Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1905-02-08
ELECTORAL VOTE CANVASSED
THOUSANDS STRUGGLE FOR
ADMITTANCE
To Witness The Formal Finishing
Touches On The Election of
Messrs. Roosevelt And
Fairbanks.
speeial Dispateh Q EvsnLng capItaL

ands struggled for admittance today
TO the hall of the House of Represen-
tatives to witness the formal finishing
touches on the election of Messrs.
Roosevelt and Fairbanks. or, in other
words. the ceremony of canyassing the
electoral vote.
Those who were successful in gain.
ing entrance TO the visitors galleries
were rewarded by the sight of one of
the most impressive asd interesting
ceremonies prescribed by the coutsitu-
tion of the republic. The two houses
of Congress met, as usual, at noon.
For some time previous, to that hour
large crowds we're to be seen swarming
toward the Capitol. Up the marble
stairways climbed the crowd. Arriv-
ing at the gallery entrance to the
House the visitors importuned the
doorkeepers for admittance.
The majority of thenl.r however,
were doomed TO disappointment, for
none but the senators, representatives.
their families and friends were ad-
United by card to occupy the seats
usually set apart for the general pub
lie. Precisely at O'Clock, a messen-
ger having notified the upper house
that the lower house was ready, the
swung open and procession OF pages
issued forth upon the mosaic floor of
the corridor.As an advance guard
there was a phalanx of Capitol police
and bringing up the rear were the as
sistant doorkeepers of the Seuate bear
ing the polished mahogony boxes con.
tanning the sealed certificates of the
electoral vote. The double row of Sen
ators was headed by Col. Daniel NJ
Ransdell, the sergeant-a alarms, who
was followed by the president pro
tempore, Senator William p. Frye, of
Maine.
The arrival of the Senators at the
door of the hall of the House was the
signal for Speaker Cannon and the
1856 other members of the lower body
to rise from their seats. All remain
ed standing until the upper house was
seated. Beneath the large silk flag
draped above the presiding officers
chair Senator Frye and Speaker Can
non took their seats side by side, the
former, on the right, being by statute
the presiding officer of the joint ses-
sion. There was an absolute stiffness
Fryagg FfhSyagg ggbb6nEp ggbb6nEpth then great hAl Hss Senator
before him and unlocked the mahog-
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 GER
tificates and counting the votes of
electors for President and Vice Presi-
dent, the Senate and House of Repre-
sentatives have met together pursuant
to the constitution and laws of the
United States.
Senator FRYE then 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 Foraker, one of the four tel
lers. The other tellers were Senator
German, of Maryland, and Congress-
man Gaines, of West Virginia. and
Russell. of Texas. Senator Foraker
read at length the certificate of the
vote of the State of Alabama. Fol
loving precedents observed 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 Par
ker and Davis and one, that of Chas.
J. Bonaparte, being for Roosevelt and
Fairbanks. The votes of all the other
states were straight.
The secretary of the Senate gather
ed up each certificate after it was read
by the teIlers and handed to him by a
page. The votes of all the states hay
ing been read and added by the tel
lers. the announcement OF the result
was read to Senator Frye, who then
announced that 1.-THE state Of the vote
for President of the United States, as
delivered to the President of the Sen
ate, is as follows: The whole num-
Der of electors appointed to vote for
President of the United States is 476,
of which q majority of is 2S9. Theo-
dore Roosevelt, of the State of New
York, has received for President of
the United States 1886 votes, and Alton
b. Parker, of the State of New York,
has received 140 votes. A similar an
nouncement of the vote for Vice-Pres-
ident then followed, and afterwards
Senator Frye made his formal decla-
ration of the election of Roosevelt and
Fairbanks in these words:
"This announcement of the state of
the vote by the President of the SEN
ate is by law q sufficient declaration
that Theodore Roosevelt, of the State
of New York, is elected President of
the United States, and that Charles
W. Fairbanks, of the State of Indiana,
is elected Vice President of the Uni
ted States, each for the term begin
ming March 4, 1905, and will be en-
tered, together with a list of the
othes, on the journals of the Senate
and of the House of Representatives. T"