Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1876-12-07
HOISE.

The bill repeating so much of the act of
December, 1872, as provides for pivot-draw
In any bridge on the Ohio river between Gov
mgton and Cincinnati was made the special
order for the first Tuesday after the holiday
recess.
At the close of the morning hour the
speaker laid before the house a message
from the Presideat transmitting letter ac
companied by testimony addressed to him by
Hon. John Sherman and other distinguished
citizens in regard to the canvass of the vote
for electors IN Louisiana.
Mr.. Springer moved its reference to the Sc
lect committee on Louisiana.
Mr.. Conger required either that the CORE
spondence and testimony should be read, or
should be printed for the information of the
members.
Mr.. Springer objected to this.
Pending action on the matter, Mr.. Wood
| burn was appointed on the select committee
for Florida, instead of Mr.. Garfield, who was
excused.
A motion to adjourn was defeated on a
vote by yeas and nays, and then the question
came up as to whether the members could be
required to vote on paper before its being
read.
The speaker, after a Toview of the rule on
| the subject, decided that the paper in ques-
! ton was in the nature Of information and a
! step toward correct legislation, and therefore
! it mast be read. The clerk thereupon pro-
| ceeded with the reading of the paper.
| The reading of the report of Senator Sher-
man and others occupied nearly an hour, and
when it was finished Mr.. Wood N. Y. rose
and expressed surprise at such message
| having been sent by the President. He re-
! garded it as most extraordinary and unpre-
| cedented, but remarked that this was mar
| vtlous and extraordinary time. The PresI-
/ dent had had the experience which nearly
! eight years of service had given him, and
! that experience of itself should have given
/ him a knowledge not only Of theory, but the
| practice of the government and its officers
/ and vet the President had seen proper to send
| to this house an unauthorized communication
| from persons clothed with no official position
IN the premises The President by
/ giving to it his official sanction, and
| by transmitting it to this house, made it
/ one of the records Of the government. He
/ GWoOdl could observe but one object which
| the President could have had in transmitting
! it: that was the incidental one of suggesting
! that the house was clothed with authority to
! institute a careful inquiry Of the election of
! President in advance Of the regular presenta-
ton of that great subject The President told
| th3 house by this procedure that the house Is
authorized to institute an inquiry as to the
correctness and integrity of the certificates Of
election. The exception which he Wood
took to il was that the President should have
transmitted, in such an authorized way,
an authorized document of a mere parti-
an and er payte character, and his first
impulse has been to move that the eommuni-
cation bo returned to the President. If he
had followed the Indignation which rose e
his heart when the document was presented
to the house, he would have made such a
proposition, but he should not now do so. He
should simply move that the message of the
President and accompanying documents be
laid on the table. Applause
Mr. Hoar said that his side Of the house
desired to debate the subject
The motion, however, was undebatable
and it was adopted-yeas, l53; rays, eO-f
party vote. IL
The house then adjourned, when the an
nouncemenI rss -aas Of a Democratic eau
Gus forthwith.