The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-02-11
TAFT AND SHERMAN FORMALLY
DECLARED PRESIDENT AND
vIcE.PRESlDENT
AN IMPRESSIVE CEREMONY
Senate and Lower House Of Congress
Listen to Announcement Of Result
dent Fairbanks-Democrats and Re-
publieans Indulge in Applause.

Washington, Feb. 10.-With simple
but impressive ceremonies, the count
ing of the electoral vote for president
and vice president occurred at joint
session of the senate and house held
in the chamber of the lower body.
William II. Taft of Ohio and James S.
Sherman of New York were officially
declared to be the choice of the people
for the term of four years beginning
March 4 next. The count consumed ex-
actly 40 minutes.
Vice President Fairbanks, who pre-
sided, announced that applause would
not be permitted. This followed demo-
cratic manifestations over the mention
of the name of william ]. Bryan in
connection with the vote of Alabama,
the first state called.
The Taft adherents, nevertheless,
disregarded the admonition and liber-
ally applauded the first mention of his
name when the California vote was
announced.
Arrival Announced.
Promptly at / o'clock Doorkeeper
Lyon announced the arrival Of the
vice president and the senate of the
United States"
The procession moved slowly down
the center aisle and the seats assigned
were at once occupied, the vice presi-
dent mounting the rostrum and taking
a position to the right of the speaker.
United States Senators Burrows of
Michigan and Bailey of Texas and
Representatives Gaines of Tennessee
and Rucker of Missouri acted as
tellers. When Senator Burrows an
nounced that Alabama had cast her
full vote of II for William ]. Bryan
and John W. Kern applause broke out
on the democratic side.
Instantly Vice President Fairbanks
rose and admonished the house. '"rhe
chair is obliged to suggest" said he.
that all manifestations of applause or
approval are in contravention of the
proprieties of the occasion. They Of
fend against the dignity and decorum
of the great transaction now proceed
ing in the presence Of the chosen rep
resentatives of the American people.
The chair Is confident that a repetition
Of this admonition will be unneces-
sary."
Applaud Anyhow.
Despite the admonition of the vice
president, however, the announcement
that California had cast her vote for
Taft and Sherman, thus mentioning for
the first time the names of the sue
cessful candidates, caused some ap-
plause on the republican side.
The republicans again applauded
when Mr.. Rucker, one of the tellers,
himself democrat and from Missouri,
announced that Missouri cast her IS
votes for Taft and Sherman.
| When Bailey of Texas, one of the
tellers, called attention to the fact that
| the certificate of Wisconsin read that
the vote Of that state was for will
liam p. Taft of New York and James
S. Sherman of New York." Mr.. Bailey
said that "of course, under the con-
stitution, 1t Is not permissible for
state to vote for a candidate for pres
ident and vice president from the same
state, but your tellers perfectly un-
derstand that this Is a clerical error"
For W. n. Taft.
He explained that the tellers be
authorized to report the vote of Wis
consin as having been cast "for Will
liam H. Taft, for whom all the other
electoral votes were cast"
There was no objection and the vice
president directed that the vote be re-
corded for William H. Taft of Ohio.
The tellers then reported that Will
liam H. Taft and James s. Sherman
had received 321 votes and that Will
liam j. Bryan and John w. Kern had
received 1862 votes. Only 242 votes
were necessary to elect. The vice pres
ident announced that Taft and Sher-
man had received more than the re-
quisite majority and that this an
nouncement should be deemed suffi-
cient declaration Of the persons
elected president and vice president of
the United States each for the term
beginning March 4, 1909. and shall be
entered, together with list Of the
votes, on the journals Of the senate
and house of representatives"
The senators then filed out of the
chamber.
After the return of the senators to
their own chamber the tellers an
nounced the result of the count The
vice president then made a formal an
nouncement Of the result.