Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-12-16
THE ELECTORAL COUNT.

Provisions of the Bill Passed by the House
of Representatives for Regulating the
Count of the Electoral Vote of the States
for President and yice-President.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 10.-The House OF
representatives yesterday passed the
Electoral Count bill.
The bill as passed by the House directs that
the electors of each State shall meet and give
their votes on the second Monday in January
following their appointment.
Section provides that II any State shall have
provided by laws enacted prior to the day fixed
for the appointment of electors, for its final de-
termination of any controversy con-
corning the appointment OF all or
any of the electors of such States,
by judicial or other methods or procedures, and
such determination shall have been made at
least six days before the time fixed for the
meeting of the electors. such determination
shall be conclusive and shall govern in the
counting of the electoral votes so far as the
ascertainment of the electors appointed by
such States is concerned.
Section three provides the manner in which
the electoral vote of each State shall be certi-
fed and communicated to the Secretary OF
State at Washington.
Section prescribes the meeting of the Sen
ate and House in the hall of the House on the
second Wednesday in February succeeding the
meeting of the electors. After providing for
the appointment of tellers and the reading by
them OF the certificates or papers purporting, to
be certificates of the electoral votes, the bill
continues: And the votes having been ascer-
tanned and counted in the manner and accord
ing to the rules by this act provided. the result
of the same should be delivered to the president
OF the Senate, who shall thereupon announce
the state of the vote, which announcement
shall be deemed sufficient declaration of the
persons, if any, elected President and Vice.
President of the United States, and. together
with list of the votes, be entered on the jour
mails OF the two houses. Upon such reading of
any such certificate or paper. the president OF
the Senate shall call for objections if any.
Every objection shall be made in writing,
and shall state clearly and concisely, and
without argument the ground thereof, and
it shall be signed by at least one Senator
and one member of the House OF
Representatives before the same shall be re-
cieved. When all objections made to any
vote or paper from any State shall have been
received and read, the Senate shall thereupon
withdraw, and such objections shall be sub
mitted to the Senate for its decision, and the
Speaker of the House of Representatives shall,
in like manner, submit such objections to the
House of Representatives for its decision; and
no electoral vote votes which shall have
been regularly given by electors whose appoint
ment shall have been certified according
to the third section OF this act, from
any State from which but one return has been
received shall be rejected. II more than one
return or paper purporting to be a return from
a State shall have been received by the Presl-
dent of the Senate, those votes. and those only
shall be counted which shall have been regu-
larry given by the electors who are shown by
the determination mentioned tin section of
this act to have been appointed. If the deter
mination in said section provided for shall have
been made, or by such successors or substi-
tutes, in case of vacancy in the board
of electors ascertained, as have been APP
pointed to fill such vacancy in the mode pre-
dicated by the laws of the State; but in case
there shall arise the question which of the two
or more of such State authorities determining
what electors have been appointed, as men
toned in section of this act, is the lawful tri
bunal of such State, the votes regularly given
of those electors, and those only of such State,
shall be counted whose title as electors the two
houses, acting separately, shall concur
rently decide is supported by the
decision of such State so authorized
by it's laws, and in such case Of more than one
return or paper purporting to be return from
State, if there shall have been no such deter
mination of the question in the State aforesaid,
then those votes, and those only, shall be count
ed which were cast by electors whose appoint
ment shall have been duly certified under the
seal of the State by the Executive thereof in
accordance with the laws of the State, unless
the two houses, acting separately, shall
concurrently decide such votes not to be
the lawful votes Of the legally appointed
electors of such State. When the two houses
have voted, they shall Immediately meet again.
and the presiding oficer shall then announce
the decision Of the questions submitted. No
votes or papers from any other State shall be
acted upon until the objections previously made
to the votes or papers from any State shall
have been finally disposed Of
Section gives the president OF the Senate
power to preserve order.
Section limits to two hours the debate which
shall be had on any question, after the two
Houses shall have separated.
Section provides that the joint meeting
shall not be dissolved until the count of cleo
torai votes shall be completed and the result
declared, and prohibits either house from tax
ing recess beyond the next calendar day. In
case the electoral votes shall not have been
completed before the fifth calendar day after
the first meeting of the two houses no further
recess shall be taken by either house.