Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-02-14
CONGRESS COUNTS
ELECTORAL VOTES
Senate and House Meet in
Joint Session for Consti-
tutionaI Function.

| President Wilson was formally and
officially declared reelected today when
| Congress. in joint session, as provided
by the Constitution, canvassed the
electoral vote of the states.
AS presented and certified the official
returns give Wilson and Marshall 277
electoral votes; Hughes and Fairbanks
254,
The canvassing of the vote today. as
always, was conducted with mucass eere-
mony. The Senate took a recess, and
preceded by two page boys bearing the
official returns, marched over to The
House chamber, where Vice President
Marshall presided, sitting beside Speaker
Clark.
Tellers Take Their Places.
| Vice President Marshall announced that
in obedience TO the Constitution and laws,
the Senate and House were in joint ses-
! sion for ascertaining and counting the
electoral votes in the election for Presi-
| dent and Vice President of the United
States He then called upon tellers
| previously selected to come forward. and
Senators Kern of Indiana and Clapp of
Minnesota. and Representatives Rucker
of Missouri and Mapes of. Michigan. took
their places at the clerks table.
! When the tellers were ready Vice Pres-
| dent Marshall cautioned the Congress
and spectators against applause or
manifestation of approval or disap-
! proval during any stage of the pro-
| ceedings," stating that it was not
deemed proper nor in accord with the
"decorum which should mark so i'm
portant and solemn an occasion He
| then opened and placed in the hands of
the tellers the election certificates in
alphabetical order of the states and
ordered them to examine, count and
announce the vote, state by state, as
they should be called. In due course
/ list was submitted to the chair show
! ing that Wilson and Marshall had re-
ceiyed a total of 217 votes and Hughes
and Fairbanks 254 votes The report
was then read aloud by the Vice Presi-
dent, after which he declared:
| Result Formally Recorded.
This announcement of the state of
the vote by the President of the Senate
pro tempore shall be deemeed a suf-
ficient declaration of the persons
| elected President and Vice President of
the United States, each for the term be-
/ ginning March 4, 1917, and shall be
entered, together with list of the
votes, on the journals of the Senate
and House of Representatives..
! dissolved, members of the Senate filed
| out of the chamber and the Speaker,
| resuming the chair, called the House
| to order.
i ONLY Half of Senate Present.
! ONLY about half the membership of
the Senate participated. The three
/ front rows of seats had been reserved
for them. but when it was seen they
would not be filed representatives
crowded forward and soon filed the
vacant spaces.
i Scattering applause greeted reap
! pearance of Vice President Marshall,
and his opening request Upon taking
| tators refrain from demonstrations
1T has been the CUSTOM" he said "to
refrain from signs of approval or dis
approval; The reason for this is that
/ the results may not be entirely salts
| factory to everybody.
j A ripple of laughter greeted the Vice
Presidents arkS.
/ Senator Kern read the result from the
! first state. Alabama. His voice was
scarcely audible. and cries of LOUDER
came from different parts of the House
| Persons in the galleries, evincing keen
| interest in the proceedings leaned for
| ward and listened eagerly.
/ Await California Vote.
! Everybody anxiously awaited the
| reading of the California vote. It was
| believed this would be followed by a
storm of applause. despite the Vice
! Presidents warning. The demonstra-
ton, however, was disappointing to
| the spectators.
/ Upon the calling by the Vice Presi-
| dent for the California vote perhaps q
| score of members clapped their hands
delay followed and cries of vote!
! the chamber Then came the an
nouncement: Thirteen votes for Wood
| row Wilson and thirteen votes for
Thomas Riley Marshall" and about half
| the democratic members began to cheer
Senator James of Kentucky, Seated well
down In the front Of the chamber, led
| the applause, clapping his hands vig-
| orously. .l-.,s
! 1t fell to Representative Mapes. of