, 1864-05-10
KNOX VS.. BLAIR.
Report of the Committee OF Invosti-
= CATION.

Report OF the Committee OF Invosti-
- CATION.
Especial Dispatch to the Pstt.burg Gazette
WAsEuS.Toas, AaJ o, 1904.
TIE REPORT On TIE BLAIR CASE.
The Committee of Elections record . con-
test concerning Frank Dlair's election to this
Congress. The Democrats sought to hare
resolution passed simply saying that Blair
was not entitled to seat, hoping thus to
eTa6e tho Issue Of whether he was ever legal
y elected, by simply saying that as he now.
course he was not entitled to seat in Con-
gress. a majority OF the Committee, how
ever, insisted on q resolution declaring that
he never was legally elected, aud that the
eontcstant vas, and carried It By 8 vote Of
ave to four-the three Democrats aud Clay
smith voting against It.
The minority tay TINT they will make no
report: that OF the majority will be preeentet1
TO the House tomorrow. II is very volumi-
nous, and Ia very ably drawn bY the Chnir-
s.rved reputation among his opponents, as
well as friends, OF being one Of the fairest
and most impartial men In, tho House. Its
A,ain points may be thus condensed: Mr..
Kno1's notice Of the contest contained eight
cen distinct specifications: in substance as
follows: That four hundred Illegal votes had
been cast for Blair ut Aobay precinct; seven
t,-eight by Two companies of Missouri vol
unteers; several hundred by the workmen on
Government gnnboats, at Caroudolet, not
sens temporarily employed at Jefferson Bar
racks in the service Of the United States, and
non-seaidents of the district; several hundred
By an Iowa regiment, and many by soldiers
In the eastern precinct, fifth ward. St, Loula. :.
Many hundred soldiers, non.rcsidents, and
minors Foted for him In o manner not In
conformity with the requirements of the
Constitution.
That there were counted Blair votes cast
nut In conformity to law as specified In tho
cases that the poll-books Of the several Mis-
souri, regiments in which Knox has majort-,
| Iou-books In which Knox had large major.
isy were Illegally rejected, that regiments
which would hare voted for Knox, were pre-
vented by removal on the day Of election for
that purpose, that two hundred Of Missou-
ri regiment were prevented from voting be-
many we're deceived. and Others induced By
threats ofgorernment contractors, and other
persons II tho government employ not TO
vote for Knox. The sitting member, Blair,
also served upon bis contestant answers de-
n5ipg all the allegations. and setting forth In
! turn twelve distinct allegations on which he
rcsists the claim Of the contestant
The remarkable features In this cnse dis:
clceed in the outset, led tho Committee to
| direct most sctutfnizing Investigation into
the manner Of voting, the qualifications Of
yotess, and th ths conduct q tho !adges t Of,
| Irregularities existed in nearly all the pro
| ciDcts, and just In proportion na these irreg-
| ularities weze frequent and glaring did the
Increase Of votes for Blair, over the votes cast
fore, show itself Men unknown ii the pre-
clncts where they offered to vote were per.
! mitted to cast, their ballot without ques-
| tfon, and without taking the required oath
that they had not and would not vote In any
other precinct Of the district. -Tumultuous
! crowds surrounded the polls and at times
had such possession OF them Us to rcnder 1t
alnost if not quite impossible, for q voter to
| Tote unless lie carried a ballot for Blair. On
| examination Of the poll books and abstract
of'votes at these precincts, which arc part OF
| the proof, they disclosed evidence Of these
| Irregularities, and the facility they af-,,
ferded tor fraudulent voting. The con-
that this facility Was eagerly and largely
7 avRiled Of If not the cause OF much fraudn-
| lent voting in several OF theae precincts. It
docs not appear that any oath bad been taken
| by the Judges Of election. Poll books show
that the same person cast more than one
times In the game, and sometimes in different
| precincts, thus multiplying his Yote mani
| fold. Tour Committee have, as we'll as they
! were liable to. considered AL the testl-
m01y.1n 1Q1B fOlumluOuH TecOrQ WHICH L4ey
tmed material to the issues presented, and
have found much that is uncertain and un-
satisfactory. They have also found much
| difficulty In sitting the evidence, and deter
Mining the weight to which each part of it
wus entitled. The result Of it all they sub.
NIT to the house as follows: The. official
canvass gives to the sitting member and the
contestant the following yotes: Blaif, 4, ,9e3;
Knox, 4,823; dedncting illegal votc, BlRir has
4.408; Knox, 4.457-leavinE the latter d plu-
11slity of 40. The Committee therefore sub:
nil the following resolution:
Rtso'red, That Francis r. Blair is not entitled to
| q seat IN this House aB representative IN the
Thirty eighth Congress from the Flint Congress
tional d!etrtct Of Missouri. -.
Rtto1Eed. That Samuel Knox Ii entitled to i seat
n the Th1tt eighth Congress from the First Con-
/ sEeasionai district Of Missouri.
It ia understood that If tho case had not
been entirely safe on th1s showing, Knox
was prepared also to prove large number OF
legal votes cast for him In the county, Of
m6,sh ne had been fraudulently deprived by
entertained that The House viii sustain the
decision Of the COMMITTEES.