The Electoral College of Virginia.
--A meeting of the Electors of the
State of Virginia was held in the
Senate Chamber of the
Capitol, on Wednesday, the 5th December, pursuant to the proclamation of the
Governor.
Present--
Messrs. Francis T. Anderson,
A. B. Caldwell,
Thos.. Bruce,
John J. Jackson,
B. H. Shackleford,
Lemuel J. Bowden,
L. H. Chandler,
Marmaduke Johnson and
Joseph Christian.
At half-past 10 o'clock the
College was called to order by
Mr. John J. Jackson, on whose motion
Francis T. Anderson,
Esq., was elected
Chairman.
Mr. Anderson accepted the position tendered him, and after returning thanks for the honor thus conferred, announced his readiness to proceed to business.
Mr. Jackson then nominated for
Secretary,
Col. J. L. Eubank, and the question being put,
Col. E. was elected.
Mr. Jackson presented from the
Secretary of the
Commonwealth certain communications, which were handed to the
Chairman, to be disposed of.
The
Chairman announced the receipt of a letter from
John R. Edmonds and others, which the
Secretary read to the
College as follows:
"Richmond, Dec. 5, 1860.
"Gentlemen:
"To the Electors now sitting in the Electoral College of
Virginia:
"Gentlemen: The undersigned have received from the
Governor of
Virginia certificates that they have been elected Electors of
President and
Vice-President of the
United States.
We feel constrained, however, to say, that although by technical law we may be entitled to those certificates, and to cast our votes as Electors, we are satisfied that we were not elected in fact, and therefore we respectfully decline to take our seats in the Electoral College.
Your letter, informing me of my election as one of the Electors for the
State of Virginia, was received Saturday.
My physician, who has been attending me during a severe illness, positively forbids my visiting
Richmond tomorrow; indeed, he has not yet allowed me to leave the house.
"I regret, exceedingly, that I will not be able to attend the session of the
College, to vote, in accordance with the wishes of those who elected me, for
John C. Breckinridge, of
Kentucky, for
President, and Joseph Lane, of
Oregon, for
Vice-President.
Please communicate the facts to the Electoral College.
A communication was read from the
Secretary of the
Commonwealth, announcing the election of the following persons as Electors:
Thomas Bruce of
Halifax,
Marmaduke Johnson of
Richmond city,
Lemuel J. Bowden of
Williamsburg,
J. J. Jackson, Jr., of
Wood,
F. T. Anderson of
Rockbridge,
B. H. Shackleford of
Fauquier,
A. B. Caldwell of
Ohio,
L. H. Chandler of Norfolk city,
Joseph Christian of
Middlesex,
William Lamb of Norfolk city,
John R. Edmonds of
Halifax,
James Lyons of
Richmond city,
Richard Claybrook, of
Northumberland,
W. H. Anthony of
Botetourt,
J. W. Massie of
Rockbridge.
On motion, the roll of Electors was called, and six of them being absent, a suggestion was made to fill the vacancies at once.
Mr. Marmaduke Johnson suggested that the better plan would be to have some private conference before proceeding further, and, on his motion, the
College took a recess until half-past 1 o'clock P. M.
Afternoon session.
The
College met pursuant to adjournment,
F. T. Anderson,
Esq., resuming the chair.
After the roll was called, and a quorum ascertained to be present, the
Chairman announced as the first business in order the "filling of vacancies."
By motions severally made and seconded,
Col. John E. Scruggs, of
Fauquier, was nominated to fill the vacancy caused by the absence of
Mr. Wm. Lamb, of
Norfolk;
Wyndham Robinson,
Esq., of
Richmond city, was nominated to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of
James Lyons,
Esq;
Mr. John D. Alexander, of
Campbell county, was nominated to fill the place of
Mr. R. A. Clay brook, of
Northumberland;
Waller R. Staples,
Esq., was nominated to fill the place of
Mr. W. H. Anthony, of
Botetourt;
Travis H. Epps,
Esq., was nominated to fill the place of
Mr. J. W. Massie; and
James.
F. Johnson,
Esq., of
Bedford, was nominated to fill the place of
John R. Edmonds,
Esq.
The vote was taken separately on the several nominations as made, and each of the nominees were unanimously elected.
The
College being now full, as required by law, the
Chairman requested gentlemen to prepare their ballots, to vote for
President.
