The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1875-12-07

Morey, of Louisiana, and Mr.. Garfield
to Goode, of Virginia. Therefore these
gentlemen were not permitted to qualify.
Subsequently Mr.. Wood offered resolu-
tion referring the credentials OF Morey
and Spencer to the Committee on Elec-
tiOns, with instructions to report which
of them is entitled to seat. He said he
did not propose to raise the question
as to who was the legal Governor
of Louisiana. Ii was not pertinent
TO this inquiry TO determine that question,
the sole and exclusive question being Ms
to what form of credentials, the respective
claimants presented.
Mr.. Blaine declared that there. was no
more official ground for speaking OF John
| McEnery as Governor of Louisiana than
there was for speaking of the gentleman
| TWood1 as Governor of New York.
This department of the Government had
never recognized McEnery, and the
| House at the last session by a very large
vote, to which many gentlemen on the
Democratic side of the House were con-
senting and many of them anxious that
the resolution should pass, had soicmn!y
recognized Kellogg as Governor of Lou
lsiana, and for the gentleman from New
ork to make the statement that the
Govcrnorship Of Louisiana was still II
matter of doubt-was still in suspense,
was to place the House in Il wrong posi-
ton.
He thought that the Clerk would have
been perfectly justified in tearing up as
waste paper the credentials signed by
McEncry. He trusted that the gentle
man from New York did not wish to open
up the whole Loui,iana case on this qres-
tion.
Mr.. Wood replied that the papers in
the case of all the members from Loulsl-
ana were themselves sufficient answer
to the gentleman, for if there was no
possible question us to who was Cover
nor of Louisiana, why was
it that all the members OF
that State had deemed it necessary to OBJ
tain the certificate of McEnery, unless
they deemed it important to come here
clothed with the certificate Of each Gov.
ernor? He did not propose to raise in
this inquiry the question as to who was
! or was not Governor OF Louisiana. 1he
! question to be determined in the frst
place was whether Morey presented ere
dentials that entitled him TO seat on
| this floor.
Mr.. Wheeler said he had trusted
that the question as to who was Governor
of Louisiana had been set at rest ut
least until the next general election, and
regretted that for this paltry advantage
it should again be raised. Not only had
Mr.. Kellogg been recognized as Governor
Of Louisiana by the President of the
! United States and by both houses, but
also by the people of Louisiana and by a
solemn statute passed by its Legislature
at its extra session held last April.
Mr.. Wood remarked that the question
settled last session had been confined en-
tirely to the Legislature and not the cleo
! ton of Governor.
Mr.. Lamar said that the Clerk of the
| House had made known to the House the
| existence of the controversy, not only
| with reference TO the merits OF the ques-
! tion. but with reference to the prlo'd Jdcia
rich, TO a seat in the House. The House
was IN possession of the fact that there
was such controversy. 1t might be II
very simple and very intclligablc
question, but stIil it was question
| of law as to whether this certificate was
signed by the proper governor or not.
! 1t had been crystaIized INTO IL regular
parliamentary law that question involv-
| ING prtn,d tocio right as we'll as the merit
OF the case should be referred TO the Com
mittee on Elections,
Mr.. Blaine asked Mr.. Lamar whether
in the history of thes House hc knew Of
any case where the credentials or pre-
tended credentials OF II pretended COVER
nor, who had never been recognized as
governor by ary department of the
United States or by his own State had
been referred to that committee. He
trusted that his friend Mr.. Lamar with
his well known moderation would restrain
his party from placing en- record such an
outrage not only on State rights, OF
which he Mr.. Lamar was such All cx-
amplar and alvocate,tbut on the rules of
common dcccncy as well.
Mr.. Lamar remarked that the ques.
ton, whether one Of these pretended
Governors was really Governor or not,
was the very question TO be referred to
! the committee.
Mr.. Blaine Then / understand the
gentleman to mean that this is the formal
opening of the whole Louisiana case and
not merely question rs 10 the seat of II
member.
Mr.. Lamar--The gentleman simply
understands that the question which the
| Clerk of the House has remittcd to the
House whether or not itinvolyes other
| questions rs To the validity Of the gubcr-
material incumbent of Louisiahal, is a
question which ought not to be decided
| informally on the mere seating of ii
member, but ought to be formally re-
fcrred toa committee, sravely and ma
! turclv.
| Mr.. Blaine asked whether it was not n
matter of history that last year, in what
was known as the Louisiana adjustment,
it was perfectly understood that the
! House declaring Kellogg to be Governor
was a final settlement; and whether the
gentleman from Georgia (Stephens), the
very bone Of the Democratic party, had
not voted with the Republicans avowedly
that i might be final settlement. Did
his honorable friend Lamsrl come here
now to head movement to trample on
the other side, after agreement, and TO
reopen the whole case?
lIr. Lamar admitted that there had
been a compromise last session and that
that compromise did acknowledge kel-
logg Governor OF Louisiana. He hoped
the gentleman from New York | Wood
would acting on the suggestion OF Mr.
IIoar, modify his resolution by omittng
the preamble and merely referring the
matter to the Committee on Elections
with instructions to report on the primo
, j0cic case.
Mr. Wood modified bis resolution ac-
cordingiy.
Statement of the Clerk.
| The Clerk of the House with permls-
~. L., Ia E,lt ,n