The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1877-02-28
THE JOINT SESSION.
How the Oregon Vote Came Before
Congress and the Objections that
Were Made.

convention.
The presiding officer having called the
meeting to order and directed the reading
of the resolutions of each house in favor of
counting the votes of Nevada the teller then
announced Nevada had cast her votes for
Hayes and Wheeler. Then followed in sue
cession the states of New Hampshire, with
votes for Hayes and Wheeler; New Jer-
sey, votes for Tilden and Hendricks;
New York, So votes for Tilden and Hen
bricks; North Carolina, 10 votes for Tilden
and Hendricks; Ohio, % votes for Hayes
and Wheeler
The presiding officer now opened and
handed to the tellers a certificate received
from Oregon. 1t was read by Stone, and
proved To be the certificate of the three
Hayes electors, Cartwright, Odell and Watts,
executed before a notary public.
The papers contain full statement of the
dOings of the electors, the resignation of
Watts as postmaster, his subsequent choice
by the other two electors, the original bal
lots cast by the three electors, etc, They
we're read in full.
The presiding officer then handed to the
tellers the certificate of the three rival cleo
tors Cronin, Miller and Parker. authenti-
Gated by the signature of the governor and
secretary of state, with the seal of the state
attached. These certificates give two votes
to Hayes and Wheeler, and one vote to Til
den and Hendricks.
senator pTeSentcu ODJtCNipnS lO
the certificate of Cronin, Miller and Parker,
on the following grounds:
l. Because neither of said persons was
ever appointed elector by the state OF Oregon
III any manner whatever.
2 Because it appeared from the records
and paper contained in and attached to the
certificate of w III. Odell, j. G.. Cartwright
and John W. Watts that they were duly APP
pointed electors, and cast their votes as
such.
3. Because it does not appear from the
face of Governor Growers certificate. at
tached to the returns of the votes of Cronin,
Miller and Parker, that such certificate was
issued to the three persons having the high
est number of votes for electors, but was is
sued by him TO persons whom he deemed
eligible, though one OF them, f. A. Cr0nin,
was not appointed thereto according to the
laws of Oregon.
4. Because it appears from the GER
tifcate Of S. F. Chadwick, secretary of state,
that Odell, Cartwright, and Watts received
the highest number of votes, and that the
secretary of state, in pursuance Of law so
declared and that therefore the certificate of
the governor, in so far as 1T omitted to GER
tify the name of j. w. Watts as one of the
electors appointed, and in so far as such GER
tificates contained the name of +. A. Cronin
as one of the electors appointed to conform
to the act of congress in such cases made and
provided and to the law of Oregon, that
such certificate is as to the said Cronin with
out authority and of no effect.
5. Because it appears from both certificates
that Odell and Cartwright, majority of the
electoral college, were duly elected electors
by Oregon in the manner prescrsbed by the
legislature; that their record. presented to
the president of the senate and by him to
the two houses, shows that vacancy in the
Office of elector existed on the day fixed by
L. 60 81 Of al -
such vacancy was filled by the appointment
of Watts.
This objection is signed by Senators
Mitchell and Sargent and by Representa-
tiyes Lawrence, Burchard QllinoisJ and Nc
Dill.
Senator Kelley presented the objection to
the certificate of 0dell and Watts
1t is signed by Senators Kelley, Bogy, Nc
Donald, Stevenson and Cooper, and by Rep
resentatives Field, Tucker, Lane, jerks,
Walling, Clymer, Wigginton, PoppIeton,
Vance of Ohio, Hnrd and Luttrell. The
grounds of the objections are: ~. =. -
1. The papers purporting to be certificates
of electoral votes of Oregon have not an
nexed to them the certificates of the COVER
nor of Oregon, as required to be made and
annexed by sections 49, and 1873 of the Uni
ted States ruYised statutes. af aif ff.t f..
2. The papers have not annexed to them
the list of the Nantes of Cartwright Odell
and Watts as electors 10 which the seal of
the state OF Oregon was affixed by the secre-
tary of state and signed by the governor and
secretary as required by section 90 of chap
ter A of the general laws Of the state of Ore
gon. ......
3. 1t was the right and duty Of The COVER
nor of Oregon, under the law of taat state,
to give the certificate of election or appoint
ment as electors to John c. Cartwright vi,
liam H. Odell and f. A. Cronin, they being
ov,lxv tbraa aarah1o sc
pointed presidential elactors who received
the highest number of votes at the election
held in Oregon November Z, 1876.
4. Cartwright and Odell had not the right
or authority in law to appoint Watts to be
an elector December s, 1876, as there was no
vacancy in the Office of presidential elector
on that day.
8. Cartwright and Odell had no right or
authority in law to appoint Watts an elector
December 8, 1876, inasmach as they did not
on that day compose or form any part of the
electoral college of Oregon as by law con-
stituted lal-
g. Cartwright and OdeIl had no authority
to appoint Watts an electOr, December 6,
1876, because on that day Watts was still
postmaster at Lafayette, Oregon, and was
still on that day holding said Office of profit
and trust itflH'oH
Z. Watts who claims to be an elector in
the above named described certificate was,
in February, 1878, appointed postmaster at
Lafayette, Oregon, and was duly commits
stoned and qualified as such post
master, that being an office of
trust and profit under the laws
of the United States and continued to be
and act as such postmaster from. February,
1873, until after November 10, 1876. and was
acting as such postmaster on November Z,
1876, when the presidential electors were APP
pointed by the state of Oregon, and
that he was ineligible to be APP
pointed as one of said presidential
electors onfthe Sth. When the governor of
Oregon caused the lists of names of the
electors, of the state to be made out and GER
tiled, such list did not contain the name of