The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-01-14
THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE.
THEY WERE IN SESSION AT THE
STATE CAPITOL YES
TERDAY.
BRYAN AND SENALL VOTED FOR
The Hon. Il. L. Miner of Henderson
Elected Messenger to Washington
on Third Ballot-Secret SEES
sion Last Afternoon.

court room. with quite a number OF
| spectators in attendance. The thirteen
district electors and the two at large
| were given seats around the bar in a
semi-circle, and. seated in this manner,
| they proceeded to business. Those pres
ent were as follows:
Electors at Large-WinbOurne Pierce
and r. S. Smith.
First District-T. G. burlington.
Second District-W. NJ. Imboden.
Third District-Ned Morris.
Fourth Dstrict-H. +. ONeill.
Fifth District-E. L. Agnew.
Sixth District-F. T. Powell.
Seventh District-D. ii. Hardy
Eighth District-M NJ. Scott
Ninth Dstrict-T. b Cochran.
Tenth Districts. ii. Hopkins.
Eleventh District-A. S. Thurman.
Twelfth District-AIiton Mays.
| Thirteenth Districts. Z. Huff.
Chief Clerk Morse of the supreme
court called the meeting to order and
called over the list of electors, each TAX
ing his seat as his name was called.
MI. r. S. Smith was elected chairman
of the meeting and took his seat.
Elector +. T. Powell asked the chair
to state the object of the meeting, as it
was customary and as some might not
know exactly how to do. He said that
some school teachers had asked him
about it so they could tell the children
how it was done and that he was unable
to tell them; that he had asked Mr..
| T.. :. Smith about it at the time and
he didn't know how it was done then,
and, while he might know now, he
| thought it better for him to state the
| matter so that everybody could under
stand it.
Pending further discussion of the mat
ter, DR.. Chas. s. Morse, clerk of the
supreme court, was elected secretary of
the meeting.
On motion of Elector Tom Cochran,
the chair appointed as committee of
three. to formulate the certificates of
| the electors, Messrs. Cochran, lmbodcn
and Pierce.
. A motion was then made to proceed to
cast the vote for president and vice
president, which prevailed.
\ second motion to proceed immedi-
atcly thereafter to elect Il messenger to
carry the vote to Washington also pre-
vailed
Under the head of casting the ballot
there was considerable discussion as to
how the vote was to be taken, and after
some discussion it was decided to cast it
| by ballot and vote for president and vice
president separately.
Pending n vote on this a communica-
| ton was received from the secretary of
state. containing Il communication from
Mr.. Richard Olney and informing the
! electors that it contained information
| that might be beneficial to them. The
secretary of states communication also
stated that it was customary to elect
Chief Clerk Chas. S. Morse of the SUI
prcmc court secretary of such electoral
! colleges, and that he could give the
electors any information on the subject
that they might want. As the, electors
| were still in the dark about what they
ought to do, they had Secretary Morse
to read the communication from Mr..
| Olrcy. which was nothing but the laws
of congress covering the action of cleo
toral colleges, and which reads as fol
| lows:
| An act to fix the day for the meeting
of the electors of president and vice
president, and to provide for and regu-
| late the counting of the votes for presi-
dent and vice president, and the decision
of questions arising thereon:
Be it enacted, by the senate and house
| of representatives of the United States
| of America in congress assembled, That
! the electors of each state shall meet and
| give their votes on the second Monday
in January next following their appoint
| ment, at such place in each state as the
| legislature of such state may direct.
Sec. =. That if any state shall have
provided, by laws enacted prior to the
day fixed for the appointment of the
electors. for its final determination OF
any controversy or contest concerning
the appointment of all or any of the cleo
tors of such state, by judicial or Other
methods or procedures. and such determi
| nation shall have been made at least 81,
days before the time fixed for the meet
| ing of the electors, such determination
made pursuant to such law so cXiStin.
on said day. and made at least six days
prior to the said time of meeting of tn,
electors, shall be conclusive and shall
govern in the counting of the elcctora
votes as provided in the constitution, anC
ms hereinafter regulated. so far as tn,
asccrtainment of the electors appointc,
by such state is concerned
Sec. 3. That it shall he the duty o
the executive of each state. as soon a.
practicable after the conclusion of thu
appointment of electors in such state. b,
the final ascertanment under and in pur
suancc of the laws of such state provid
ing for such ascertanment, to communi
cate. under the seal of the state, to tn,
secretary of state of the United States.
certificate of such ascertainment of tn
electors appointed, setting forth tn
names of such electors and the canvas