Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1877-01-25
THE CONFERENCE.
The Conference BIZ.


Following is the text OF the bill
accompanying the report presented
by Mr.. Edmunds
A bill to provide for and regulate
tho counting of votes for President
and Vice-president, and the decision
OF the question. arising thereon for
the term commencing March 4, A. ID.
1877.
he 1t enacted By the Senate and
House Of Representatives Of the United
States Of America, in Congress ASSN
bted.
That the Senate and House of
Representatives shall asse N bic at the
hour of 10 O'clock, post meridian, on
the first Thursday 10 FEBRUARY. A. D.
1877, and the President of tbs Senate
shall be the presiding officer; two
tellers shall be previously appointed
on the part of the Senate and two
on the part of the House of Repre-
sentatives, to whom shall be handed,
as they are opened by the President
of the Senate, all the certificates and
papers purporting TO be certificates
of electoral votes, which certificates
and papers shall be opened, presents
ed and acted upon in alphabetical
order OF States, beginning with ga"
in said letters. Having then read
the same in the presence and hearing
of the two houses, they shall make
list of votes as they shall appear from
said certificates, and the votes hav-
ing been ascertained and counted, as
in this act provided, tho result shall
be delivered to the
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
who shall thereupon announce the
state of the vote, and the name of
persons, if any, elected. which an
nouncement shall be deemed suf-
foient declaration of the person
elected President of tho United
States, and together with list of
votes, be entered on the journals of
the two houses. Upon such reading
of any such certificate on the paper.
when there shall be only one return
from State, the President of the
Senate shall call for objections, if
any every objection shall be made
concisely and without argument,
with the ground thereof, and shall be
signed by az least one senator and
one member of the House of Repre-
sentatives before the same shall be
received. When all objections SO
made to any vote or paper from a
State shall have been received and
road, the Senate shall thereupon
withdraw, and such objections ehall
DO submitted to the Senate for it's de-
cision, and the Speaker OF the House
of Representatives, shall in Ike man.
ner submit such objections to the
House of Representatives for its de-
cision, and no electoral vote or votes
from any State from which but one
return has been received shall be OBJ
jectod to except by an affirmative
vote of the two houses When the
TWO HOUSES HAVE VOTED
they shall Immediately again meet,
and the presiding officer shall an
nounce the decision of the question
submitted.
Section 2. That if more than one
return or paper purportiug to bs re-
turned from State shall have been
received from the President of the
Senate. purporting to be q certificate
Of the electoral votes given at the
last preceding election for president
and vice. president in such State, un-
less they shall be duplicates of the
same retarn, all such returns and pa
pers shall he opened by him 10 the
presence of the two houses, when
met as aforesaid ,and read by the tel>
lsrs and all such returns and pa
pers shall thereupon be submitted to
their judgment and decision as to
which is the true and iawfal elector-
al vote of such State of
A COMMISSION
constituted as follows, namely: During
the session of such House on Tuesday
next proceeding the first Thursday
in February, 1877, each house shall
by viva voce vote, appoint five OF its
mem bers, who, with the five associ
ate Justices of the Supreme Court of
United States, to be ascertained as
hereinafter provided, shall constitute
commission for the decision of all
questions upon or in respect of such
double returns named in this section.
On Tuesday next proceeding the
first Thursday in February, A ID.
1877, or as soon thereafter as may
be, the associate justices of the Su-
preme Court of the United States,
now assigned to the first, third, eight
and ninth circuits shall select in such
manner as majority of them shall
deem fit, another of the associate
justices of said court, which five per-
sons shall be members Of said con-
mission, and the person longest in
commission of said five justices shall
be president of said commission.
Mem bers of said com mission shall re-
speetively take and subscribe
THE FOLLOWING OATH:
III -, do solemuly swear or af-
uEm LAS bHo CasC may NC, thoo VIII
impartially examine and consider all
questions submitted to the commits
sion of which / am a member, and a
true judgement give thereon, agree
able to the constitution aud laws, so
help me God"
Which oath shall be filed with the
Secretary of the Senate. When it
shall have been thus organized it
shall not be in the power of either
house to dissolve the same, or to
withdraw any of it's members but if
any such senator or member should
die or become physically unable to
perform the duties required by this
act, the fact of such death or pbysi-
cal inability shall be by said CON-
mission before it shall proceed fur
Their, communicated to the Senate or
House of Representatives, as the
case may be, which body shall i'm
mediately, and without debate, pro-
oaed nv viva voce vote to filthe Mace