The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1877-02-25
TELEGRAPH|C
REPORTED EXPRESSLY FOR THE LEADEa.
REPORT.
COUNTING THE VOTES.
of the Joint Convention.

Washington, Feb. 24.-The two
Houses of Congress went into joint
| convention at noon and the decision Of
the electoral commission touching the
votes of Oregon was read. The ground
for the decision, which is in favor of all
the Hayes electors, is that said electors
appear to have been lawfully appointed,
and they voted as such at the time
and In the manner provided for by the
Constitution of the United States and
the law, and the commi ,sion are further
of opinion that by the laws of Oregon
the duty of canvassing the returns of
all votes given at the election of Presi-
dent and vice-president was imposed
upon the secretary of state, and that
the secretary of state did canvass these
returns and ascertained that j. G.
Cartwright, w. II. Odell and ]. w.
Watts had majority of all votes given
for electors, and the highest number of
votes for that office, and by the express
language of the statute those persons
are deemed elected, and that in obe-
dience to his duty the secretary of state
made the canvass and the tabulated
statement Of votes showing this result,
which, according to law, he placed on
file in his office on the 4th of December,
1876. All this appears by the official
certificate under the seal of the secre-
tary of state, and signed and delivered
by him to the electors, and forwarded
by them to the President of the Senate,
with their votes. That the refusal or
failure of the governor of Oregon to
sign the certificate of election of the
persons so elected does not have the
effect of defeating their appointment
for such electors. That the act of the
governor of Oregon in giving to E. A.
Cronin certificate of election, though
he received thousand votes less than
Watts, on the ground that the latter
was ineligible, was without authority
of law, and therefore void. That al
though the evidence shows that Watts
was postmaster at the time of his cleo
tion, that fact is rendered immaterial
by his resignation both as postmaster
and elector, and his subsequent appoint
ment to fill the vacancy in the electoral
| college. That as the commission has,
in consequence of the foregoing, and
upon the grounds before stated, de.
cided that the paper purporting to be
the certificate of the electoral vote of
Oregon, signed by E. A. Cronin, ]. N.
Miller and John Parker, is not the GER
tificate of votes provided for by the
constitution of the United States, and
they ought not to be counted as such.
The members of the commission
agreeing to and approving of the de-
cision are Samuel F. Miller, Joseph P.
Bradley, w. Strong, Geo. F. Edmunds,
o. P. Morton, F. T. Frelinghuysen,
Jas. A. Garfield and Geo. F. Hoar.
The presiding officer asked whether
there was any objection to the decision.
Senator Kelly objectedto the decision
on the following grounds:
First, That Watts was not elected.
Second, That he was not appointed.
Third, That he was disqualified to
receive the appointment as Presidential
elector, or to sit as such, as he held an
Office of trust and profit under the
United States.
Fourth, That Cronin was elected
Presidential elector for Oregon, and in
accordance withlaw cast legal vote as
such elector.
Fifth, That such vote should be
counted.
The objection is signed by Senators
Kelly, Whyte, Cooper, Mcdonald,
Norwood and Hereford, and Repre-
sentatives Land, Poppleton, jerks,
Vance, Throckmorton, Wigginton
and Luttrell.
The presiding officer asked whether
there were any further objections to the
decision, and there being none, he an
nounced that the Senate would with
draw to its chamber.
When the count proceeded, objec-
tions were made to counting the vote of
Pennsylvania because Danl. ]. Morrell,
chosen elector, was a Centennial COM
missioner. The Senate then returned
to its chamber.