The Portland daily press., 1901-02-14
THE ELECTORAL VOTE.
How 1t is Counted BY
Senate and House.
No FIXED Method Of Performing
This Duty.
The Famous Count of
the Election of 1876.
Promise Upon Which Mr.. Hayes
Was Allowed To Be Seated.

One OF thu most interesting OF ali the
scenes or actions connected with the cleo
tion OF chief magistrate Is when the
two houses OF Congress meet on tine SEQ
ond Wednesday In February, on the year
following the nesting OF the electors and
there resolve themselves into body to
canvass, count and proclaim the vote.
While the constitution Is very explicit
as to the manner in which the electors
themselves shall be chosen, and while
the laws prescribe accurately the move
ment of every step In the train of events
leading up TO the inauguration, yet 1t is
a peculiar thing that the manner OF
counting the vote in joint sessions OF the
House has always been entrusted and SUBJ
1sot to the whims of the Legislators or exi.
genoies OF the times. Perhaps lt is not
particularly strange that this should be
so, when the fact is recalled that on the
first Inauguration OF President Washing
ton, the Senate WAS engaged in grave dis.
Cussion as to how they should receive the
House of Representatives on the occasion
OF the inaugural. That grave and august
body never d.d find out, for right IN the
midst of the proceedings the members OF
the House calmly walked into the senate
chamber and took seats.
The method of counting the electoral
vote has been seriously questioned at
different times. Previous to 1855 one rule
after another was tried, but always by
joint rule OF the two bodies, or by a joint
resolution. In 1865 the two bodies passed
q joint rule which directed the manner
of canvassing the vote. This rule was
simple and prescribed that the House of
Representatives should be in session on
the second "Wednesday in February as the
constitution called for, and that the SEN
ators led by ths vice president or presi-
dent pro TEN of the Senate should entsr
for the purpose Of canvassing the vote
This Joint rule was SO exploit that 1t
even told the station that the president OF
the Senate, the Speaker of the House ana
the other officials concerned In the count
were to take The president of the Senate
was to preside aud sit in the Speaker
chair; the Speaker OF the House was to
sit at his left. At the desk in front were
to sit the four telisrs appointed by Senate
and House, the secretary of the Senate
and the clerk OF the House, and on either
side of this desk or In front were to be
seated the other oil 5lals OF the two
Houses, which means only the sergeant
at arms and door keeper OF each body.
The joint rule which was passed In
joint rule the two houses ever had, did
very we'll until 1876, when the electoral
commission was appointed to settle the
questions of a contest regarding the two
sets of credentials which had been FLED
from Louisiana and Florida. What this
commission did and how It worked 10 a
matter Of history, but there were two
Incidents concerned In 1t which the gen.
ersI public did not know. Tue first was
that when the two Houses failed to find
an election, Abram s. lie witt, then a
member OF the lower House from New
York, arose In his place in the House and
said he had q separate certificate from the
state OF Vermont. No one had any idea
OF rock ribbed Vermont sending anything
but Republican certificate. and 1t threw
the two bodies, sitting In joint session,
into oommotion, When the Senate with
drew TO consider the matter in its own
chamber. 1t took Mr.. Hewitt's certificate
with them, and when he tried to present
1t to the House he could not find 1t. Or
course the House could not aooept any
thing but an original document OF this
kind, and the members were much In
censed that the Senate should have lugged
of what was the property OF the House.
That certificate came back in peculiar
sort of wsy, being brought In the cham.
Der by one of the page boys of the Houss.
Ths Speaker ruled that they could not
recsive anything of that kind from the
Senate unless 1t came back by an official
of the Senate. and during the squabbie
which ensued the main point was lost