasure of the commission. |
2. On any subject submitted to the COM |
mission a hearing shall be had, and such |
counsel shall be allowed to conduct the can |
vass on each side. |
3. Counsel, not exceeding two in number, |
one each side, will be heard by the commls- |
sion on the merits of any case presented to
it, not longer than two hours being al |
lowed to each case, unless q longer time
and additional counsel ehall be specially
authorized by the commission. In the
hearing Of int,erlocutory questions, but
one counsel shall be heard on each side, and
he not longer than fifteen minutes, unless
the commission allow further time and ad
dItiOnal counsel, and printed arguments
will be received.
The obiectors to any certificate or vote
may select two of their number to support
their objections in oral argument. and to
advocate the validity of any certificate or
vote, the validity of which they maintain;
and in like manner the ObiectOrs to any
other certificate may select two of their
number for like purpose, but under this
rule not more than four persons shall
| speak, and neither eide shall occupy more
than two hours.
5. Applications for process to compel the
attendance of witnesses or the production
/ of written or documentary testimony may
| be made by counsel on either side; and all
processes shall be served and executed by
the marshal of the commission or his depu-
ties. DISPOSITIONS hereafter taken for use
| before the commission shall be sufficiently
authenticated, if taken before any commits
siOner of the circuit courts of the United
| States, or any clerk or deputy clerk of any
| court of tne United States.
6. Admission to the public sittings of the
commission shall be regulated in such man
per as the president of the commission shall
direct.
z. The commission will sit unless other
| wise ordered, in the room of the Supreme
Court of the United States, and with open
dOOrs, excepting when in consultation, un-
less otherwise directed.
There will be four Uellers of the electoral
vote, two Democrats for the House and two
Republicans for the Senate.
Joseph 81. Mckinney was appointed clerk
of the commission.
1t was ordered that the proceedings of
the commission be confidential until other
wise ordered.
The Democratic committee have selected
Charles O'COnOr, Judge Black, Judge Ash
bel Green and R, V. Merrick the Repub-
licRn congressional committee have en-
plOyed William NJ. Evarts, E. A. Slough
ton, Stanley Matthews and S. S. Shella-
barger TO prepare their case before the com
mission,
Justice Clifford was chosen president Of
the commission by consent. The choice OF
Hon. j. P. Bradley as the fifth member Of
the commission was made, and the Senate
and House of Representatives notified.
Shortly after one O'clock on Thursday the
Senators entered the hall of the House
President Ferry took his stand at the
J Speakers right and called the joint cOnven
tion to order.
Messrs. Ingalls,, of Kansas, and Allison
of Iowa, were announced as tellers on thC
: part of the Senate, and Messrs. Cook, O.
Georgia, and Stone, of Missouri, on behal
of the House.
President Ferry took a package out O.
the box and opening it at the end, took ou
the certificate of the electors from the State
|. of Alabama. The certificate and duplicates
were handed to the tellers, one of whom
read the original, while the others followed
him with the duplicates.
After the certificate had been read, the
, Chair asked: "Are there any objections to
the certificate of the State of Alabama p
Then, after pause, "The Chair hears none
+ and the vote of the State of Alabama will
be counted. The tellers will announce tn
. vote"
MI, COOKt one OF tne bellerB, then an
nounced, "Ten votes for Tilden and ten fo
! Hendricks" In this manner the votes o
Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connection
and Delaware were announced, there benz
no objections.
| Florida was then reached, and the pre-
siding officer first handed the certificate
| signed by Governor Stearns, and whicl
| recognized the Hayes electors, and after i
had been read the certificate OF the electOr
. | pi1Aau and aIa ula IL,
/; out, and both were read by Mr.. Stone
8 | while Mr.. Allison overlooked the duplicate
! The Chair then said that he had still
r another certificate, received on the thirty
= first of January. He then handed the pa
: per to the tellers, and it proved to be tn
vaseere, authorized and appointed by an &C
of the Legislature of Florida, who declar
] the Tlden and Hendricks electors elected
Included in the papers was the action @
+ the Tilden electors, and the subsequent re
6 view of the count by order of the Suprem
+ Court. The latter document contains a
J. elaborate detail of the Florida case from
!, Democratic standpoint.
g After the reading had progressed SOM
7. time, Mr.. Conkling called attention to tn
g fact that the paper now being read hal
l. thirty. six wide columns of printed matter
q He knew that the statute required that a
> the papers should be read, but after cor
l
g thought the law wonld be complied with b
d simply reading the result. There was n
n objection. The result was announced ths
l. the Tilden electors had been elected.
e The Chair then asked if there was an
n objection to the count of the State of Flo
i ida.
v David Dudley Field, of New York, aros
h and submitted written objection to th
!, counting of the vote of that State. The ol
|, lection was read by Clerk Adams, of IL
}. House.
d The objection presented by Mr.. Field I
70 the joint session to counting the vote
T Florida for Hayes, asserts that those pc
IT sons manning Hayes electors) assuming
10 act as Presidential electors never were dul
10 appointed by the State of Florida, or in an
70 manner whatever, that the other four pe
= sons (naming the Tilden electors) had bee
Is elected, and had an irrevocable title to Il
r. Office; that the certificate of election of Il
l. first four persons was untruly and corrupt
10 procured, and made in pursuance of q co
spiraey between them and NJ. L. Stearn
d late Governor; that they were usRrper
le and there acts are illegal, null and void.
le Senator Sergeant had sent to the Clerk
10 deek and read, on behalf of himself ar
Dt others, objections to the vote cast by Il
ts Democratic electors, on the grodnd thl
10 the papers are not authentic, ss required
10 the constitution and laws.
in Senator Jones, of Florida, made obie
" ton, specially against Humphreys, Repn
% hcan electOr, as holding an Office OF tru
O. and profit under the United States.
~ Mr.. KassOn, of lowe, made an ObiectiC
to the third set Of certificates there, ISSUE
by Governor Drew, because they were n
ns authenticated by 3 person who held Il
n office of Governor at the time when q