Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1877-02-15

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upon the resolution and order of said Com.
mission, previously made, as follows:
1t was ordered that no evidence will be re-
ceived or considered by the Commission, which
was not submitted to the joint convention Of
the two Houses by the President of the Sen.
ate with the different certificates, except such
as relates to the eligibility of F. G. Hum
phreys, one of the electors.
That said decision excludes all the evidence
taken BY the two House of Congress, by the
committee of each House, concerning frauds.
errors and irregularities committed by the
persons whose certificates are taken as proof
of their due appointment as electors.
That said decision excludes all evidence
tending to prove that the certificate Of
Stearnes, Governor, as also that of the Board
of Canvassers, was procured or given in pur.
suance of fraudulent and corrupt conspiracy
to cheat the State of Florida out of its right.
ful choice of electors and to substitute there.
for those Rho had not been chosen or appoint
ed electors by said State in the manner pro-
vided by the Legislature thereof
That the said commission refused to recog.
nize the rights of the courts of the State Of
Florida to revise the judgment of the Re-
tnrning Board or Board of Canvassers, rem.
dered through fraud, without Jurisdiction,
and rejected and refused to consider the &C.
ton of said courts, after their decision that
Pearce, Humphreys, Holden and Long were
not entitled to cast the electoral vote of the
State of Florida, which said decision was
rendered by court of said State, lawfully
brought before said court, which court had
jurisdiction over the subject matter thereof,
and whose jurisdiction over the said Pearce,
Humphreys, Holden and Long had attached
before any acts were done by them as electors.
That the said decision excludes all evi.
dence tending to show that the State of Flor
ida, by all the departments of its government,
Legislative, Judicial and Executive, had de.
cided as fraudulent all the certificates of Gov.
Stearnes, as yell rs that of the State canvas
sers upon whose certificates the said Commits
sion had acted, and by means of which the
true electoral votes of Florida have been re-
iected and false ones substituted; and
That the count of the votes Of Pearce,
Humphreys, Holden and Long for President
and Vice President, would be q violation of
the Constitution of the United States.
The objection was then read, and the joint
session broke up. ...
The House, without further business, took a
recess until Monday.
The Senate then repaired to its chamber.
Upon returning, the Secretary read the objec,
tions which were submitted. -I
A motion for recess to Monday was urged
by the Democrats The motion was lost by
a vote of 26 to A, being strict party vote.
Mr.. Sherman offered the following:
Resolved, That the decision of the Commission
stand as the judgment of the Senate, the objec-
ton made thereto to the contrary notwithstand-
ing.
The resolution was adopted by strict par.
ty vote. ;,
A recess was then taken until 10 o'clock
Monday.
In the House of Representatives on the
18th, after various propositions, Speaker
Randall ruled that there is nothing in the
electoral law authorizing the recommittal OF
a question back to the Commission; that the
response of the House must be yea or nay
The two hours discussion then commenced at
quarter past II.
By 12o'clock, nearly all the Senators were
present, but no business whatever was trans
acted, and the Senate having affirmed the de-
cision of the electoral commission in the Flor.
ida case on Saturday, awaited notification
from the House that that body was ready to
resume the joint session to continue the
counting.
After spirited and earnest debate this
morning upon the decision of the electoral
commission with respect to the vote of Flor.
ida, the House decided, by strict party vote,
that the finding of the commission was not
correct, and that the Tilden electors had been
elected in the State The Clerk of the House
was directed to inform the Senate Of the ac'
tion of the House, and that it was ready to
receive that body for the purpose of proceed
ing with the count. The Senate having sp.
peared, Vice President Ferry caused the Sec
retary of the Senate and the Clerk of the
House to declare what action the respective
houses had taken in regard to the decision of
the commission. This having been done, the
President declared that both houses not hav-
ing concurred in setting aside the decision OF
the commission, the vote of Florida would be
counted for Hayes and Wheeler.
The votes of Georgia, Illinois, Indiana,
Iowa, Kansas and Kentucky were also connt.
ed for the respective candidates. When Lou
isiana was reached, the President of the Sen
ate handed to the tellers three certificates, two
of which we're in favor of the Hayes electors,
and one, signed by McEnery, as Governor, in
favor of the Tilden electors. There was also
certificate which the Vice.President said be
he had received by mail, purporting to cast
the eight votes of Louisiana for Cooper and
Cary. The reading of this certificate created
much amusement. The electors are all named
John Smith, and are distinguished from each
other by the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 and
by the letter A, letter B and "let-her rip.
The Vice. President asked and obtained unan.
imous consent to suppress this certificate,
which was manifestly bogus and burlesque.
Objections having been made to the other
three certificates, the objections were referred
to the commission. The Senate withdrew,
and the. House took recess until 10 o'clock
Tuesday.
1t is understood that the contest in the
Louisiana case will be over the legality of
the Returning Board itself, the law calling
for Eve members, and the four members who
acted refusing to fill the vacancy. 1t will be
claimed that there has been no canvass of
votes, and consequently that no electors have
been appointed.
MERE.MENTION.
The case of the United States against Gen.
Belknap has been dismissed on motion Of the