The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1903-09-05
HE WILL BE INAUGURATED ON JANUARY
10, 1904.
FOrmaIitieS to be Observed in Counting
the Electoral Vote.
Recital of Other Interesting Proceeding.
to Occur in January.
Jackson Correspondence N. o. p cayune.l

tion and the Code, will be inau
gurated on Tuesday, Jan 19, 1904
and not on the 1st of January, as
is being published. The other
State officers will be inaugurateo
on Monday, Jan. IS, one day pre-.
vious to the Inauguration of the
Governor. This is an innovation
of the Constitution of 1890, as has
been heretofore pointed out in the
Picayune. 1t results from the fact
that the Legislature must count
the vote, sitting as an Electoral
College, for Governor and State
officers. 1t may be interesting in
this connection to print section
14O of the Constitution, which fol
lows:
THE Governor of the State shall
be chosen in the following man
ner: On the first Tuesday after
the first Monday of November OF
A. D. 1895, and on the first Tues
day after the first Monday OF
November in every fourth year
thereafter, until the day shall be
changed by law, an election shall
be held in the several counties and
districts created for the election
of members of the House of Rep
resentatives in this State, for Gov
ernor, and the person receiving in
any county or legislative district
the highest number of votes cast
therein, for said Office, shall be
holden to have received as many
votes as such county or district is
entitled to members in the House
of Representatives, which last
named votes are hereby designated
electoral votes.' In all cases
where a Representative is appor-
toned to two or more counties or
districts, the electoral vote, based
on such Representative, shall be
equally divided among such coun-
ties or districts. The returns of
said election shall be certified by
the Election Commissioners, or a
majority of them, of the several
counties, and transmitted, sealed,
to the seat of government, direct
ed to the Secretary of State, and
shall be by him safely kept and
delivered to the Speaker of the
House of Representatives at the
next ensuing session of the Legis-
lature within one day after he
shall have been elected. The
Speaker shall, on the next Tues
day after he shall have received
said returns, open and publish
them in the presence of the House
of Representatives, and said House
shall ascertain and count the vote
of each county and legislative dis
trict and decide any contest that
may be made concerning the same,
and said decision shall be made by
a majority of the whole number of
members of the House of Repre-
sentatives concurring therein, by
a viva-voce vote, which shall be
recorded in it's journal; provided,
in case the two highest candidates
have an equal number of votes in
any county or legislative district,
the electoral votes<of such county
or legislative district shall be con
sidered as equally divided be-
tween them. The person found
to have rec ceived the ma
jority of all the electoral votes,
and also a majority of the popular
vote, shall be declared elected"
Tuesday after the first Monday
in January next falls on the 9Th
of the month. The Speaker of
the House is always elected on
the day the Legislature convenes.
The Constitution, ,as above quoted,
provides that the Secretary OF
State shall deliver to the Speaker
of the House the election returns
within a day after he shall have
been elected Speaker. 1t also
provides that the Speaker shall,
on the next Tuesday after he shall
have received said returns, open
the same and publish them in the
presence of the House of Repre-
sentatives. This will be on Tues
day, Jan. -. Section 2154 Of the
Code of 1892 provides that wher
it shall be ascertained who is
chosen Governor he shall be in.
stalled, and the oath of Office ad
ministered to him by one of The
Judges of the Supreme Court, or.
in their absence, by the presiding
officer of one Of the two houses O
the Legislature, in the presence
of the two houses, and the time o.
such installation shall be at moor
on the first Tuesday following the
ascertainment who is elected
| Governor, or as soon thereafter a.
practicable, unless a dlfferen
time be fixed by a concurrent res
olution.. of the two houses. 2 Thi
will be- Tuesday, Jan. 19. Th'
lprovision in the Code that q diff
ferent time may be fixed by a con
current resolution of the tw,
houses was evidently a precautiol
TO safeguard against the loss o
ltime in the matter Of contest o
a long-drawn-out ascertainment a
to who was elected Governor an
other State officers. Governo
McLaurin was inaugurated on Jan
l2I, 1896, and Governor Longin
lon Jan. 16, 1900.
! AS above stated. all the othe