272 



CONGKESS, UNITED STATES. 



thus convened, to open the votes, I now pro- 

 ceed to discharge that duty." 



The Vice-President then proceeded to open 

 and hand to the tellers the votes of the several 

 States for President and Vice-President of the 

 United States, commencing with the State of 

 Maine. 



Senator Trumbull, one of the tellers, read in 

 full the certificate of the vote of the State of 

 Maine, giving seven votes for Abraham Lincoln, 

 of Illinois, for President of the United States, 

 and seven votes for Andrew Johnson, of 

 Tennessee, for Vice-President of the United 

 States. 



Senator "Wade: "Mr. President, I move to 

 dispense with the reading of every thing in the 

 certificate except the result of the vote." 



Mr. Cox : " Mr. President, I believe that it is 

 not competent for this joint convention to have 

 any motion submitted, but I suggest, as General 

 Cass suggested in 1857, that only the result of 

 the votes shall be announced." 



The Vice-President: "That can be done, as 

 suggested. The Chair does not think that it is 

 within his power to receive the motion, unless 

 the Senator from Ohio desires that the Senate 

 shall separate in order to pass upon the ques- 

 tion." 



Senator Wade : " I do not propose any such 

 thing. I believe we may dispense with the 

 reading of all but the results." 



The Vice-President : " The Chair will, there- 

 fore, if there be no objection, direct the results 

 of the returns only to be read. The tellers will 

 now read the results of the vote of the State of 

 New Hampshire." 



The tellers reported, through Senator Trum- 

 bull, that they had examined the vote of the 

 State of New Hampshire, that they found it in 

 due form, that all the votes given for President 

 of the United States were five, all of which were 

 for Abraham Lincoln, of the State of Illinois ; 

 and that all the votes given for Vice-President 

 of the United States were five, all of which 

 were for Andrew Johnson, of the State of Ten- 

 nessee. 



The same form was observed in announcing 

 the votes of the other States. 



The tellers having read, through Mr. "Wilson, 

 the certificate from the State of Nevada, show- 

 ing that two votes had been given for Abraham 

 Lincoln, of Illinois, for President, and two votes 

 for Andrew Johnson, of Tennessee, for Vice- 

 President, 



The Vice-President said: "The Chair will 

 state to the convention that the messenger who 

 bore the returns from the State of Nevada com- 

 municated the fact that the third elector did not 

 appear when the vote was taken. The State 

 having been but recently admitted into the 

 Union, had no law by which the vacancy could 

 be filled ; and consequently but two votes were 

 given for President and Vice-President." 



The vote of the State of Nevada having been 

 recorded, 



Senator Cowan said: "Mr. President, I in- 



quire whether there are any further returns to 

 be counted ? " 



The Vice-President : " There are not." 



Senator Cowan : " And if there be, I would 

 inquire why they are not submitted to this 

 body in joint convention, which is alone capa- 

 ble of determining whether they should be 

 counted or not? " 



The Vice-President: "The Chair has in his 

 possession returns from the States of Louisiana 

 and Tennessee, but in obedience to the law of 

 the land the Chair holds it to be his duty not to 

 present them to the convention." 



Senator Cowan: "I ask whether the joint 

 resolution on that subject has become a law by 

 having received the approval of the President 

 of the United States ? " 



The Vice-President: "The Chair believes 

 that the official communication of its approval 

 by the President has not been received by either 

 House. The Chair, however, has been apprised 

 of the fact that the joint resolution has received 

 the approval of the President." 



Senator Cowan: "Then, as a motion is not 

 in order in this body, I suggest that the votes 

 of Louisiana and Tennessee be counted, and 

 that this convention determine the fact." 



Mr. Cox : " I suggest the reading of the joint 

 resolution by which our action is to be deter- 

 mined." 



The Vice-President: "The Secretary will 

 read the joint resolution under which the House 

 and Senate are now acting." 



The Secretary of the Senate then read as fol- 

 lows: 



Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representa- 

 tives concurring therein), That the following be 

 added to the joint rules of the two Houses. (See 

 preceding page.) 



Mr. Stevens: "I do not think any question 

 has arisen which requires the two Houses to 

 separate. That, according to the wording of 

 the joint resolution, can only be upon the read- 

 ing of the returns which have been opened by 

 the president of the convention." 



Senator Cowan : " I merely wish to say that, 

 believing as I do that it rests with this joint 

 convention, in its joint capacity, to determine 

 all questions which ought to arise here, I have 

 done what I have thought to be my duty in 

 bringing to the attention of the convention the 

 question which I have raised. Having done so, 

 I now beg leave to withdraw it." 



The Vice-President : " The Chair did not un- 

 derstand the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. 

 Cowan) as making any distinct motion, but 

 merely a simple suggestion." 



Senator Cowan : " I understood that no mo- 

 tion could be entertained in this convention." 



The Vice-Ffesident : "Motions can be enter- 

 tained upon any matters pertinent to the pur- 

 pose for which the convention has assembled. 

 The decision of those motions must be deter- 

 mined by the two Houses separately, after the 

 Senate shall have withdrawn from the conven- 

 tion." 



