The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-04-17
AN IMPROVEMENT.
New Method of Declaring the EIectio

New Method of Declaring the Election
of President.
WASHINGTON, April 10.-The fol-
lowing is the text of the substitute
offered in the house for the govern
ment of national elections:
Section 1. That electors in each state
shall meet and give their votes on the
second Monday in December next fol-
lowing their appointment, at such
place in each state as the legislature
OF such state shall direct.
Section 2. That it shall be the duty
of the executive of each state to cause
the lists of names of electors of such
state, duly ascertained according
to the laws of such state to
have been chosen, to be made and
certified to, and to be delivered as
soon as NAV be after such determine
ton shall be had to the electors, and
before the day on which they are re-
quired by law to meet. That congress
shall be in session on The End
Tuesday in January succeeding sucn
meeting of electors. The senate and
house of representatives shall meet IN
the hall of the house of representa-
tives at the hour of one o'clock in the
afternoon of that day, in joint con-
vention, and the president of the SEN
ate shall be the presiding officer OF
said Joint convention. 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
opened by the president of the senate.
all the certificates and papers pur-
porting to be certificates of electoral
votes, which certificates and papers
shall be opened, presented and acted
upon in alphabetical order of states,
beginning with Alabama; and said
tellers, having then and there
read the same in the presence
and hearing of the joint convention,
shall make list of the votes as they
appear from said certificates, and the
votes having been ascertained and
counted by the tellers, the result shall
be delivered to the presiding officer OF
the Joint convention, who shall there
upon announce the state of the vote,
and the names of the persons, If any,
elected president and vice president
OF the United States; and said an
nouncement, together with the list
of votes, shall be entered
on the journals of the senate and
house of representatives, and the pre-
siding officers of the joint convention
shall, as soon as may be, notify said
persons of their election to said offices
of president and vice-president, and il
on call of the state no objection is
made to the return, then the vote thero1
shall be counted and added to the list
of states whose votes are determined,
but in case objection has been made,
as hereinafter provided, then said
return shall be laid aside; to be
proceeded with in same manner
as hereinafter provided fol
as in case of double votes from q
state; all objection to counting votes
of any state to be made in writing
and signed by at least three members
of the joint convention before the
call of said states, said objection to be
placed in the hands of the presiding
officer of SAID joint convention, who
shall present the same OF
the call of the state. If more
than one return is on the
paper purporting to be the return.
from the state shall have been re
ceived by the president of the senate
then and in case the presiding officer
of the Joint convention shall submit
to the members thereof to determine
as to which is the proper return, ano
three hours shall be allowed fol
debate; and the joint convention
shall then proceed to vote per capita
commencing with the state of Ala
bama, and these votes shall be count
ed and added to the list of votes al
ready ascertained, or which a MAORI
ty of the joint convention shall de
termine to have been contained in thu
proper and legal returns.
Section of the substitute provides
the Joint convention shall not be dis
solved until the count of the electoral
vote is completed and the result de-
| clarpd