The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1877-01-31
The Electoral Tribunal Bill.

The Joint Committee of the Senate
and House of Representatives have
agreed upon the following bill for the
settlement of the Presidential question.
1t is quito probable that the bill will
pas. and become law and in conse
quence of its Importance it merits a
careful perusal by every voter in the
land.
n bill 10 proride for and regulate the coun-
ting Of rotes for President and Wee Presi>
dent, the decision Of questions arising there
from, for The term commencing March 4,
4. d., 1871:
BE IL enacted By tie Senate and House Of
Representatives Of The United States Of
An,erica in Congress dssemGLed.~ That the
Senate and House of Representatives shall
meet in the hall of the House of Rep
resentatives at the hour of o'clock P. NJ,
on the first Tuesday in 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
president of the Senate. All the certificates
and papers shall be opened, presented,
and acted upon in the alphabetical order
OF the States, beginning with the letter A,
and the said tellers, having then read the
same in the presence and hearing Of the
two Houses, shall make a list Of the votes
as they shall appear from the said cer-
tificates. 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,
and the names of the persons, ifany, cleo,
ted, which announcement shall be
deemed a sufficient declaration of the per-
sons elected President and Vice-President
of the United States and together with n
list Of the votes, shall be entered on the
journals OF the two houses.
Upon such reading of any such cer-
tificate or paper, when there shall he
only one return from State, the presi>
dent Of the Senate shall call for objections,
if any. Every objection shall be made in
writing, and shall state clearly and con.
cisely, and without argument, the ground
thereof, and shall be signed by at least
one Senator and one member OF the House
of Representatives before the sar,e 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 withdraw, and
such objections shall lie submitted to the
Senate for its decision, and the Speaker
of the House of Representatives shall in
like manner submit such objections to the
House of Representatives for its decision;
and no electoral vote or votes from any
State from which but one return has
been received shall be objected to. except
by the affirmative vote OF the two Houses.
When the two Houses have voted, they
shall Immediately again meet, and the
presiding officer shall then announce the
decision of the question submitted.
"SEc. .. That if more than one return
or paper purporting to be returns from 8
State, shall have been received by the
president Of the Senate, purporting to b'
certificates Of electoral votes given at thu
last preceding election for President anC
Vice>President in such State, unless they
shall be duplicates of the same returns
all such returns and papers shall b,
opened by him in the presence Of the TIVE
Houses when met as aforesaid, and reaC
by the teller and all such returns shall
thereupon be submitted to the judgmeil
and decision, as to which is the true AM
lawful electoral vote of such State, Of {
commission constituted as follows, name
ly:
During the session of each House Of
the Tuesday next preceding the fir,
Tuesday in February, 1877, each Hous
shall by rira Uocc vote appoint five OF it
members, who, with five associate justice
of the Supreme Court Of the Unite
States, to be ascertained as hereinatts
| hall oo,-t;.u,a a o0nD,iSsin
for the decision of all questions upon O
in respect of such double returns name
in this section. On the Tuesday mex
preceding the first Thursday in February
A. D. 1867, or as soon thereafter as ma
be, the associate Justices Of the Suprem
, Court of the United States now assigne
to the First, Third, Eighth and Mint
circuits shall elect in such manner as tn
majority of them shall deem fit, anothC
of the associate justices Of the said cOur
which five persons shall be members (
said commission, and the person longei
in commission of the said five justice
shall be president OF the said commission
THE members OF the said commissio
shall respectively take and subscribe th
: following oath:
; d., do solemnly swear Tor affirm,
I the case may bel that will impartially exam
me and consider all the questions submitted
the commission of which l am a member, m
! q true Judgment give therein, agreeably to Il
. Constitution and laws. So help me God.
; (which oath shall be filed with ii
secretaru of the Senate. When the con