The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1905-02-08
ROOSEVELT AND FAIRBANKS
LEGALLY DECLARED ELECTED
BY CONGRESS.
Thousands Of People Crowded in the
Hall Of the Representatives to
Witness Ceremony.

resentatives to witness the formal
finishing touches on the election OF
Messrs Roosevelt and Fairbanks, or,
in other words, the ceremony Of can
wasting the electoral vote. Those who
were successful in gaining entrance
to the visitors galleries were re-
warded by the sight of one of the most
interesting and impressive ceremonies
prescribed by the constitution of the
republic.
The two houses of congress met, as
usual, at noon. For some time pre-
vious to that hour large crowds were
to be seen swarming toward the capt.
tall Up the marble .stairways climbed
the crowd. Arriving at the gallery en-
frances to the house the visitors i'm
portuned the doorkeepers for admit
were doomed to disappointment, for
none but the senator's, representatives,
their families and friends were admit
ted by card to occupy the seats usual
ly set apart for the general public.
Precisely at / o'clock, a messenger
having notified the upper house that
the lower was ready, the southern door
of the senate chamber swung open and
a procession of sages issued forth
upon the mosaic floor Of the corridor.
AS an advance guard there was a pha-
lanx of capitol police and bringing up
in the rear the assistant doOrkeepers
of the senate bearing the polished ma
hogany boxes containing the sealed
certificates of the electoral vote. The
double row of senators was headed by
Colonel Daniel M. Ransdell, the serg-
eantat-arms, who was followed by
the president pro tempore, Senator
William P. Frye, Of Maine.
The arrival of the senators at the
of the hall of the house was the Sig
nal for Speaker Cannon and the 385
other members Of the lower body to
rise from their seats All remained
standing until the upper house was
seated.
Beneath the large silk flag draped
above the presiding officers char Sen
ator Frye and Speaker Cannon took
their seats side by side, the former, on
the right, being by statute the presid-
ing officer of the jaint session. There
was an absolute stiffness throughout
the great hall as Senator Frye took up
the silver keys placed before him and
unlocked the mahogany boxes. This
marked the actual beginning OF the
ceremony Taking the large brown
envelopes from the boxes Senator Frye
arose, gavel in hand, and addressed
the assemblage thus:
This being the day and the hour
appointed for opening the certificates
and counting the votes of electors for
president and vicep president, the SEN
ate and house of representatives have
met together pursuant to the consti
tuition and laws of the United States"
Senator Frye took up the brown
packages in alphabetical order, each
containing an inner envelope sealed
with wax. He first broke the seal on
the envelope from Alabama and handed
the certificate within to Senator Fora
ker, one of the four tellers. The other
tellers were Senator German of Mary
land and Congressman Gaines of West
Virginia and Russell of Texas.
Senator Foraker read at length the
certificate of the vote Of the state Of
Alabama. Following precedents OBJ
served on former occasions, the tellers,
having observed that the certificates
were in due form, omitted reading the
others in full, and, taking the states
in alphabetical order, announced the
vote of each. When Maryland was
reached it was found that the vote of
that state was split, seven votes being
cast for Parker and Davis and one
that of Charles J.. Bonaparte-being for
Roosevelt and Fairbanks. The votes
of all the other states were straight"
The secretary of the senate gathered
each certificate after it was read by
the tellers and handed to him by a
page. The votes of all the states hav-
ing been read and added by the tellers,
the announcement of the result was
read to Senator Frye, who then an
| nounced that the state Of the vote for
president Of the United States, as de-
! livered to the president of the senate,
| IS as follows: The whole number OF
electors appointed to vote for president
| OF the United States is AIS. of which a
maj ority is 339. Theodore Roosevelt
| of the state. of New York has received
for president of the United States 33e
votes, and Alton B. Parker OF the
| state of New York has received LAC