The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1886-12-17
IMPORTANT MEASURES.

Amended ElectoraI-COunt Bill - Pro-
visions of the Latter-An Agreement Be-
tween Senate and House Conferrees on
the Interstate Commerce Bill.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 1O.-The House yes
terday passed the bill extending the free
delivery system, after it had been amended
so IS to provide that lettcr-carriers
shall be employed in places having
population of 5000, and may be
employed in places having a popula-
ton of not less than 10000 or
whose post-office produced gross revenue
for the preceding year of not less than
$1,000
Tie House amendments to the Senate
Electoral bill were then agreed to
and the bill passed without division.
The bill as passed by the House directs that
electors of each State shall meet and give their
votes on the second Monday in January follow
ing their appointment. Section provides that
if any State shall have provided by laws
eracted prior TO the day fixed for the
appointment of electors for its final
determination of any controversy con-
corning the appointment of all or
any Of the electors of such State by judicial or
other methods or procedures, and such deter
mination shall have been made at least six days
before the time fixed for the meeting Of the
sive, and shall govern in the counting of the
electoral votes, so far as the ascertainment of
the electors appointed by such State is con-
cerned.
The fourth section provides for the meeting
of the Senate and House in the hall of the
House on the second Wednesday in February
succeeding the meeting Of the electors, for the
appointment of tellers and the reading by them
OF the certificates and papers purporting to be
Of xhn al ll,o
section further provides that the result
OF the vote taken in the manner here
in prescribed shall be delivered to
the President of the Senate, who shall thereup-
on announce the state of the vote, which an
nouncement shall be deemed sufficient dec
laration Of the persons if any, elected Presi-
dent and Vice-President of the United States,
and, together with q list of the votes, be
entered on the journals 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 writ
ing, and shall state clearly and concisely and
without argument, the ground thereof and
shall be signed by at least one Senator and one
member OF the House of Representatives before
the same shall be received. These objections
are to be submitted to the Senate and House
separately, and each body shall decide in SEES
purporting to be return from State shall have
been received by the President OF the Senate,
those votes and those only shall be counted
which shall have been regularly given by the
electors who are shown by the determination
mentioned in section of this act to have been
appointed, if the determination iii said section
provided for shall have been made, or by such
successor or substitutes, in case OF vacancy in
the board Of electors so ascertained, as have
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vided by the laws of the State; but in case
there shall arise the question which of two
or more of such State authorities de-
termining what electors have been appoint
ed, as mentioned in section 2 of this act,
is the lawful tribunal 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 concurrently decide is supported by the
decision Of such State so authorized by its
laws; and IN such case of more than one return
or paper purporting to be return from a State,
If there shall have been no such determination
of the question in the State aforesaid, then
those votes and those only, shall be counted
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, I'M
less the two houses, acting separately, shall
concurrently decide such votes not to be legal
votes of the legally-appointed electors of such
State. When the two houses have voted they
shall Immediately meet again, and the presiding
officer 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 pa
pers frol any State shall have been finally
disposed OF.
Section 7provides that'the joint meeting shall
not be dissolved until the count of the electoral
votes shall be completed and the result de-
clared, and prohibits either house from taking
a recess beyond the next calendar day. In case
the electoral votes shall not have been COM
pleted before the fifth calendar day after the
first meeting of the two houses, no further re-
cess shall be taken by either house.
INTER STATE COMMERCE.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 10-The conferrees
on the Interstate Commerce bill have fin
ished their labors and will report their bill
as soon as it can be printed. On the ques-
ton of enforcing the act, the commission
feature of the Senate bill is accepted
by the House conferrees, while the Sen
ate conferrees accept the system pro-
posed in the Reagan bill, under which
q shipper is entitled to sue for
damages in United States courts in his
own behalf. This gives shippers the OPP
ton of making complaint to the commits
sion or instituting suit in Federal courts.
Railroads are prohibited from charg-
ing more for short than for a
long distance upon their lines In the
same direction, the shorter being included
within the longer distance, and the
circumstances and conditions being
the same; but the commission is author
lied, upon application of railroad, and,
after investigation of the facts, to relieve
the roads from the operation of the general
rule in special cases. The Senate con.
ferrees agree to the absolute prohi-
bition of pooling contained in the
House bill. These were the main
features of difference. On the
question of publicity of rates, the provis-
ions of the two bills have been merged, so
as to require each railroad to make public
the rates between points On its own road,
as proposed in the House bill, and, in addi-
ton, the commission is required to secure
publicity of through rates, in so far as it
may be found necessary.