The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-12-07

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with uplfted hands went through their part
of the ceremony. What is known as tue
'iron-clad' oath was formerly administered
to the members generally, but sixty.one of
the southern members being unable to take
that oath, the modified form of the oath
was administered to them.
CREDENTIALS.
Mr.. Wood of New York, objected to
Mr.. Morey of Louisiana, and MIR. Garfield
of Ohio, objected to Mr. Goode of Virginia;
therefore these gentlemen were not per-
mitted to qualify.
Subsequently Mr.. Wood offered a reso-
luton referring the credentials of Mr..
Morey and Mr.. Spencer to the committee
of elections, with instructions to report
which of them is entitled to the seat. He
said he did not propose to raise the ques-
ton as to who was the legal governor of
Louisiana ii was not pertinent to this in
quiry to determine that question, the sole
and exclusive question being as to what
| form of credentials the respective claimants
presented.
MIR. Blaine of Name declared that there
was no more official ground for speaking
of John McEnery as governor of Louisiana
than there was for speaking of the gentle
man (Mr. Wood as governor of New York.
No department of the government had
ever recognized McEnery and the house, at
the last session, by very large vote, to
which many gentlemen on the democratic
side of the house were consenting, and
many of them anxious that the resolution
should pass, had solemrly recognized KEEL
logg as governor of Louisiana and for the
gentleman from New York to make the
statement that the governorship of Louis
lana was still matter of doubt or was still
in suspense was to place the house in a
wrong position. He thought the clerk
would have been perfectly justified in
leaving out as waste paper the credentials
signed by McEnery. He trusted that the
gentleman from New York did not wish to
open the whole Louisiana case on this
question.
Mr.. Wood replied that the papers in the
| case of all the members from Louisiana
were themselves a sufficient answer to the
gentleman, for if there was no Louisiana
why was it that all the members of that
state had deemed it necessary to obtain the
certificate of McEnery. They had all
| deemed it important to come here clothed
with a certificate from each of those 80
called governors. He did not propose to
raise in this inquiry the question as TO who
was or who was not governor of Louisiana.
The question to be determined in the first
place was whether Mr.. Morey presented
credentials that entitled him to seat on
this floor.
Mr.. Wheeler of New York said he had
trusted that the question as to who was
governor of Louisiana had been settled, at
least until the next general election, and
regretted that for paltry advantage it
should be again raised. Not only had
Kellogg been recognized as governor of
Louisiana by the president of the United
States and by both houses, but also by the
people of Louisian and by solemn statute
passed by the legislature at its extra SEES
sion, held last April. Besides, this man
Spencer had absolutely foreclosed himself
| by having made himself contestant.
Mr.. Fry of Maine-"Is there on record
since the election of 1872, in the state of
Louisiana, a single official act of McEnery
except this single one of signing these GER
tificates ?"
| Mr.. Wheeler of New York-"Not one. "
| Mr.. Wood remarked that the question
settled last session had been confined en-.
tirely to the relation of the legislature not
to the election of governor.
Mr.. Lamar of Mississippi remarked that
the clerk of the house had made known to
the house the existence of controversy
not only with reference to the merits OF
the question but with reference to the
prima facie right to the seat in the house
The house was in possession of the fact
that there was such a controversy. II
might be very simple and very intelli
gible question, but still it was a question
of law as to whether this certificate was
signed by the proper governor or not. II
had been crystalzed into regular parla
mentary law that a question involving the
prlma facie right as well as the merits of 6
case should be referred to committee OF
elections.
Mr.. Blaine asked Mr.. Lamar whether il
the history of the house he knew of any
case where the credentials or pseudo ere
dentials of member, signed by pretend
ed governor, who had never been recognize
ed as governor by any department Of thu
United States, or by his own state, hat
been referred to a committee. He trustee
that his friend (Lamar) with his wei
known moderation would restrain his part.
from placing on the record such an out
rage, not only on state rights, of which h,
Lamar) was such an examplar and advo
cate, but on the rules of common decenc,
as we'll.
MIR. Lamar remarked that the question
whether one of these pretended governors
or not was the very question to be referee
to the committee. Mr.. Blaine-'Then
understand the gentleman to mean tina
this is formal opening of the whole Loui
siana case, and not merely question as t
the seat of a member" u llln
Mr.. Lamar-"The gentleman simply III
derstands that question which the cler
of the hsuse has RENTED TO the hous,
whether or not 1t involves the other que
ton as to the validity of the gubernatori'
incumbent of Louisiana, is a questio
which ought not to be decided informall,
on the mere seating of member, but ougl