The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1881-02-16
THE Es.EcroEin couNT.
BOTH HOUSES or CONGRESS MEET IL
Joint CONVENTION.

ing oi the house and two hours be
fore the appointed time for counting
the electoral votes for president and
vice pr sident, the galleries OF the
house re filed with spectators
large m ,iority Of whom were ladies
desirous Of witnessing that ceremo-
Inv. On the floor a few wooden
chairs were sandwiched in between
the seats OF members for the accom-
modaiion of senators. but otherwise
there vas TO indication that any
save the usual routine business ol
the house was To be transacted.
At few minutes past u o'clock
the doorkeepcr announced the ar
rival of Mr.. Wheeler and the senate
of the United States, who then filed
into the chamber.
Mr.. Wheeler took n seat on the
right hand of Speaker Randall, and
the senators were accommodated
with chairs in the front rows ol
desks.
! Mr. Wheeler called the assembly
TO order and said: The two houses
being assembled in pursuance of the
constitution, that the votes may be
counted and declared for president
and vice president on the fourth
day of March, 1881, it becomes my
duty under the constitution, as
president of the senate, to open the
certificates of election of the several
states of the Union, in the presence
of the two houses, and | now pro-
ceed to discharge that duty.
The tcllers-Messrs. Thurman and
Hamlin, on the part of the senate,
and Messrs. House and Crawley, on
THE part of the house-having taken
Their places at the clerks desk, Mr..
Wheeler said: l open the package
purporting to be the certificate OF
election of the state of Alabama,
and hand the certificate to be re-
ported. The certificate having been
read very slowly by Senator Ham
lin, and having shown that the
electors of he state of Alabama had
cast the ten votes Of the state for
Winfield S. Hancock for president
and 10 votes for William Ii. English
for vice president, Mr.. Wheeler said :
"The vote of the state of Alabama
having been recorded by the tellcrs,
/ open and hand to them the cer-
tifcate OF election of the state of Ar
kansas,
The six votes of the state Of Ar
kansas having been recorded for
! W. 5. Hancock for president and
W. X. English for vice president, on
motion of Nh Reagan, the reading
OF the merely formal portions fthe
certificates was dispensed with.
The certificate from California
showed that five of the six votes OF
thai state had been cast for Han
cocl, and English and one for Gar,
| field and Arthur.
The three votes of Colorado were
recorded for Garfield and Artur.
The three votes of the state oi
Delaware were recorded for Gar
field and Arthur.
'fhe four votes af iho state OF
Florida we're recorded for Hancock
land English
t The next certificate handed to the
tellcrs was that from the state OF
| Georgia, and it was read by Mr.
Crowley, the reading in fell being
demanded by Mr. Springer. The GER
tificate shoss that on the Sth of De
cembcr, 1880, the eleven votes oil
Georgia were cast for Hancock end
English.
/ Mr.. Wheeler then said; II APP
paaring from tho certificate just read
| that The vote Of Georgia was cast on
q day other than that fixed for cast
ing such votes by act of congress in
pursuance of the constitution of the
| United States, the result of this GER
tifcate viii not be recorded until,
in the language OF the concurrent
resolution under which this count
proceeds, it viii appear whether the
counting or omitting to count saeh
votes will change the result of the
election.
The votes ofthe remainder of the
states were then recorded without
objection. The tellers proceeded to
foot up the votes cast for president
and vice president. Senator Thur
man then said: "The tellers report
that whole the number of electors
appointed to vote for president and
vice president Of the United States
was 800, of which a majority is 1876.
Were the votes of the electors for
the State of Georgia cast ON the
second Wednesday Of Deem
Der, 1880, being the eighth day
of said month, to be counted, the re.
suit would be: For James A Gar
field, of the state of Ohio, for presi-
dent ofthe United States, 2l4 votes,
and for Winfield s. Hancock, of
Pennsylvania, for president of tho
United States, l55 votes. If not
counted, the result would be: For
James A. Garfield for president of
the United States, pa votes, and for
Winfield s. Hancock for president
of the United States, IA votes. In
either event James A. Garfield has
received a majority of the votes of
the whole number Of electors ap-
pointed"
Senator Thurman made similar
statement relative to the vote for
vice president.
rTheTefore," eaid Mr. Wheeler,
q Go declare that James A. Garfield
of the state of Ohio, having re-
ing received a majority of the votes
of the whole number of electors ap-
pointed, is duly elected president of
the United States for four years,
commencing on the fourth day of
March, 1881, and ! do further de
clare that Chester A. Arthur, of the
state of New York, having received
a majority Of the votes of the whole
number of electors appointed, is
duly elected vice president of the
United States for four years, com
mencing on the fourth day of March,
1881" Loud applause
The senate then returned to their
chambers,