New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-02-20
THE SPIRIT OF THE DAY.
THE JOINT MEETING.


sc.pcE ANYBODY PAYS ATTENTIoN-MR. FERRY's
APPEALS FOR oRDER-MEMBRRs GO FORWARD
AND SIGN PROTEST.
IBY TELEGRAPH TO TIE Tribunal
WASHINGTON, Feb 10.-The joint meetings for
.ountng the electoral votes have lost much OF their
novelty and do not attract as great crowds OF sight
.ors IN the Capito as clamored for admission when
,bs ceremonies began on the LIST of February. A
few persons expecting that discussion the Louis
lana award would take place to-day, and that the
sneeehes would be unusually interesting presented
their tickets and secured seats in the galleries as
early as $50 o'clock this morning, but when the re-
cess expired at 10 O'clock and Speaker Randall
called the House to order only TO adjourn 1T for
another hour at least threequarters OF the gallery
room was still unoccupied. During this hour of in
PERMISSION, however, the applications to members
for tickets were very numerous, add when the Sem
ate appeared at the main entrance OF the hall no
vacant space could be discovered in the galleries ex-
cent the front row of seats the west side of the
hall reserved for the family of the President and in
the Diplomatic Gallery. The number of distin-
euished visitors who were present to witness
the proceedings was smaller than at any OF
the previous joint sessions. Some attaches of the
British Spanish and other foreign legations with
ladies' were in the Diplomatic Gallery but Sir Ed
ward Thornton, Capt Gore Jones, Senior Mantllla.
and other distinguished foreigners who have shown
great interest in the electoral proceedings were not
there A few distinguished American citizens occu-
pied seats among the members. Of these Justice
HINT was the only representative of the Supreme
Cont. Secretaries Chandler Robson, and Cam
eron and Postmaster-General Tyner were present
during the whole or part of the proceedings Gen.
Sckles who has been in Washington few days,
came in about noon, and was given q seat among
the members at the left Of the Speaker. Among
others present were ex-SenatOrs Fenton, Fowler,
Foote Pease, and Patterson of New-HaInpshire. and
Acknowledgement Harris of Mississippi Messrs.
Eyarts. Shellabarger. Trumbull, Green, Stanley
Matthews, and William +. Chandler of counsel be-
fore the Commission Mr.. Groesbeck of Cincinnati,
Gen. Chalmers of Mississippi, and few Others.
The proceedings to-day were almost entirely de-
void of popular interest. The Senate, led by the
sergeant-at-Arms and deputies. with its President,
Mr. Ferry and Secretary, Mr.. Gorham, marching at
the head. entered the chamber at about minutes
after IL o'clock. The Senate was received by the
members of the House standing. When 1t had taken
the seats assigned at the right of the Speaker II was
noticed that considerable number of chairs, both
on the Republican and Democratic sides OF the
House still renamed vacant, many of the members
preferrng to occupy seats in the chairs arranged
behind the members DESKS and others showing so
little interest in the ceremony as to remain for some
time in their committee rooms attending to letter
writing or other routine business. The joint session
was more inattentive and disorderly than any one
previously held. Even while the Secretary of the
Senate was reading the decision of the Electoral
Commission and the reasons on which it was based,
many of the Senators and members were engaged in
conversation and comparatively few of them
listened to it throughout. When its reading was
completed and the long protest sent to the prcsld-
ing officer by Mr.. Gibson of Louisiana was laid
before the Convention, the confusion increased
to such degree that President Ferry
was repeatedly obliged to call the members to order
and finally to remind them that unless they ceased
conversation the reading clerk would not be able to
make himself beard. This protest embodied long
printed bref prepared by Judge Trumbml for sub
mission to the Electoral Commission, and was signed
by score or two of Democratic Senators and Rep
resentatives. When this had been read the presd-
ing officer said he had been Informed that several
members desired an opportunity to sign the paper
and that if 10 objection made he would then
allow this to be DONE Then followed proceeding
such as was never before witnessed IN the House.
About half of the Democratic members filed up to
the clerks desk, and after another affixed his
signature to the paper. Some irreverent CORE
spondent looking down upon the scene from the gal
ery suggested that the funeral service having been
read. the Democratic mourners were taking a last
view Of the corpse Two other brief objections, one
drawn by Senator Wallace, and the other by Mr.
Cochraneof Pennsylvania were afterward presented,
Nd then the Senate withdrew.