The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1877-01-25

A-i09chs anu tue peThDI longest IN TIE
Of the said i've justices
shall be the president OF the SAID com
The members Of the said
commission shall respec lively take and
Subscribe the following oath: 81 do
sOlemnly swear, or affirm, las the case
may beg that | will impartIally examine
and consider all questions submitted
70 the commission OF which l am
member, and q true judgment given
thereon, agreeable to the Constitution
and tho laws, so help me God"
Which oath shall be filed with the
secretary Of the Senate. When the
commission shall have been thus or
ganized, it shall not he in the power
of the House TO dissolve the ssme or
to withdraw any Of its members, but
il any such member shall die or be
unable to perform the
duties required by this act, the
fact of such death or physi-
cal iuhbi ity shall be made known
to said commission before he shall
proceed further. and communicated to
the Senate o: House Of Representa-
tiges, as the case may be, which body
shall Immediately and without debate
proceed. by RIGA eoce vote, to fill the
place SO vacated; and the person so
appointed shall take and subscribe TO
the oath hcreinbefore prescribed and
become member OF said commission,
and in like msnnerIf Any of said jus
tees of the Supreme Court shall die or
become physically incapable of per-
forming the duties required by this
act the others of said Justices and mem
bers Of said commission, and in such
appointments regard shall be had 10
the impartiality and freedom from bias
sought by the original appointments to
said commission, who shall thereupon
Immediately take and subscribe to the
oath herelnbeioro prescribed aud be-
come member OF sid commission to
fill the vacancy co Occasioned. All
the certificates and papers purpor.ing
to be certificates of the electoral votes
of said States shall be opened in the
alphabetical order OF the State as pro-
vided in section one of the this act !;
and when there shsll be more than one
such certificate or paper as the certiti-
cate or papers from such State, they
shall so be opened. excepting duplI-
Gates of the same return. They shall
be read by the tellers, and thcreupon
the president OF the Senate shall call
for objections, If any. Every objec-
ton shall be made in writing, and
shall state clearly and eoncIsely and
without argument the ground thereof,
and shall BIZ signed by at least one
Senator and member OF the House of
Representatives before the same shall
be received. When all such objec-
tons so made to any certificate, vote
or paper from State, shall have been
received and read, such certificates,
votes and papers so objected to and
all papers accompanying the same,
together with such objections, shall
be forthwith submitted to said com
mission, which shall proceed to con-
slider the same with the same powers, if
any, now possessed for the purpose by
the house, acting separa g y or together,
and by majority of votes decide
i, whether any and what votes from
such States are the votes provided fol
by the Constitution of the United
States, and how many and what per.
sons were thus appointed electors in
such State, and may therein state and
interview such persons dispositions
and other papers, if any, as shall by
the constitution and now existing law
be competent and pertinent in such
consideration, which decision shall be
made in writing, stating the ground
thereof and signed by the members OF
said commission agreeing thereon,
whereupon the two houses shall again
meet and such decision shall be read
and entered on the journals of each
house, and the counting Of the votes
shall proceed in conformity Herewith,
unless upon objection made therein in
writing by at least Ave Sena
tors and five members of the House of
Representatives. The two houses
shall separately concur in ordering,
otherwise, in which case such concur
rent order shall govern, NO votes Oh
papers from any other State shall be
acted upon until the objections pre-
viously made to the votes or paper;
from any State shall have been finally
disposed of.
Sec. 3. That while the two house:
shall be in meeting, as provided for
in this act, no debate shall
be allowed and no question shall be-
put by the presiding officer except to
either house on q motion to withdraw,
and he shall have power to preserve
order.
Sec. 4. That when the two houses
separate to decide upon an objection
that may have been made to the count
ing of any electoral vote or votes from
any State or upon any objection to the
report of said commission or Other
question arising under this act, eacf
Senator and Representative may speak
to such objection or question ten min
utes, aad not ofteuer than once, but af
ter such shall have lasted two hours, il
shall be the duty of each house to put
the main question without further de,
bate.
Sec. 3. That at such joint meeting
of the two houses, seats will be pro
vided as follows: For President OF
the Senate, The Speakers char; for the
Speaker, Immediately upon his left
the Senators in the body OF the hail
upon the right of the presiding Office
for the Representatives, in the body Of
the hall not provided for Senators
for the tellers and secretary of the Sen
a;e and clerk OF the House of Repre-
seatativts, at the clerks desk; for the
other officers Of the two houses, il
front of the clerks desk, and
upon each side of the Speakers plat
form. Such jiint meeting shall not
be dissolved until the count If the elcc
toral votes shall be mpletcd and tho
result declared; and no recess shall be
taken unless question shall have
arisen in regard to the courtipg OF any
such votes, ar otherwise u, der thi:
act, in which case 1t shall be compe,
tent for either house, acting separate.
ly. in the manner hereinbefuie pro,
vided, TO restrict a recess If such house
not beyond the next day, Sunday ex,
cepted. At the hour of 10 o'clock in
the forenoon, and while any question
IS being considered by said commits
sion, either house may proceed with
It's legislative or other business.
SEC. 6. Thst nothing in this act
shall Toe held to Impair or affect any
right now existing under the Copsti.
tuition and laws to question, by pro,
ceedings in the judicial courts of the
United States, the right or title of the
person who shall be declared elected,
or who shall claim to be President oil