Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1868-05-14
ADDRESS
Hon, SAMUEL 7, sHUGERT.

~ ~ People Of the 2lst Sendtoria
Uisirict Of Pennsylvania
The undersigned having been elect
"a and returned at the last genera
cIection as one Of the Senators to rep
resent this district in the Legislature
of Pcbnsylvania, feels il to be his duty
q Inv before the people of the distric
q plain statement of the proceeding
x6}ch recently resulted in giving hi
uc&t 10 one of the defeated candidates
Oh the 7th of January last, the day
1ppointed by law for the meeting o
<he legislature, | with the other new.
y elected Senators, appeared in the
Senate chamber at Harrisburg and
took the oath of Office. On the sam,
day. contrary TO the courtesy extend
od m such cases by immemorial usage
. petition signed by John j. Patter
eon and some twenty other citizens o.
Juniata county, was presented to the
Senate, alleging that said election wat
undue, and the return false and un
true, and praying that John X. Robi-
von might be admitted to the seat
held BY me. The petition contained
rigAtsen specifications of alleged illegal
end fraudulent votes, amounting in
tho aggregate to something over Q
hundred, charged MS having been cast
for me. On the 9th of January the
c0mmittee was drawn, and consisted
of George Landon, Jacob E. Ridgway,
y W. Fisher, Warren Cowles, A. w,
Taylor, republicans, and George d.
jackson ard r. ]. Linderman, demo
Gratis. After the committee was drawn,
oil the above named Senators appear
cd before the Speaker s chair and took
the bath prescribed in such cases, to
wit; "To ioeH and truly try the matter
offfe petition and a true judgement gire
thereon according 10 the evidence, unless
the committee shall be dissolved"
On the same day the Committee
met and organized by electing Geo.
Landon chairman, and appointing
Capt Taylor, Of Beaver county, clerk.
At Che same meeting the committee
gave my counsel until Monday, Janu-
ary 20th, to file their answer to the
petition. 1t happened unfortunately
that all the counsel employed TO rep
resent my case before the committee,
were engaged during the following
week In different courts and were con-
scquently unable to give any person
al Intention to collecting the facts
necessary to be Incorporated in the
answer. In most instances, i was there
fore compelled TO rely upon the infor-
nation could obtain in answer to
letters written to different counties
IN the district. Yet during this brief
period we were enabled TO find some
thing over one hundred and ffty illegal
votes which had been polled for the
said John X. Robson. On the Goth
Of january our answer was filed, de-
nying the allegations of the petition,
specifying more than one hundred
and fifty illegal votes cost for John X.
Robson, and also asking that the re-
turns for the township of Taylor, in
Centre county, should be excluded
from the count because tho election
was held some three miles from the
place fixed by law. Also the town.
ship of Taylor, in Blair county, be-
cause the election officers had not
boon sworn as required by law, and
also the townships of Cass, Union,
Porter, Todd, Dublin, Lincoln, Penn,
and Oneida, in Huntingdon county.
because of gross misconduct of the
election officers and great irregulari-
ties in the manner of holding the cleo
tions in these several townships. In
the answer leave was also asked to
add other names to the different spe-
cifications.
On the day after the answer was
died when the committee first met to
hear testimony Mr.. Cessna, one of
the Attorneys for Robson, remarked
that he noticed we had asked leave
70 add other names 10 the speci6ca-
tlons of our answer, and that proba-
bly, they would desire the same priv
ilcge to add names under the differ
ent specifications Of the Petition.
Some of the committee replied seer
tainly, if one party had the privilege
10 amend the other should have the
same privilege" But neither at this
nor at any other time pds any motion
made by the contestant for iedre to fle
any amendments or additions 10 the pc
tifion and no ledUe wds eUer granted by
the Committee for such a purpose.
Within a day or two after the con-
fcstant commenced producing his ev-
ldonce, witnesses were called TO prove
no Illegal vote not mentioned or spe-
ciiIed in the petition. One Of my |
counsel objected to the evidence, be- !
cause it did not tend to prove any ofI
The charges made and which alone
We we're bound to meet. This obiec-
Lion, it was admitted by all was we'll
Iaken. But the chairman Of the com
mittee replied, that they ,ciShed 10 hear
'hr rhote case, iohether in accordance
'rlfh The technical rules of evidence or
not That the committee tcdnted 10
knolc lchich Of the candidates had dctu-
'llIyreceived the greater number oflegal
l'ofes, and phich ofHem he legal poters
?f He district rdnted 10 hare represent
'hcm in the Senate To this statement |
of The chairman EVERY MEMBER OF
rlfE COMMITTEE AssENrED. My coun-
,el replied, that if that rule was to be |
adopted by the committee and applied |
To both sides of the case they were
perectly satisfied. Nearly every |
of the committee answered, |
hat the same latitude should certain
A. |. 4