The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1877-01-20
THE ELECTORAL VOTE.
4 COMPROMISE AGREED UPON.

The joint committees on counting the
electoral votes reached an agreement late
on Wednesday afternoon. The Senate
recedes from the position held 10y many of
its members, that its President has the
right to act .iudcially in connection with
the counting of the vote, and the House
recedeS from its position that the votes of
any States can be rejected on the demand
of either branch of Congress. The certifi-
Gates from the States are to be opened by
the Vice President iii the manner directed
by the Constitution, and in accordance
with the presidents from 1893 to the
present time.
The votes are to be compiled by the tell,
ers and the tally reported by them to the
President of the Senate, who is to announce
the result. When the votes from any
States are unquestioned they are to be
counted exactly as received. If the vote
from any State is objected to by member
of either house, the two houses are to sepa-
rate, and, after brief discussion, are to
pass upon the reception of the votes. No
vote is to be rejected without the concur
renee of both houses in all cases. Where
two or more sets of returns have been re
ceived from any State they are all to he
opened by the President of the Senate, and
the houses, voting separately, are to de-
termine which of them, if either. shall be
counted. If both houses decide to count
any one of these votes, then they shall be
compiled by the telers. II both houses
agree to reject all, then no vote from the
State shall be complied by the tellers. But
if the houses disagree in their selection of
the return to be received then all questions
of law connected with the returns from
that State are to be submitted to a board
of arbitration consisting of fifteen members
and constituted as follows: Five Senators,
to be appointed by the President of the
Senate, five Representatives appointed by
the Speaker of the House, and four Judges,
two of whom are supposed to sympathize
with the Republicans and two whose bear
ing is supposed to be toward the Demo
cracy. They will be named in the bill.
The judges are to select fifth iusic
whose appointment will complete the board
of arbitration. The decisions or recon-
mendatons of this board are to be re-
ported to both houses and the question is
to be put in each whether they shall be
sustained or not. If both houses vote to
reject the decision of this board, then it is
to have no binding force. But in all other
cases the return which is determined by
the board of arbitration to be the legal one
from the State is to be complied with the
votes from the other States.
The discussion during the last day or
two, it is understood, has been mainly in
regard to the selection of the five judges of
the Supreme Court. Many different pro
positions were made. Among them was
one, which has heretofore been mentioned.
for appointing the four judges oldest in the
service, and to select fifth by lot. Another
oldest in the service; and still another, the
five judges, beginning with the Chief
Justice, whose name stands first upon the
list. The plan finally agreed upon is be
leved by the members of both committees
to be absolutely fair and impartial and to
be less open to objection than any other
that was proposed.