The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-01-25
XLTVtl CONGRESS Second Session.
Counting Of the Electoral Votes.
REPORTOF THE COMMITTEE
The Joint Committee all Favor EX-
Cept Morton,
SENATE.
WASHINGTON, January lS.

ton, j. E. Young and Robert Bullock
Democratic Presidential electors of Flor
ida, claiming to have been legally elect
ed, and asking that the electoral vote
cast by them for President and Vice
President be counted, instead of that cast
by the electors on the other side. On
motion of Mr.. Jones the petition was
laid on the table, and he gave notice that
he would call it up next week.
Mr.. Hamlin introduced bill to amend
the Postotfice Appropriation bill for the
present fiscal year so as to change the
compensation ofpostmasters of the fourth
class to basis of the stamps cancelled
instead of the stamps sold. Referred.
The Senate non. concurred in the
amendments of the House to the bill
making appropriations to supply certain
deficiencies in the contingent fund of the
House of Representatives, and confer
ence committee was ordered The Chair
appointed as members of the committee
on the part of the Senate Messrs. Win
dom, Allison and Withers.
The Senate bill amending the Pension
law 80 as to remove the disability ofthose
who, having participated in the rebel.
lion, have since its close enlisted in the
army of the United States and become
disabled, was called up by Mr., Ingalls,
and passed.
COUNTING THE ELECTORAL VOTE,
Mr.. Edmunds, from the committee ap-
pointed to devise some means for count
ing the electoral vote, submitted a report
in writing, accompanied by bill. He
said the report, he was happy to say, was
signed by all the members of both COM
mittees, with one exception. The COM
mittee would desire to take the bill up
at the earliest possible day, probably Sat
urday, but certainly Monday next, and
would press it to final consideration
The committee was of the opinion that
the measure they recommended was not
what could be called compromise, but
it was measure ofjustiCe in aid of con-
stitutional government. No one would
have the right to say that anybodys
views had been surrendered in any re-
speCt. The following is the text of the
bill accompanying the report presented
by Mr.. Edmunds:
A bill TO prOvide for and REGULATE the count
ing of vote8 for President and Wee PreSi
dent, the decision of questions arisingtbere-
on for the term commencing March 4th, Il.
d., 1877.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House
of Representatives of the United States
of America, in Congress assembled
SEC. |. That the Senate and House of
Representatives shall meet in the hall of
the House of Representatives at the hour
of ten o'clock post meridian, on the first
Thursday of February, A. D., 1877, and
the President of the 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 Representatives, to whom shall be
handed, as they are opened by the Pres
ident of the Senate, all the certificates
and papers purporting to be certificates
Of the electoral votes, which certificates
and papers shall be opened, presented
and acted upon in alphabetical order of
the States, beginning with the letter A;
and said tellers, 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 said certificates I
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 state ofthe vote I
and the names of the persons, if any, )
elected, which announcement shall be q
deemed a sufficient declaration of the !
persons elected President and Vice Pres +
ident of the United States, and, together ,
with the list of votes, be entered on the ,
journals of the two Houses. Upon such
reading of any such certificates or papers
when there shall be only one return from :
a State, the President of the Senate shall d
call for objections, if any. Every objec- +
ton shall be made in writing, and shall II
state clearly and concisely, and without S
the ground thereof and shall II
be signed by at least one Senator and g
one member Of the House of Representa- o
tives before the same shall be received. n
When all objections so made to any vote 4
or paper from State shall have been re- u
ceiVed and read, the Senate shall there h
upon withdraw, such objections shall be q,
submitted to the Senate for its decision; n
and the Speaker of the House of Repre- n
Sentatives shall in like manner submit o,
such objections to the House of Repre- n
5entatives for its decision, and no cleo ~
toral vote or votes from any State from n
which one return has been received shall n,
be objected to except by an affirmative
vote Of the two Houses. When the two h,
Houses have voted they shall immedi- o,
ately again meet, and the presiding Off IN
GER shall then announce the decision of ri
The question submitted. n,
Sec. 2. That if more than one return az
,r paper purporting to be return from p
State shall have been received by the 70
resident OF the Senate, purporting to be
he certificates of the electoral votes Civ m
~ at the last preceding election for Pres ny
dent and Vice President in such State nj
unless they shall be duplicates of the fo
anne return), all such returns shall be or
opened by him in the presence of the
wo Houses when met as aforesaid and tb
cad by tellers, and all such returns and iv
,apers shall thereupon be submitted to 81,
he judgment and decision as to which no
the true and lawful electoral vote of m;
uch State, of commission constituted -
9 follows: During the session of each m,
iouse on the Tuesday next preceding re
ne first Thursday in February, 1877, each m tmrs
iouse shall by ViVa Uoce vote, appoint 20
We OF its members, who, with five asso- eIt
late justices of the Supreme Court of the air
jnlted States, to be ascertained as here
natter provided, shall constitute the
commission for the decision of all ques-
ons upon or in respect of such double me
eturns named in this section. On the ou
uesday next preceding the first Thurs no
ay in February, 1877, or as soon there res
tier as may be, the associate justices of Co
he Supreme Court of the United States of