Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-12-05
RADICAL TACTICS.
The Treatment of Louisiana and West
Virginia.

Virginia.
| From the Louisville Courier-Journal.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 3.-There is al
ready a recoil from the high-handed
party violence by which two of the pre-
tended members from Louisiana were
yesterday awarded seats by the domi-
nant party. One of these was Mr..
Sheldon, who enjoys some personal
popularity in the House; the other, Mr..
Sypher, around whom is gathered a
dark cloud of suspicion. Prominent
Republicans freely avow that they
voted for Mr.. Sypher because he came
first, and only In order to get Sheldon,
in, and say that they would have voted
against Sypher had he come last. In
this case they violated right, and riv-
cited a disgrace both ON the House and
their party, of which they are likely to
be very repentant ere the close of the
session. When it came to putting
Pinchback in, it was best to have an
adjournment; and this morning the mu-
latto was quietly laid ON thetable. That
he will eventually get his seat in the
House is probable enough.
In another important matter the
Radical slate was broken to-day. 1t
had been designed to put in the two
contestants from West Virginia, Messrs.
John j. Davis Democrat) and J. NJ.
Hagans Republican,. The cases are
technically almost similar to those of
Louisiana. The contestants in the
Louisiana cases both have papers regu-
lar on their face, that is, a prima facie
title. In the West Virginia cases the
Governor certified that Davis and Ha-
gans were elected, if the law fixed the
election in August, and that their OPP
ponents BENZ. Wilson and B. Frank
Martin, both Democrats were chosen
if the law required an election in Octo-
ber Of course the right way was to
refer the subject to the committee on
elections; but Butler, Lawrence, and the
Republicans generally were keen and
eager to swear in Davis and Hagans.
This was vigorously resisted by Beck,
Hereford and Harris, well-putspeech-
es. 1t seemed atone time as if this out
rage would be contaminated; buta brief,
logical and temperate statement of the
case by Lamar, of Mississippi, gained
the ear of the House and turned the
tide completely. This was Mr.. Lamar's
first effort here since 1860 Che was in
the Thirty-fifth and Thirty sixth Con-
crosses, 1857, to 1861, and it was GER
tainly great success on both sides of
the House His argument was too
strong for party bigotry to resist, and
by large majority these two cases
were sent to the Committee of Elec-
tions, thus reversing completely the
action of the House in the case of Shell
don and Sypher on yesterday, and pur-
suing, too, wholly different rule from
the case of Pinchback this morning,
and yet all three of the cases are pre-
cisely alike. The secret of all this in
consistency is that Butler is yet only
partly master of his followers. So far,
he has been the leader of the House in
the public sessions, and they have fol-
lowed him, while Dawes and Garfield
were limited to merely routine motions.
Later in the day the House of Rep
resentatives went back on itself again,
and swore in Smith RADICAL as elected
on the oath ult. in the Shreveport
| Fourth louisiana district. The dis
trict is long one; and, in view of the
time necessary to get returns to New
Orleans and then forward here a certif-
cate, the belief is that these papers
were fabricated for this days work
without the regular returns. These
proceedings are accepted by Democrats
as a very bad augury for the fairness
of the House in passing ON the contest
ed cases.