THIRD DAY.

FRIDAY, June 16, 1876.

At 10:30 A. M. the convention was called to order by the president, who requested unauthorized persons occupying seats set apart for delegates to retire, and announced that this rule would be absolutely enforced during the session of the day.

The proceedings of the morning were opened with prayer by the Rev. Mr. Morgan, of St. John's Episcopal Church, of Cincinnati, as follows:

OPENING PRAYER.

Almighty God, Father of all blessings, Ruler of the universe, to thee we come to ask for grace and mercy to rest upon this convention. We need thy help. We pray thee in mercy to interpose and vouchsafe unto us thy grace, as thou seest thy servants need at this time. We pray thee, O God, to look upon us graciously and bless us, gathered together in this council. We pray thee to bless the people of these United States: bless the fathers and mothers: bless our sons and our daughters. Bless, we pray thee, the chief magistrate of this nation. Bless, we pray thee, the senators and representatives of this people in congress assembled, and this national council. Vouchsafe unto them, we pray thee, the direction of thine own wisdom, that by their endeavors all things may be so ordered and settled upon the surest and best foundations, that truth and happiness, religion and piety, may be established among us for all generations. Save to us, we pray thee, the goodly heritage that thou hast bequeathed us by the hands of our fathers. Make strong and firm the hearts of the rulers; make patriotic and pious the hearts of the people of this land, we pray thee. Settle and establish our civil and religious institutions. Deliver us, we pray thee, from the blight of ignorance and supersititon. Bring to naught the machinations of evil and designing men. We pray thee, O Lord, that truth and justice may be established in our land for all generations. These and all other mercies that we need, we humbly ask in the name and for the sake of thy Son and our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath taught us to pray, and to say, "Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name: thy kingdom come: thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven: give us this day our daily bread: forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;-for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever." Amen.

The PRESIDENT. Before proceeding to general business, the chair desires to call the attention of the delegations from Alabama, from Florida, and from the District of Columbia, their privilege of naming a member of the National Committee for their respective districts, the order relative to the announcement of the committee having been passed prior to the settlement of the con

tests.

The chair has been requested to have the following announcements read: The meeting of the National Executive Committee of the Union League of America will be held immediately after the final adjournment of the convention, at the head-quarters of the Illinois delegation, in the Burnet House. WILLIAM A. NEWELL, Chairman. CINCINNATI, June 14, 1876.

To the President of the National Republican Convention:

DEAR SIR: The delegates to the National Republican Convention, and the friends in attendance, are very cordially invited to visit the annual exhibition of the School of Design of the Cincinnati University, at College Hall, on Walnut street, opposite the Gibson House.

The exhibition will be open on the 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th inst., until Very respectfully,

IO P. M.

Also the following:

ALEX. H. McGUFFEY,

GEORGE HOADLY,

RUFUS KING,

SAMUEL F. HUNT,

Committee on School of Design.
JUNE 15, 1876.

To the Republican National Convention: GENTLEMEN: I am requested by the Board of Directors of the House of Refuge of this city to extend a cordial invitation to the members of the convention to visit this institution. in a body or individually, and examine its various departments. Please designate a certain time, and every attention will be given visiting members. Very respectfully,

E. C. KIMBALL, Acting Secretary.

BALLOTING FOR PRESIDENT.

The PRESIDENT. The first business in order is the balloting for a candidate for the office of the President of the United States. If it be the pleasure of the convention, the secretary will proceed to call the roll of states, and the chairman of each delegation will announce, as distinctly as possible, from his place, the choice of the delegation.

During the call of the roll, persons in the galleries interfered considerably with the dispatch of business by applauding when the votes were announced. The delegates were annoyed by the cheers and applause, and rebuked it by hissing, which led the president to remark,—

The chair thinks he will take the responsibility of saying that there is an obvious impropriety in hissing, whatever may be said as to the propriety of cheering.

The votes of the successive states were, however, still greeted with manifestations, and the president again reminded those in the galleries that they were interfering with the transaction of the business of the convention.

A DELEGATE from Wisconsin. I would suggest that the chair notify the occupants of the gallery that business will be suspended unless order is preserved.

The PRESIDENT. It is very likely that the chair will reach that point in a very short time, unless there be a modification of the demonstrations in the galleries.

Mr. JAMES L. ALCORN, of Mississippi. We desire to change the vote of Mississippi, as announced.

The PRESIDENT. Under the rule, there can be no change at present. Mr. BRUCE, of Mississippi. We desire to correct the vote. One of our delegates was absent when our state was called, but subsequently came in.

The PRESIDENT. The convention will please come to order, as a very important point is involved in the pending proposition. The gentleman from Mississippi made the announcement of the vote as reported from the desk. Subsequently a member from Mississippi, who was reported as absent when the vote was taken in the delegation, came into the hall and the proposition of the gentleman now is to correct the vote so as to include the vote of the gentleman who was absent when the delegation acted, and when the vote was announced. The chair desires to say that under the fourth rule adopted yesterday, this is laid down as the law: "And when any state has announced its vote, it shall so stand until the ballot is announced, unless in case of numerical error."

Another delegate from Mississippi took the floor to argue that the desired change in the vote should be made.

A Wisconsin DELEGATE. Let the chair rule on the proposition.

The Mississippi DELEGATE. The proposed change is strictly in order. The chairman of the Mississippi delegation was in error in the announcement of the vote. He certainly has or ought to have a right to correct an error made in the announcement of the vote.

The PRESIDENT. If the chairman of the delegation will rise and say that in the announcement of the vote he committed what is called a numerical error, the chair will hold that he has a right to correct it; but the chair rules that he has no right to change the vote so as to add one to the number of persons returned as voting.

Mr. BRUCE. I was in error in announcing the vote. It should have been II for Morton, 3 for Bristow, and I for Conkling. I also stated that one member was absent when we acted, but came in subsequently.

The PRESIDENT. Two propositions are involved. One is to correct an error made in announcing the vote, which he has a right to do, and the chair has opened the question for that purpose. Will the gentleman from Mississippi give me his attention and state how the vote would stand as corrected? Mr. BRUCE. Eleven for Morton, 3 for Bristow, and 1 for Conkling. The PRESIDENT. It is very important now to have everything correctly stated. The gentleman from Mississippi reports the vote of his state as standing II for Morton, Bristow 3, and Conkling 1. Now, upon the other point. Do you press the right of your absent delegate to vote?

Mr. BRUCE. I withdraw the request.

The PRESIDENT. The chair will announce the result of the ballot. The total number of votes cast was 754. Of these James G. Blaine received 285; Benjamin H. Bristow, 113; Roscoe Conkling, 99; John F. Hartranft, 58; Rutherford B. Hayes, 61; Marshall Jewell, 11; Oliver P. Morton, 124; William A. Wheeler 3. No one having a majority of all the votes, there is no choice. The secretary will proceed with the next call.

Mr. H. H. BINGHAM, of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chairman: I move that this convention take a recess of fifteen minutes, to allow a consultation in various delegations.

Not agreed to.

SECOND BALLOT.

Alabama was twice called, but the delegation asked time for consultation. Mr. WILLIAM ORTON, of New York. If it is in order, I suggest, whenever a state is not ready to respond to the call, that it be passed, and that the absentees be called at the end of the roll.

The PRESIDENT. That would create confusion, and is rather in antagonism with the spirit of the rules, which looks to the record of each vote in its order. The convention then proceeded with the second ballot, with the following result: