The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1876-08-05
PLA1T Us. GOODE.

PLA1T US. GOODE.
Of the many unjustifiable acts of parti-
sanship, which the present House of Repre-
sentatives has been guilty of, one of the
most disreputable and disgraceful was its
recent decision in the contested election
case from the Petersburg, Virginia, dis
trict. The facts of the case were simply
these:
The election returns of the district showed,
beyond the shadow of doubt, that the
Republican nominee (Mr. Platt) had in his
favor, a decided majority of the votes cast.
The local canvassers, however, in order to
secure return of their candidate (Goode),
rejected enough votes to give him an appar-
ent majority. The ground upon which the
local canvassers threw out sufficient num-
Der of votes to defeat Platt, was that in one
precinct the ballots had been "sewed " i'll
stead of "pasted" in paper box; and in
another case, that the ballots had been de-
posted in tin instead of wooden box.
1t is to be observed that no question had
been raised as to the number of votes cast in
Platt's favor, the simple question being the
rejection of a sufficient number of ballots
upon which to return Goode elected. Upon
this fraudulent return, Goode, the Demo-
cratic nominee, took his seat. Platt ap-
pealed to the House of Representatives,
and majority Of the committee on elections
reported that he was entitled to it, while
the minority reported in favor of Goode.
When the two reports were submitted to
the House last week, the minority report
was adopted by a vote of 105 to 9S. In
explanation Of this vote, it now appears
that other considerations were involved
than the question of justice and right in
awarding the seat to the contestant legally
entitled to it. This question had been
amply and fully discussed by Democratic
committee. Every fact relative to the cleo
ton and the subsequent acts of the Vir-
ginia canvassers had been fully considered;
and majority of the committee on cleo
tions after careful consideration of all
the facts, reported to the House that Platt
was legally entitled to his seat as the repre-
sentative of the district. Upon this ques-
ton, and upon it alone, uninfluenced by
any other consideration, the House could
not have done otherwise than have adopted
the report of the majority and awarded
Mr.. Platt his seat to which he was plainly
entitled. But unfortunately for the repu-
tation of the House, Goode was a member
of the Banking and Currency Committee,
and soft-money one at that Monday
after Monday the attempts of the initiation
lists to secure repeal of the Resumption
act had been defeated, and as the session
was growing old and nothing yet accom-
plished looking to actual repeal, the soft
money men were growing desperate. Til
den had made his frantic appeals to the
hard money Democrats of the House to
present repeal as damaging to him; and
Hendricks, equally eloquent, was pressing
the inflatienists to secure the repeal so ne
cessary for the consideration of the West
ern Democrats.
In the interest of Tilden and Democratic
success in New York, repeal must be de-
feated; and the necessary votes to secure a
majority for Goode were obtained in the
House, in violation of every principle of
honor and party honesty, upon tie weN-
understood condition that lie (Goode) should
absent himself fran tile Banking and Cur
rency Committee, and thus preDent a report
in tacor Of a bill repeating the Resumption
act Upon this disgraceful bargain, hard
and soft-money Democrats, for the time,
exchange places; Morrison, the champion
of the hard-money men, votes side by side,
with Holman, the initiation chief, and vio-
late, by their vote, every principle of JUS
tice and right, and sacrificed the will of the
legal votes of the contested district to a
petty partisan advantage. 1t could not be
expected that all Democrats would concur
in the outrage, and the ringing words of a
Democratic representative from Massachu-
sets constitute, of themselves, fitting
commentary on the act. Mr.. Thompson,
the successor of Gen. Butler, protesting
against the injustice of awarding the seat
to Mr.. Goode, said:
"Mr. Speaker, feel earnestly upon this
question. 1have spoken with some degree
of earnestness upon it, and | do not wish
the House to believe that | am not in earn
est, for | feel that not only my character
but the character of this House is at stake
in the determination of this question. l
shall feel sad indeed to have mistake
made in the decision of this case, to have
blot put upon this House in matter in
regard to which there has been SO much of
mplaint-whether with or without cause
it is immaterial now to discuss. | trust
that the cry of carpet Dagger is not 60
ing to prevent party from having fair
and impartial hearing here. If it does, I
ask may not some other cry on some future
day be successfully raised to prevent a
party from having fair and impartial trial
here? l commend this to the considera-
ton of every member of this House on
whatsoever side he may hold a seat. |
say this deliberately, after the most ma
ture reflection, that if the sitting member
is allowed to hold his seat it will be one of
the boldest outrages upon a contestant and
upon the legal voters of a Congressional
district ever perpetrated in or out of this
House."
Yet the sitting member was allowed to
hold his seat, and one of the boldest out
RACES upon the legal voters of a Congress
sional district accomplished that has ever
disgraced the annals Of Congressional leg
islation.