CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. 



271 



reported, back the joint resolution relative to 

 counting the electoral votes. The preamble 

 recited that the inhabitants and local author- 

 ities of the States of Virginia, North Carolina, 

 South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, 

 Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, and 

 Tennessee, rebelled against the Government 

 of the United States, and have continued in a 

 state of armed rebellion for more than three 

 years, and were in a state of armed rebellion 

 on the 8th of November, 1864. 



The joint resolution provides that the States 

 mentioned in the preamble are not entitled to 

 representation in the electoral college for the 

 choice of President and -Vice-President of the 

 United States. 



The previous question was called, and under 

 its operation the resolution was panged. 



In the Senate, on Feb. 6th, Hr. Sumner, of 

 Massachusetts, offered the following joint reso- 

 lution: 



Ranted by tke Senate amd ffoiue of &.-pn>*-*fmtivm 

 of tke Untied State* of America, in Gnufrat aitemUtd 

 (two-thirds of both Houses concurring), That the 

 following article be proposed to the Legislatures of 

 the several States as an amendment to the Constitu- 

 tion of the United States, which, when ratified by 

 three-fourths of each Legislatures, shall become a 

 part of the Constitution, to wit: 



Representatives shall be appointed among the sev- 

 eral States which may be included within this Union 

 according to the number of male citizens of ace, 

 haying in each State the qualifications requisite for 

 electors of the most numerous branch of the Stale 

 Legislature. The actual enumeration of such citizens 

 shall be made by the census of the United States. 



He said : " I ask the reference of the joint 

 resolution to the Committee on the Judiciary, 

 and I content myself with remarking that that 

 amendment, or something like it, seems to be- 

 come necessary now since the adoption of the 

 other constitutional amendment by which sla- 

 very is prohibited throughout the United States." 

 It was so referred. 



In the House, on Feb. 6th, the following 

 joint resolution of the Senate was considered 

 and adopted : 



Sex^ffd by tke Senate (the House of Representatives 

 concurring therein), That the following be added to 

 the joint rules of the two Houses, namely : 



The two Houses shall assemble in the hall of the 

 House of Representatives at the hour of one o'clock, 

 r. if., on the second Wednesday in February next 

 succeeding the meeting of the electors of President 

 and Vice-president of the United States, and the 

 President of the Senate shall be their presiding offi- 

 cer. One teller shall be appointed on the part of the 

 Senate, and two on the part of the House of Repre- 

 sentatives, to whom shall be handed, as thev are 

 opened by the President of the Senate, the certificates 

 of the electoral votes; and said tellers baring read 

 the same in the presence and hearing of the two 

 Houses thus assembled, shall make a list of the votes 

 as they shall appear from the said certificates ; and 

 the votes baring been counted, the result of the same 

 shall be delivered to the President of the Senate, who 

 shall thereupon announce the state of the rote and 

 i names of the persons, if any, elected, which an- 



noaneement shall be deemed sufficient oWisritiem 



of the persons elected President and Tice-Prfriitent 

 of the United States, and, together with a fist of 

 the votes, be entered on the Journals of the two 

 11 j-~. 



If, upon the reading of any such certificate by the 

 tellers, any question shall arise in regard to counting 

 the votes therein certified, the same having been 

 stated by the presiding offieer, the Senate shall there- 

 npon withdraw, and said question shaO be fcaMftfaJ 

 to that body for its deewion; and the Speaker of the 

 HOSMS off Representatives shall, in Eke manner, snb- 

 :...-. as] i naami .'.'..'.':.-- H u-i i f K~: re--rLta:.v : r 



its decision: and no question shall be decided i . 

 atirely, and no vote objected to shall be counted, 

 except by die coucuiieut votes of die two Houses, 

 which bong obtained, the two Houses shall imme- 

 diately reassemble, **** Out presiding officer shall 



and upon any snch question there shall be no debate 

 in either House. And any other question pertinent 

 to the object for which die two Houses are assembled. 

 mar be submitted and determined in fike manner. 



At such joint meeting of die two Houses, seats shaft 

 be provided as follows: for die President of die Sen- 

 ate, the Speaker's chair; for die Sneaker, a chair 

 immediately upon his left; for die Senators, in die 

 body of die hall upon the right of the presiding offi- 

 cer; for die Representatives, in the body of die hall 

 not occupied by die Senators; for die 'tellers, Sec- 

 retary of die Senate, and Clerk of die House of Rep- 

 resentatives, at the Clerk's desk; for the other officers 

 of the two Houses, in front of the Clerk's desk and 

 upon either side of the Speaker's platform. 



Snch joint meeting shall not be dissolved until die 

 electoral votes are aircoonted and the result declared, 

 and no recess shall be taken unless a question shall 

 hare arisen in regard to die counting of any of such 

 rote, in which case it shall be competent for either 

 House, acting separately, in die manner hereinbefore 

 provided, to direct a recess not beyond the next day 

 at the hour of one o'clock, r. x. 



In the House, on February 8th, the counting 

 of the electoral vote for President and Vice- 

 President took place. At five minutes past one 

 o'clock, P. M., the Doorkeeper announced the 

 Senate of the United States. 



The Senate entered the hall, preceded by its 

 Sergeant-at- Arms and beaded by the Vice-Presi- 

 dent and the Secretary of the Senate, the mem- 

 bers and officers of the House rising to receive 

 them. The Senators took the seats set apart 

 for them in the eastern section of the halL 



The Vice-President took his seat as presiding 

 officer of the joint convention of the two 

 Houses, the Speaker occupying a chair on the 

 left of the Vice-President. 



Senator TrnmbuE, the teller appointed on 

 the part of the Senate, and Messrs. Wilson and 

 Dawson, the two tellers appointed on the part 

 of the House, took their seats at the Clerk's 

 desk, at which the Secretary of the Senate and 

 the Clerk of the House also occupied seats ; two 

 of the clerks of the Senate occupying seats at 

 the reporters' desk. 



The Vice-President : " The Senate and House 

 of Representatives having met under the provi- 

 sions of the Constitution for the purpose of 

 opening, determining, and declaring the votes 

 for the offices of President and Vke-Presideiit 

 of the United States for the term of four years 

 commencing on the 4th of March next, and it 

 being my duty, in the presence of both Houses 



