The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-01-18
HOW THEY MAKE
A u. S. SENATOR
Details of Process by Which
Smoot Is to Be Elected.
MUST BE NO MISTAKES
APOSTLES SUPPORTERS ON THE
WATCH FOR IRREGULARITY.

Reed Smoot will be elected United
States senator by both branches of the
Utah legislature next Tuesday noon,
and Wednesday afternoon will be
asked to address the joint session Of
the assembly in representatives hcli.
That is, all this will happen unless
there's a slip 'twixt the cup and tire
lip between now and Tuesday, and the
prospects Of there being a slip dis
astrous to Mr.. Shoots candidacy are
exceedingly small.
The proceedings of changing a pri-
vate citizen of a sovereign state into
a United States senator are outlined
by a fedefc. statute. all the require
rnents Of which will be observed in
their minu:ae. Failure to do 50 might
invaiidate Candidate Shoots election
and make a basis for a fight against
seating him, and the apostles friends
10 not intend to give his opponents any
technical grounds upon which to base
q contest.
When the two houses meet next
Tuesday the business before them VIII
be to take a viva Voce ballot for the
senatcrship. Each house viii IN set
separately, and when the chief ord,
of business is reached, the roll VIII
be called and each senator or repre-
choice aloud. AS Smoot has majority
in each house. the rollcall ought 20,
and almost certainly will indicate mis-
election.
Lots of Red Tape.
The actual ballOting. however, will
be the least of the formalities when
must be executed before Mr. Shoots
credentials will be complete Although
the apostle may have received a md
in 10 fxVn hnmGaS
will have to meet to tell each other
al about il. That means a joint ses-
sion. Under the federal statute, the
Joint session must be held on the We'd
Tesday noon following the baliotiug of
tuesday.
Marching in double file and headed
by President Edward NJ. Allison, jr.,
uf the senate, the senators viii make
their way to the house chamber. There
Speaker Hull viii yield his gayel 10
President Allison, who will call the
joint session to order.
Secretary Jensen Of the senate viii
then be called upon to read the journal
of the upper house. The record un-
dOubtedly will show that Reed Smoot
received ten of the eighteen votes cast
in that body. Chief Clerk Cummings
of the house will then read his jour
nal, which will show at least thirty
three Smoot votes Of the forty-five
cast in the lower house. President
Allison then will announce that having
received a majority of the votes cast
in each house Reed Smoot has been
chosen United States senator
Committee Will Inform Him.
A committee of each house then will
be appointed to wait jointly upon Gov
ernor Wells and a justice of the SUI
preme court and ask the two to &C
company the committee to notify ApoS-
tie SmOOt Of his election. BY an ex-
traordinary coincidence Mr.. Smoot will
be found lurking in the vicinity of
the city and county building. The
committee viii break in upon his medi-
tatiOns with the surprising intelligence
that he has been chosen senator.
The senator-eIect probably viii ex-
claim something equivalent TO This is
so sudden, and then will accompany
the governor, the justice and the joint
committee back to the representatives
chamber, where he will be introduced.
The formal presentation of the SEN
ator-elect having been completed. he
will respond to the demands for a
speech by thanking the general as
sembly. Governor Wells and the SUI
preme court justice also will be impor-
tuned for speeches, and after they have
addressed the legislature the joint ses-
sion will adjourn.
Meanwhile a certificate of election
will have been made out by Secretary
Jensen and properly engrosSed, signed
by the officers of house and senate,
and attested by the great seal of the
state. The certificate will be presented
to the senator-elect. who will cling to
it tenderly until the time shall come
for him to walk down the center aisle
of the senate at the national capitol,
arm in arm with his intimate enemy,
Senator Kearns, ready to be sworn in
or turned away from the bar of the
highest legislative body of the world.