Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-02-10
LARGE CROWD
WITNESSES
HISTORIC
EVENT
Two Bodies of the National
Legislature Canvass the
Votes Cast By Electors
Chosen in November.
VOTE TALLIES WITH
INFORMAL FIGURES
Marshall PreSides and Warns
Against Any DemonStra-
ton; Lodge and Under
wood Act as TeIlerS.

/ Washington, Feb. 9. -
The election of w. G.. Hard
ing as president and of Cal
vim Coolidge as vice presi-
dent, was formally declar-
ed today at a joint session
of the senate and house.
With dull solemnity and
without demonstration such
as marked the elections"
of President Wilson, the
two bodies canvassed the
votes cast by the electors
chosen at the elections last
November 2. The formal
vote tailed with the in
formal results known to the
public on the day after cleo
ton with 404 votes for Mr..
Harding and Mr.. Coolidge
to 127 for James M. Cox
and Franklin D. Roosevelt,
democrats.
Marshall PreSides.
Vice President Marshall presided
and gave an effectual warning
against any demonstration for an
occasion which, he said, was sol
emn and important and should
he carried through in silence. I'M
like many previous occasions, the
vice presidents warning was heed
ed, except for a litter over slipups
of the tellers in pronouncing names
of states and announcement OF the
results.
BY a coincidence Senator Lodge,
republican floor leader. who acted
as a teller, announced the first
votes, from Alabama, for Messrs.
Cox and Roosevelt, while Senator
Underwood of Alabama, democratic
teller, announced the first returns
for Messrs. Harding and Coolidge
from Arizona. in the alphabetical
canvas of the electors vote.
Two highly polished mahogany
boxes, inlaid with rosewood and
hollywood, were dumb actors in
this drama of democratic govern
ment. Resting on the vice presi-
dents desk they contained the Of
ficia ballots Of the electors Of the
forty eight states. In alphabetical
order, beginning with Alabama s
vote, the returns, in large envelopes
blazing with seals, were opened by
the vice president, handed to the
senate and house tellers-one re-
publican and one democrat repre-
senting each bOdy--and read to the
assemblage and recorded.
Senators File Into House.
The Joint session today was or
dered by resolution of both senate
and house. At ] o'clock, led by two
senate pages carrying the ballot
boxes. the senate. following the
vice president and escorted by its
sergeantat-arms, secretary and
other officials. proceeded to the
house chamber, where they were
with ceremony. the
house membership rising as the
party entered. AS pre-
scribed by law, the vice president
took charge of the session, with
Speaker Gillett seated at his left
and the senators at the right of the
chamber.
The votes canvassed today were
cast last January 10 by the electors
in their respective states
and have since been arriving al
most daily at the vice presidents
office. Duplicate returns also have
been sent by mail and the law re-
quires that "a third set be filed with
the federal district court of each
state Among the personal mes
sengers who brought the ballots to
were women serving
as such for the first time in the
nations history
Opportunity for Objections.
A custom of procedure followed
today as usual in the joint congress
sional session was an opportunity
for objections to the recording OF
the votes. After each states vote
was announced the vice president
asked if there were any objections.
These, by law. are required to be
in writing and, in event of filing, to
be voted on by the senate and
house separately.
A large gallery audience, COM
posed mostly of women. watched
the proceedings. which were COM
pleted in about halt an hour