The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1872-03-02
The ss.Clure-Gray Committee.

4 y
The Senate Committee which was Sc
ectsd last week to Try the petition of A.
<. Mcclure, contesting the election of
Henry w. Gray in the Fourth Senatorial
district, consists of Messrs. Buckalew,
Davis, (of Berks,) Dill, and Brodhead,
and Messrs. White, Mumma,
nd Fitch, republicans. The democrats
n tbs game Of chance which was played |
n selecting the S,venth member of the !
having been successful, 1t suits
the partisan purposes Of radicalism to de
clare that for that reason alone Gray will
be turned out of his seat and Mcclure
admitted.
If this were q contest before the radi-
cal Committee Oh Elections in Congress,
in which a defeated radical candidate
sought to oust the sitting member, dem
ocrat, from his seat, the almost uniform
action of that committee for the last FIVE
years would foreshadow such a result
but it is foul imputation on the official
integrity and sense of justice ef the ma
jority of the Senate committee thus TO
impusn their motives in advance and to
charge them with having prejudged the
case from considerations of a mere politi
cal character. If the fosr democratic
Senators who compose the majority Of the
committee were men of the same loose
and elastic political morals as Harry
White, then it might be said with some
propriety that injustics would at least be
attempted, for the past career Of the dis
tinguShsd Senator from Indiana affords
abundant proof that he possesses a mind
capRcious for such work. But we do not
anticipate any such unfair and one sided
results. The contest is between two re-
publicsns, and who so fit to investigate
the facts and decide on the merits of the
controversy as a committee the majority
of which is composed of honest, high
minded and intelligent democrats. The
whole case is in a nutshell, and the ques-
lion to be determined easily solved.
No man who knows a. X. M'Clure
will charge him with being a fool. lie
has assumed the responsibility of present
ing 10 the Senate bis petition, in legal
form, in which he declares that at the re-
cent election in the Fourth District, by
reason of gross and palpable frauds on
;hs ballot box, all of which We presume
he distinctly specifies and sets forth in his
petition, he was cheated and defrauded
out of his ii. ht to seat in the Senate 10
which a majority of the qualified voters
of the district had elected him, and that
the same is now illegally, wrongfulIy and
urjustly held by Henry w. Gray. This
is his allegation, and if the proof which
he LAYS before tbe committee sustains it,
then the committee will have a plain and
simPls duty To perform, and that will be
TO report that he is entitled to his seat.
But suppose that M'Clurs fails to make
his assertions good-faiIs to show that
frauds enough were committed to invall>
date and destroy Gray's eleclion-is it to
be supposed for one moment thai the
democratic members Of the committee will
stultify themselves and wiltully incur pub>
lie 0dlum and contempt by endorsing his
i'll founded claims and reporting in bis
favor?
The republican press of Philadelphia
has created the impression over the whole
State that Gray mas elected by the psrpe,
tration of the most villainous frauds. The
contestant, II Clure, rests his case on the
same allegation, 50 that the people have
become firmly impressed with tho belief
that what has been 80 persi.tently asserts
ed by the papers and himself is really
true and can be proven 10 be so If
therefore, in view of all these deliberate
and confident allegations, it should turn
out, after full and searching invcstiga>
tion, that where there was SO much smoke
there had been no fire, aud A. X M'Clure
should fail in making out his case, great
will be his fall. The Senate, after pro
l0nged vexstion and delay, has placed in
his hands the remedy he sought, aud if
disastrous failure on his part should be the
result, common consent will assign him a
place on the list Of broken-doun and re-
tired politicians.
Let the blow fall where it may, the
people demand at the hands of the com
mittee patient and thorough investiga-
lion of the allegations contaiaed in the
petition, and we have no doubt that com
plsto justice will be done in the premises. |