Mr. Johnson suggested that each Elector, as he deposited his ballot in the box, should declare the name of the person for whom he voted.
After the ballots were deposited,
Messrs. Robertson and
Johnson were appointed a committee to examine and count them.
They performed the duty, and reported that the entire vote (fifteen) had been cast for
John Bell of
Tennessee, for
President of the
United States.
Ballots were next prepared for
Vice President, and
Messrs. Bruce and
Christian, a committee appointed by the Chair, reported that the fifteen votes had been unanimously cast for
Edward Everett, of
Massachusetts, for
Vice President.
The
Chairman stated that he was happy to announce that the Electoral vote of
Virginia had been unanimously cast for
John Bell of
Tennessee, as
President, and
Edward Everett as
Vice President.
Would to God, for the sake of our beloved country — for its future peace and prosperity — that vote could be effective.
The
Secretary stated that the old book, which contained the proceedings of the
Electoral Colleges of
Virginia from the time of
Jefferson's election to the present, had been mislaid in the State Library, but that the
Secretary of the
Commonwealth had promised to make a search for it. If it could not be found, he desired to know if a new book would be necessary in which to record the proceedings?
Mr. Jackson hoped a new book would be purchased.
The old one had fallen into the hands of the Philistines and might not be recovered He wanted a clean sheet for the proceedings of this College.
Mr. Johnson preferred the old one.
He was for Union, and did not like to see a severance commenced here.
He wished the proceedings to be recorded with those of better days, so that the history might be continuous.
Mr. Jackson was for Union.
No man admired the history of the Republicans of old more than himself.
He had taken
Madison as his guide, and wanted none better.
If the old book could be found, he did not object to the continuance of the history, though he was no admirer of
Pierce and
Buchanan.
The
Secretary was thereupon ordered to get a new book in which to record the proceedings, and to transcribe them in the old one, if that should be found.
Mr. B. H. Schackleford, of
Fauquier, offered the following resolution, which was unanimously adopted:
‘
Resolved, That this Electoral College take pleasure in expressing their high appreciation of the conduct of the
Breckinridge Electors, who, by informalities, were proclaimed by the
Governor of
Virginia as elected to this College, in resigning their positions as such Electors, and thus giving full effect to the popular vote of
Virginia.
Mr. Johnson, of
Bedford, nominated
Jos.
Christian, of
Middlesex, as Messenger to deliver the vote of the
College to the
President of the United States Senate, and he was unanimously elected.
On motion, the
College took a recess until half-past 5 o'clock, to give the
Secretary time to prepare the necessary certificates, which the Electors were required by law to sign before adjourning.
’
Evening session.
The
College reassembled at 6 o'clock, and proceeded to business,
F. T. Anderson,
Esq., resuming the chair.
On motion of
Mr. Jackson, the three certificates, prepared by the
Secretary, were read and compared, and then signed, in order, by the Electors.
Col. John E. Scruggs offered a resolution, which was adopted, allowing
Col. John L
Eubank $100 for services as
Secretary of the Electoral College.
Mr. James F. Johnson, of
Bedford, presented the following paper, which, on motion, was spread upon the records of the
College:
The undersigned Electors of
President and
Vice President of the
United States for the
State of Virginia, relieved by the failure of six of the gentlemen (certified to have been elected by the
Governor, on the official opinions of the
Attorney General.) to attend the present meeting of the Electoral College, and by our consequent elections by our brother Electors as members of the
College, from considering whether there was any mode or means of asserting, upon grounds denying the legality and validity of that certificate, our claim to sit in the Electoral College, or what measures we might or should adopt in reference thereto: yet unwilling in justice to ourselves and to that portion of the people of
Virginia by whose legal votes we believe ourselves to have been elected, instead of some of those receiving such certificates, to seem by silence to accept the decision of the law officer of the
State as correct, desire to declare, and do declare:
That we believe ourselves to have been duly chosen by the legal voters of the
State of Virginia, as Electors of
President and
Vice President of the
United States, and we respectfully ask that this, our protest and declarations, be spread upon the records of this body.
James F. Johnson,
Waller R. Staples,
Travis H. Epes.
The certificates having been prepared, the members signed their names in order, as called upon by the
Secretary.
The
College then adjourned to meet again this morning at 10 o'clock.
