The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1870-02-03

--><%
The SOUTH CAROLINA CONTESTED
ELECTION CASES IN CoNGREss-HoGE's
CAsE.-The Charleston Courier makes
the following remarks upon the case of
Mr.. Hoge, who assumes to represent in
Congress-, the Third Congressional Dis
trict of this State. Tho facts in relation
to the trickery by which Mr.. Hoge sue
ceeded in getting his seat are beginning
to be understood by Congress. The
Courier says:
Mr.. Hoge, MS we have said, presented
a purported certificate. signed, among
Others, by +. L.. Cardozn, as Secretary
OF State of this commonwealth, that he
had received q majority Of the legal
votes.
Mr. Randall, of Pennsylvania, upon
recent debate in the House, openly said:
II am advised that, if opportunity is
given, it can be established, upon the
testimony of said Cardoza, Secretary of
State, that the certificate presented by
Hoge, and relied upon by the maj jority,
As showing Il prinan tttcie title in favor of
Hoge, was not gotten up in his (the Sec
rotary of State's) office, or signed by him
rs an official net. but that Hoge called
and got from him the blank certificate,
curricd it out of his Office and hnd it
tillcd up, as it appears; that he then
returned, snnght his signature, and
obtained it, without his reading or MOTTO
lug its conteuts or the dates"
Aud this is the statement of one of the
Committee on Elections, deliberately
made, in open session, upon the floor of
Congress. And it is upon this that Mr.
Hoge, beaten by thousands OF votes,
claims to thrust himself upon Congress,
and actually holds his seat as the repre-
sentative of the people of this State
AS Mr.. Marshall. of Illinois, pungently
aud truthfully remarked, in the very
presence of Mr.. Hoge: "There is already
a gentleman, from South Carolina, here,
who is no more entitled to his seat than
the first man you would meet on Penn
sylvania avenue. I soy this, on my re-
sponsibility as lawyer. He occupies
seat here, elected by this House, but not
by the people whom he protends to
represent" SO much for the so-called
Representative from the Third District
of this State.
Congress, it is true, has not yet passed
upon his legal title to represent the State.
In heretofore adjudging him upon the
certificate presented, and in the face of
Cue tuOuSanos Oh VOteS Dy winch he was
defeated, to be pyima fucie q member. it
has simply ignored the will of the peo-
pie, and done violence to all the clements
of correct representation. Mr.. Hoge
is no representative of any portion of
the people of South Carolina He rep
sescnts nobody but himself and defeat
cd minority. Moro than this, the very
authenticity of the party certificate pro-
duced is challenged, and will, we trust,
receive thorough investigation. The
eyes even of the Republican party at tho
North are being opened, as to the true
state Of affairs, and the truth is gradually
being made known. 1t is time that the
real condition of things in South Carroll
Ia should be made evident to the coun-
try. The case of Mr.. Hoge, with that of
others, should reveal the means by which
party has suppressed the truth, deprived
the people of their real representation,
and destroyed every attribute of either
tepublican or self-government.
Mr.. Hoge, who failed of an election by
1000 votes, is to-day called as Repre-.
sentative from this State, while he has
neither constituency or representa-
ton. Nor is this an isolated example, az
wc shall have occasion to shew when we
refcr to the Fourth Congressional Dis
81 ,f tl,;c Sfofa