Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-01-07


ING the vote, Wednesday, February 8, Vice
President Morton and Private Secretary Chill
ton will unlock the safe in the Vice Presidents
room. remove the packages therefrom and hand
them over to Capt Isaac Bassett. the seventy
one-year-Old assistant doorkeeper of the SEN
ate. who with his snowy nair and patriarchal
beard and long black frock coat will be an in
dispensable functiOnary at the count, rs he was
on the successive inauguratIons of Presidents
Van Buren,, "Tippecanoe' Harrison, Polk,
TAYLOR, Pierce. Buchanan. Lincoln. Grant.
Hayes. Garfield. Cleveland and Benjamin Har-
rison heretofore. Capt Bassett entered the
service OF the Senate sixty-one years ago a. the
protege of Daniel Webster. and used to tweak
the juvenile ears of Senator German OF Mary
land when that statesman was trisky page boy
under him IN the Senate. He turns back the
hands Of the Senate clock regularly at the close
OF short sessions of Congress on the 4th of
March. and he is the recognized and official
custodian of the electoral boxes"
THE ELECTORAL BOXES.
These boxes play an important part in the
electoral ceremony. They are two in number.
each sixteen inches long, twelve inches wide and
twelve inches deep. made of highly polished
cherry wood and fitted with strong locks. They
are constructed. usually every four years, by
the official carpenter Of the Senate. Mr.. X. h.
Zimmerman. aud serve convenient recepta-
cles in which to carry the votes and certificates
from the Vice Presidents chamber to the hall
of the House of Representatives. A pair Of
similar boxes. identical in appearance, formed
one OF the centers Of attraction in the great
electoral struggle of 1877, when Capt Bassett
and Vice President Ferry had to sleep with
them in order to insure the integrity Of their
contents from day to day as the 6gh. wore on
In old times only one box was needed. there
being but few states and consequently few
voted. but now two are needed. since one box
big enough to hold all the votes would be IN
handy to carry. Carpenter Zimmerman made
o new pair OF boxes for the Garfield Hancock
count and another new pair for the Cleveland
Blaine count. This latter pair did further serv-
ice in the Hsrrison-Cieveiand count four years
ago. but Senator Ingalls,, who was Vice Prcsi-
dent pro TEN. ut that time and acted rs presid-
ing officer of the joint assembly of the two
houses, unlike his predecessor, Senator Ed
munds. on the previous occasion. took the boxes
away with him to Kansas as personal souvenirs
OF the event. and thus rendered necessary the
making OF another pair. Carpenter Liumer-
man las just finished pair and Capt
Eassett is hiding them in his secret den down
IN a dark crypt on the basement floor of the
Senate. In these boxes he will stow the sealed
votes as he receives them from Vice Presiden.
Hortons hands and will carry them in diguified
state into the Senate chamber shortly after the
hour Of noon.
THE PROCESSION TO THE HOUSE
At 1888 O'Clock tho Senate will stop in the
midst Of its proceedings. and. forming in a
marching body. will move toward the House of
Representatives. Capt. Passett with an
electoral box under each arm. will be in the
middle. surrounded by the Senators and a
Gordon Of Capitol police in dress uniform. 1t
takes three minutes for Senators to walk1rom
the Senate to the House side. At 1858 O'Clock
Doorkeeper Charles II. Turner Of the House
and Tammany Hall will announce the arrival
OF the Senate. That august and reverend body
will then slowly and impressirely enter the
hail. preceded by the sergeant-at-arms and
headed by Vice President Morton arm in arm
with Secretary McCook. The members and
officers of the House will rise TO receive them.
Vice President Morton will mount the Speakers
platform and take the chair presiding officer.
Speaker Crisp occupying the chair on his left,
and Capt Bassett with due formality and de-
liberation will unlock the boxes and deposit
them on the Speakers table. The Senators
sill fill the space at the right of the Vice Presi-
dent. and the Representatives, according to the
sarcastic phraseology OF the law. will OCCUPY
the body of the hall not provided for Sena-
tors The galleries will overflow with female
youth and beauty, and members and Senators
wives and families will even oyerrun the House
chamber at the rear and behind the brass
ratings
THE COUNT.
Then an impressive and instructive scene
will be enacted. Vice President Morton, after
few preliminary remarks. will open the sealed
certificates one by one and hand them to the
tellers. stating at the outset that IL there be no
Objection TO tine electoral vote OF Aiabama--the
fret state on the list certifi-
cate from that state will be read and noted by
the teilers Then one of the tellers will read in
full the certificate of the vote OF Alabama as a
sample. giving ten votes TO Grover Cleveland
of New York Tor President Of the United States
and ten votes for Adiai +. Stevenson of Illinois
\ for Vice President OF the United States. Next
following the presidents observed on former
like occasions, Vice President Morton will re-
quest that the tellers. having first ascer saine i
that the certificates Of votes are in due form
/ and properly authenticated, will omit in read
ing. the executive certificates OF the ascertain
/ ment of the electors chosen and the prelimin-
AIRY formal statement OF the proceedings OF the
electoral colleges, ard will simply announce the
result and the number OF votes of the states
unless there should DO q demand for full read
ing.
I Thereupon the teilers, alternating among
themselves for their own Convenience will read
I the certificate from Arkansas and then those
/ from California, Colorado, Connecticut and 90
/ on down the hist 10 Wyoming. should objec-
/ ton be made TO any Of the votes, as there NAV
! be touching certain votes Of California Kansas.
| Michigan. Ohio and Oregon, the two houses viii
separate and consider the objections in order
and then return end report their findings. In
| case more than one certificate or paper purport-
/ ing TO be such is received from any one state
/ ali Of them will be banded to the tellers who
/ will read only that which is authenticated
by the signatures Of the electors, certified to by
the governor Of the state over its great zeal, ~