The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1878-12-19


Bill which has been presented to the Ma
tional Congress;
A BILL to amend sundry provisebs of chapter |
one, title three, of the revised statutes Of the |
United States relating to Presidential elections.
and to provide for and regulate the counting |
the votes for President and vice-President, and |
the decision Of questions ar sing thereon
Be it enacted Dy the Senate and House |
of Representatives of the United States OF |
America in Congress assembled, That the |
Electors of President and Vice-President |
shall be appointed in each State on the first
Tuesday in October in every fourth year
succeeding the election of President and
a Vice President, and on the same day in
October, whenever there shall be a vacancy
in both the offices Of President and Vice
President, declared and certified as herein
after provided: but no Senator or Repre-
sen tative person holding an Office of
trust profit under the United States
shall be appointed an Elector.
SEC. 2. Whenever there shall be a va
cancy in both offices of President and Vice
President occurring more than two months
next preceding the first Tuesday in any
month OF October than that next preceding
expiration of the term of Office for which
the President and Vice-President last in
Office were elected, the Secretary of State
shall forthwith cause a notification there IF
to be made to the Executive of every State,
and shall also cause the same to be published
in at least one of the newspapers printed
in each State. The notification shall specify
that Electors of President and Vice-Presi-
dent of the United States shall be appointed
in the several States on the first Tuesday in
October the next ensuing.
SEC. 8. The Electors of each State shall
| meet and give their votes upon the second
Monday in January next following their ap-
pointment, at such place in each State as the
| Legislature of such State shall direct.
| Sec. A. Each State may provide, by law,
enacted prior to the day in this act named
| for the appointment of the Electors, for the
trial and determination of any controversy
concerning the appointments of Electors, be-
| fore the time fixed for the meeting of the
| Electors, in any manner 1t shall deem ex-
pedient. Every such determination made
pursuant to such law SO enacted before said
day, and made prior to the said time of
meeting of the Electors, shall be conclusive
evidence of the lawful title of the Electors
who shall have been so determined to have
been appointed, and shall govern in tn e
counting of the Electoral votes, as provided
| in the Constitution, and as hereinafter reg
| ulated.
SEC. 5. 1t shall be the duty of the Execu.
| tive of each State to cause three lists of the
names of the Electors of such S ate duly as
certained to have been chosen to be made
and certified, and to be delivered to the
Electors on or before the day on which they
are required by this act to meet.
SEC. 6. Congress shall be in session on the
second Monday in February succeeding ev-
cry meeting OF the Electors. The Senate
and House of Representatives at the hour
of one O'clock in the afternoon on that day
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 han ded,
as they are opened by the President of the
oil fha otnG r11T
porting to be certificates, of the Electoral
votes, which certificates and papers shall be
opened, presented and acted upon in the
alphab 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 tEe votes as they shall appear from the
said certificates; and the votes having beer
ascertained and counted as in this act pro
| vded, the result of the same shall be de
livered to the President of the Senate, who
shall thereupon announce the state of thu
vote, and the names of the persons, if any
elected, which announcement shall b.
deemed sufficient declaration of the per
) sons elected President and Vice-Presiden
of the United States, and, together with
list of the votes, be entered on tn
journals of the two Houses Upol
such reading of any such certificate o
paper, the President of the Senate shal
call for objections, if any. Every objection
shall be made in writing, and shall stat
clearly, and coneisely, and without argu
3 ment, the ground thereof, and shall b
:, signed by at least one Senator and one mem
> Der of the House of Representatives befor
: the same shall be received. When all OF
: iections so made to any vote or paper froI
a State shall have been received and rea(
:. !. the Senate shall thereupon withdraw, an
= such objections shall be submitted to tn
i Senate for its decision and the Speaker {
=. the House of Representatives shall, in lik
u manner, submit such objections to tn
., House of Representatives Tor its decision
- - and no Electoral vote or votes from an
- State from which but one return has bee
70 received shall be rejected except by the a
firmative votes of both Houses. If mol
:" than one return or papers purporting to
return from State shall have been r
ceived by the President of the Senate, thos
votes, and those only, shall be counte
l' which shall have been regularly given t
d the Electors who are shown by the evident
H. mentioned in section of this act to ha,
$: been appointed butin case there shall ari
the question which of two or more of sue
State tribunals, determining what Electo
n- have been appointed, as mentioned in sc
le ton 4 OF this act, is the lawful tribunal
/: such State, the votes regularly given
IN those Electors, and those only, from SUE
State shall be counted whose tit
D. as Electors the two Houses, actlI
s. separately, shall concurrently decie
al is supported by the decision of Il
e. tribunal of such State as provided for
he its Legislature. And in such case of mo
in than one return, or paper purporting to
IS a return, from a State. if there shall ha
been no such determination of the questit
ill in the State as aforesaid, then those vot
in and those only shall be counted which t
ny two Houses, acting separately, shall Gomez
no rently decide to be the lawful votes of L
IN legally appointed Electors of such Sta
OF When the two Houses have voted, tn
ns shall Immediately again meet, and the pl
te. siding officer shall then announce the {
nd cision of the questions submitted.
ed votes or papers from any other State sh'
lie be acted upon until the objections pre-
by ously made to the votes or papers from a
.es State shall have been finally disposed of.
in, SEC 7. That while the two Houses sh
i'd be in meeting, as provided in this act,
mt debate shall be allowed and no questio
as. shall be put by the presiding officer, exec
ch to either House on a mot on to withdra
lin and he shall have power to preserve ord
les SEC. 8. That when the two Houses SCI
aid rate to decide upon an objection that m
AS have been made to the counting of a
tes Electoral vote or votes from any State,
,ay other question arising in the matter, ea
ties Senator or Representative may speak
RS, such objection or question five minut
in and not oftener than once; but after su
red debate shall have lasted two hours, it sh
nv be the duty of the presiding officer of ed
ent House to put the main question without f
in ther debate.
ted SEC. 9. That at such joint meeting of
two Houses seats shalt be provided as
. lows: For the President of the Senate,
Speakers chair; for the Speaker, imme
ately upon his left; the Senators, in
Is body of the hall upon the right of the =
ic- siding officer; for the Representatives
ho the body of the hall not provided for
ese Senators Tor the teilers, secretary OF
c;s Senate and Clerk of the House of Repres
w S.' tatives, at the c erk's desk for the other
pc, GERS of the two Houses, in front of the Cler
led desk and upon each side of the Speak,
err platform. Such joint meeting shall not
)ld dissolved until the count of the ElectC
of votes shall be completed and the result
lily elarea and mo no recess shall be taken nnle'
w counting any such votes, or otherwise,
Ils- der this act. in which case Il khAll be com