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ARTICLE XII.

The electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by ballots for President and Vice President, one of whom at least shall not be an inhabitant of the same State with themselves; they shall name in their ballots the person voted for as President, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice President; and they shall make distinct lists of all persons voted for as President, and of all persons voted for as Vice President, and of the number of votes for each; which lists they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates, and the votes shall then be counted; the person having the greatest number of votes for President shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed; and if no person have such majority, then from the persons having the highest numbers, not exceeding three, on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representative shall choose immediately by ballot the President. But in choosing the President, the votes shall be taken by States, the representation from each State having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds of the States, and a majority of all the States shall be necessary to a choice. And if the House of Representatives shall not choose a President, whenever the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before the fourth day of March then next following, then the Vice President shall act as President, as in the case of the death or other constitutional disability of the President.

The person having the greatest number of votes as Vice President shall be the Vice President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed; and if no person have a majority, then from the two highest numbers on the list the Senate shall choose the Vice President; a quorum for that purpose shall consist of. two-thirds of the whole number of senators, and a majority of the whole number shall be necessary to a choice. But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President, shall be eligible to that of Vice President of the United States.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

AN ACT

FOR REVISING, SIMPLIFYING, DIGESTING, AND CODIFYING THE LAWS OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

WHEREAS it is expedient that the laws of the District of Columbia should be arranged in appropriate titles, chapters, and sections; that omissions and defects therein should be supplied and amended; and that the whole, rendered concise, plain, and intelligible, should be established and known as the Revised Code of the District of Columbia:

THEREFORE,

BE it enacted by the Senate and

House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, in manner following, that is to say:

PART I.

OF THE INTERNAL ADMINISTRATION OF THE

GOVERNMENT.

TITLE I.

Of the jurisdiction of Congress; of statutes and rules of decision.

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SECTION 1. The jurisdiction of Congress shall extend to all places within the boundaries of the District of Columbia, being that territory ceded by the State of Maryland to the United States, by an act entitled "An act concerning the territory of Columbia and the City of Washington," passed 19th December, 1791.

SEC. 2. The District of Columbia shall be included within one county, to be named the County of Washington. The Potomac river, together with the islands therein, in its whole course through said District, shall be taken and deemed to all intents and purposes to be within the said county of Washington.

CHAPTER 2.

SECTION

1. Acts of incorporation to be deemed public acts.

2. Printed copies of statutes to be received as evidence.

SECTION

3. Rules for construing statutes.
4. The common law.

SECTION 1. All acts of incorporation shall be deemed public acts. SEC. 2. The laws of the District of Columbia, printed and published under the authority of Congress, shall be received as evidence in the courts of this District, and in all the tribunals and public offices of the United States, for any purpose for which the original acts could be received, and with as much effect.

CONSTRUCTION OF STATUTES.

SEC. 3. In the construction of all statutes, the following rules shall be observed, unless such construction would be inconsistent with the manifest intent of Congress, or repugnant to the context of the same statute that is to say:

First. Every word importing the singular number only, may extend and be applied to several persons or things, as well as to one person or thing; and every word importing the plural number only, may be applied to one person or thing, as well as to several persons and things; and a word importing the masculine gender only, may extend and be applied to females; and the word "person person" may extend and be applied to bodies politic and corporate as well as to individuals.

Second. All words and phrases shall be construed and understood according to the common and approved usage of the language; but technical words and phrases, and such others as may have acquired a peculiar and appropriate meaning in the law, shall be construed and understood according to such peculiar and appropriate meaning.

Third. Words purporting to give a joint authority to three or more public officers or other persons, shall be construed as giving such authority to a majority of such officers or other persons, unless it be otherwise expressly declared in the law giving the authority. Fourth. The words "insane person" shall be construed to include every person who is an idiot, lunatic, non-compos, or deranged.

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