Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-01-27
TnE EORrr.rOuRTn coNanEss.
The Senate.

l - - - -~N~f~
The Senate.
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE TO devils
MEANS FOR COUNTING THE ELEC-
ToRAL VOTE.
WAsHINToN, Jan. lS.-In the Sen
ate o-day Mr.. Edmunds (Rep., Vt.
from the special committee appoints
to devise means for counting the elec
toral votes, submitted report ia writ
ing, accompanied by BILL
The following is the text of the bill
accompanying the report presented b
Judge Edmunds:
"a bill to provide for and regulate III
counting votes for president and vic
president and the decision of question
arising therefrom, ,forthe term com meme
ing March 4, A. D., 1877:
Be II enacted BIZ the Senate as,c
House Of Representatives of fhe Uuitec
States Of AnericG an Congress assem-
6tete, That the Senate and House O
Representative shall meet in the hal
of the House of Representatives al
the hour of / o'clock D. M, on the
first Thursday in February, A. d..
1877; and the president of the Senate
shall be the prisiding officer, Two
tellers shall be previously appointed
on the part of the Senate aud 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. The
papers shall be opened, presented, and
acted upon in the alphabetical order
of the States, beginning With The let
ter A, aud the said telIers, having then
read the same In the presence and
hearing of the two houses, shall make
list of the votes as they shall appear
from the said certificates. And the
votes having been ascertained and
counted as in this act provided, the
result of the same shall be delivered
to the president of the Senate, who
shall thereupon announce the result,
aud the names of the persons, if any,
elected, which announcement shall be
deemed a sufficient declaration of the
persons 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 GER
titicate or paper, when there shall be
only one return from State, the pres
ident of the Senate shall call for OBJ
jections, if any. Every objection
shall be made in writing, and
shall state clearly and concisely, and
without argument, the ground thereof,
and shall be signed by at least one SEN
tor and one member of the House of
Representatives before the saue shall
be received. When all the objections
so made to any vote or paper from a
State shall have been received and
read, the Senate shall thereupon with
draw, and such objections shall be
submitted to the Senate for its deeis-
ion, and the speaker of the House of
Representatives shall in like manner
submit such objections to the House
of Representatives for its decisions;
and no electoral vote or votes from any
State from which but one return has
been received shall be objected to, ex-
sept by the affirmative vote of the two |
houses. When the two houses have |
voted, and the presiding officer shall |
,hen announce the decision of the |
question submitted.
SEC 2. That if more than one re- |
urn, or paper purporting to be returns |
rom State, shall have been received |
by the president of the Senate, pur-
porting 10 be certificates of electoral
Iotes given at the last preceding cleo
ion for president and vice president in
uch State, unless they shall be dupli-
,ates of the same returns, all such re-
urns and papers shall be opened by him
n the presence of the two houses when
net as aforesaid, and read by the tel
ers; and all such returns and papers
hall thereupon be submitted to the
Judgment and decision, as to which is
he true and lawful electors vote of such
'tate, of commission constituted as
ollows, namely:
During the session of each house
n the Tuesday next preceding the
rst Thursday in February, 1877, each
louse shall by a UiUa voce vote appoint
i've of its members, who with five as
ociate justices of the Supreme Court
f the United States, to be ascertained
s hereinafter provided, shall consti-
ute commission for the decision of
II questions upon or in respect of
uch double lereturns named in this Sec
ion. On the Tuesday next preceding
be FIRST Thursday iu February, A. ID.
877, or as soon thereafter as may be,
he associate justices of the Supreme
lourt of the United States row as
igned to the First, Third, Eigth and
Iinth circuits, shall select in such
lanner as the majority of them shall
eem fit, another of the associate JUS
ices of the said court, which five per-
Ons shall be members of said COM
lission, and the person longest in
of the said FIVE justices
hall be president of the said commits
on.
The members of the said commits '
on shall respectatively take and sub
,ribe the following oath:
l., do solemnly swear or affirm,
5 these may be that will impartial
examine and consider all the ques-
ons submitted to the commission of
hich am member, and true judge
tent give therein, agreeably to the
onstitution and laws. So help me
cd.
(which oath shall be filed with the !
,cretary of the Senate. When the {
1mmission shall have been thus or s
lnized, it shall not be in the power of I
ther house to dissolve the same, or I
withdraw any Of its members. But |
any such senator or member
lall die or become physically unable {
perform the duties required by this /
It, the fact of such death or physical I
liability shall be by the said commits 9
on, before it shall proceed further,
to the Senate or House |
Representatives as the case /
lay be, which body shall imme- {
ediately and without debate, proceed {
y UiUG Uoce vote to fill the place so
lcated, and the person so appointed
lall take and subscribe the oath here
before prescribed, and become a {
Iember of the said commission. And {
/ like manner. if any of the said JUS I
ces of the Supreme Court shall die q