The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1871-01-20
RndiCnI Rncklnssncysi

has been attempted by certain Radicals
In Philadelphia in regard to the State
senate. "A formal petition was pre- 'cnt
cd to the Senate last week contcsting
Col. DECHERT's right to n seat in that
body, Notwithstanding his official mn
jority OF 300 votes, and In the face o.
the fact that all the Philadelphia pa
pers admit the election to have been a
very quiet and fair ouel The object OF
the contestants Is transparent. When
a seat is contested, a committee /.
drawn to try the case, thus: the names
of the Speaker aud the Senator whose
seat Is contested are excluded, and the
balance of the names of Senators are
written on slips and placed in box.
| All the names are then drawn out until
only seven remain. These seven com
pose the committee to try the case. The
decision of a majority of the committee
thus constituted Is flnal-there is no ap
peal to the Senate, or other authority.
In this case, the exclusion of the Speak.
er and Mr.. DECHERT, would leave 16
Radicals and 10 Democrats from whom
to choose. The chances for obtaining a
majority of the committee would there
fore be slightly in favor of the Radicals.
The Democracy have in this way al.
ready been cheated out of several Sena.
tors, every precedent showing that the
Radical Senators on the Committee
would decide in favor of their party
candidate. And thus, as the Democrats
could not be beaten at the polls they
were to be cheated, if possible, in the
Senate. But the Democratic Senators
were not slow to resist this attempted
outrage. Instead of proceeding to
draw the committee, on motion of Mr..
BUcKALEw, the petition was referred to
special committee for examination.
On Monday last they reported at length,
reviewing the whole case, and proving
conclusively, both by precedent and
argument, that the averments in the
petition were insufficient to warrant
the Senate in referring the case to
committee for trial. The committee of.
fered the following resolution, which
was adopted by strict party vote,
viz:
ReSotued, That upon the facts shown
In the report of the committee, and in
accordance with the decision of the
Senate in 1874 in the Chapman case, the
Senate will take no further action on
the petition contesting the election of
Robert p. Dechert as Senator from the
first district.
During the discussion, Mr.. DECuERT,
whose seat it was proposed to contest,
said:
On the direct question now before
the senate he desired to explain to the |
members of the Senate his reasons for
the action he intended to take in poll.
ing his vote upon this question. The |
decease of Mr.. Watt, his predecessor. |
found the Hon. Harry White the pre-,
siding officer of this body, and almost
upon the death of that
gentleman the Speaker issued his writ
commanding the Sheriff of the city of |
Philadelphia to make legal and ade.
quate arrangements for the holding of |
an election in that district. The cleo
ton was held was conducted orderly
and legally, and resulted in his return
to this Senate by a majority of upwards
of 1900. That majority was propor-
tionate to the majority of G,4OO in the
whole city of Philadelphia. That
Judgment was received and acquiesced
in by the people and the press of the
city and of the state. However dis.
tasteful his election may have been to |
them, they acknowledged it as an ex-
isting fact which could not be overcome.
lt was not even assumed that the result |
was achieved illegally or improperly,
and it was only an after consideration,
when the effects of that victory were
were made in the city of Philadelphia
to cheat the people of the fruits of this
result, and submit the matter to the
fortunes of chance in drawing parti.
zan committee. The petition presented
In the case has been decided to be in.
formal, and thus was thrown upon him
the performance of a duty from which
ne could not shrink, and the RESPONSE
Dility of which he was willing to as.
sumo. He felt the responsibility of the
position, he had reflected upon his
course in this matter, he had taken it
deliberately and for its correctness he
voul d be responsible to the public sen.
,iment throughout the State, and more
iirectly to those who had sent him to
'epresent them in this chamber.
Thus has been brought to naught one
If the most rascally attempts to de-
raud voters of their just rights, and ,
hrough them to cheat the people of
he whole Commonwealth, that hardi- {
lood ever conceived. The disgraced |
coundrels who attempted it, have met
most jdst and merited defeat. The
tadical Senators can now look back. on
long line of fraud and reflect upon ;
he admonition 80 often given them in i,
ne past THERE IS A FUTURE!