Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1877-02-03
THE ELECTORAL TRIBUNAL.
The Full Text OF the Bill Reported by the
Joint COmmittee of Congress.

The following is the complete text OF
the bill agreed upon by the joint com
mittee on counting the electoral vote of
the United States:
A bill to provide for and regulate the
counting of votes for President and
Vice President, and the decision of
questions arising thereon, for the
term commencing March 4, A. d.
1877:
BE it enacted, etc., That the Senate
and House of Representatives shall meet
in the hall of t House of Represen-
tatives, at the rclr of one o'clock P. M,
ON the first Tin day in February, A.
d. 1877, and the president of the Senate
shall be their 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 open
ed 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,
presented, and acted upon in the alpha
betical 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 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 an
nounce the state of the vote and the
names of the persons, if any, elected,
which announcement shall be deemed a
sufficient declaration Of the persons elect
ed President and Vice-President of
the United States, and together with a
list of the votes shall be entered on the
journals of the two houses. Upon such
reading of any certificate or paper, when
there shall be only one return from the
State, the president Of the Senate shall
call for objections, if any. Every OBJ
lection shall be made i'll writing, and
shall state clearly and concisely and with
out argument the ground thereof, and
shall be signed by at least one senator
and one member of the House Of Repre-
sentatives before the same shall be re-
ceived When all objections SO made to
any vote or paper from State shall have
been received and read, the Senate shall
thereupOn Withdraw, and such objections
shall be 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 nc
electoral vote or votes from any State
from which but one return has been re-
ceived shall be rejected except by the
affirmative vote of the two houses. When
the two houses have voted they Shall i'm
mediately again meet, and the presiding
officer shall then announce the decision
of the question submitted.
SEC. 2. That if more than one return
OF paper purporting to be return from
a State shall have been received by the
president of the Senate, puIporting to
be the certificates of electoral votes given
at the last preceding election for Presi-
dent and Vice President in such State,
unless they shall be duplicates of the
same return, all such returns and papers
shall be opened by him. i'll the presence
Of the two houses, when met as afore.
said, and read by the tellers, and al
j such returns and papers shall thereupor
be submitted to the Judgment and deci-
sions as to which is the true and Lawful,
electoral vote of such State Of commits
sion constituted as follows, namely
During the session of each house on the
Tuesday next preceding the first Thurs
nay in February, 1877, each house shal
by uiu0 vOce vote appoint five of itt
members, who, with the five associate
justices of the supreme court of the Uni
tn1 To hf oS
after provided, shall constitute com
l mission for the decision of all question:
upon or in respect of such double re
, turns named in this section. On thu
, Tuesday next preceding the first Thurs
day of February, A. d. 1877, or as sool
thereafter as may be, the associate jus
tices of the supreme court of the United
States now assigned to the first, third
eighth and ninth circuits shall select, il
such manner as majority of them shal
| deem fit, another of the associate jus
l tices of said court, which five person
q shall be members Of the said commits
sion, and the person longest in commits
sion of said five justices shall be tn
president of said commission. Member
of said commission shall respectivel,
. take and subscribe the following oath /:
81, -, do solemnly swear 70
: affirm, as the case may be) that [ viii
= impartially examine and consider al
. questions submitted to the commission
of which I am a member, and tru
= Judgment give thereon, agreeably to tn
:, Constitution and laws, so help me God.
y Which oath shall be filed with the secre
= tary of the Senate.
When the commission shall have beel
thus organized it shall not be in tn
power of either house to dissolve tn
i same or to withdraw any of its mem
i bers but if any such senator or mem
u Der shall die or become physically un
able to perform the duties required b.
10 this act, the fact of such death or physi
cal inability shall be by said commission
before it shall proceed further, communi
Gated to the Senate or House of Repre-
sentatives, as the case may be, whic
l. body shall Immediately and without dc
|, bate proceed by UiUd Voce vote to fill tn
place 80 vacated, and the person az
II pointed shall take and subscribe til
), oath hereinbefore prescribed, and be
d come member of said commission
And, in like manner, if any of said jus
'd tices of the supreme court shall die G
ID become physically incapable of perform
Of ing the duties required by the act, th
Iy. other of said justices, members of th
said commission, shall Immediately al
point another justice Of said court
Id member of said commission, and in sue
IN appointments regard shall be had to til
ns impartiality and freedom from biz
id sought by the original appointments
le said commission, who shall thereupo
il. Immediately take and subscribe to I'll
n nnEh hereinhefore nrescrihed aud b.