The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-12-08
F0RTY-FOURTH CONGRESS
WAsHISoToS, December 4.
SENATE.

SENATE.
The chair laid before the Senate com.
munication signed by Carl Schurz and
j. B. Henderson, praying that the Goa.
stitutional amendment be submitted 70
the various Stsies, By which the counting
/ of the electoral votes for President and
Vice President, and declaring the result
thereof may be conferred upon by the
! Supreme Court of the United States.
Edmunds moved that it be laid on
| the table, the subject having
already been reported 10 the Senate 50
ordered.
Mr.. Anthony, from the Committee on
Printing, TO which was referred the mo.
tion to print the deposition accompany
ing the communication of Hon. John
Sherman and others to the President in
regard to the election in Louisiana, re-
ported in favor of printing all Of the
depositions.
Mr.. Salisbury, n member Of the Com
mittee on Printing, dissented from the
report of the majority, and said he could
not give his consent to publish such
matter. He honestly believed AL these
er parte statements should not be dis.
tributed to the public As testimony.
! MIR. Aonald said he was willing ~
print all the testimony on both sides
| bearing on the late election IN South
Carolina, Louisville and Florida. De
sent 10 the clerks desk and had read an
! address of the Democratic committee
which attended the sessions OF the Re
turning Board in New Orleans, to the
effect that the Tilden electors had n
majority Of votes IN louisiana, and also
from report made 10 the House OF
Representatives, by committee OF that
body on the 22d day of February, 1915,
in regard 10 the election IN that State,
Mr.. Sherman in reply 10 the question
af Mr.. Merriman, said there Were three
classes OF testimony Presented wlth the
communication. First, oral testimony
taken before the Returning Board and
the proceedings of the Board. Second,
the statement OF the Supervisors of Elec-
ton and aftidsyits sworn 10 by them.
Third, the testimony taken according 10
the laws OF louisiana on lnterrogatorios
and cross Interrogation.
Mr.. Eaton opposed the printing OF the
documents because they were not brought
here by the action of tie Senate and pro-
per testimony in regard to the late e!ec
ton in South Carolina, Florida ard
Louisiana would be taken both by the
Senate and House OF Representatives
and that should be printed, not the
partisan testimony.
Mr.. Thurman said he did not object to
printing these papers, because he wanted
10 suppress the pub IcatIOn OF any facts,
but he did not want public opinion 10 be-
forestalled by premature publication TO
only part OF the facts. Ii this matter
should be DELAYED till all the testimony
I, fully produced, as 1t would
he soon, he would not OBJ
iect to the publication. lie
commented on the action OF the Return
ing Board and said i WAS the third time
that the board had set aside the Will OF
the people of that state. Now the mat
ter concerned not the state oi LOUISIANA
alone. bat the whole republic. and ne
Thurman wanted to scrutinize the tes-
timonv on which this extraordinary re-
suit had been reached by the Board. IL
his colleague Sherman has stated the
acts of the Returning Board 80 far as he
knew, then he Sherman had not
said anything in r"sard 10 the
secret sessions of that Board. The
country wanted TO know what the secret
resolutions OF that Board were by which
an apparent majority Of 1000 for IIlden
WAS converted INTO q majority OF 1000
for Hayes and Wheeler. That was done
in secrecy and the worst kind Of secrecy.
The vacancy in the Board was never fill
ed, and the reason of this was the mIscr.
able pretext of the Board that they
could not agree on n man. Out OF 1000
men who voted fer Tllden not one could
be named. The very thing on It's face
showed determined purpose to do wrong.
Had there been Democrat on the Board
he would have seen what was done IN secret.
All the whtewashing IN the world could
not wipe out or hide this guilt The
majority in the Senate might make efforts
to iorestsll public opinion by distributing
this testimony, but il would go 10 the
cou ntry stamped with the stigma OF be-
ing a one sided statement. lie protested
against printing the deposition IN the
name of fair play. lie hoped they
would be allowed to lay upon the table
until the other side be heard from and
then PRINT siI.
Mr.. Morton said the Senate had sin
gulsr spectacle here Of denunciation Of
the Returning Board Of Louisiana for
fraud, while At the time resistance was
made 70 laying before the country the
evidence on which the action OF that
Board was based. The Democratic COM
mittee in New Orleans Mas invited by
the Republican committee 70 put in the
testimony taken by II together with that
taken by the Republicans, but the Demo
crats we're not willing 70 make public
their case as 1t wss before the Board.
They wsnted 70 wait 70 get more testi.
mony, and thus prove case which wa
not before the Board. They thus con.
fessed that they were not 'stiEhed with
tueIr case.
Mr.. Thurman said he did not know
why the Democratic committee IN New
Orleans QeCllutD W aal iiirA t''b'tA''" -
the Rapublican committee, but had be
been n nembe Of the Democratic COM
.oi,tee be would have refused 10 furnish
testimony, and be thought the committee
acted fairly in refusing ~ furnish the
/ Rspublicans with their testimony. His
colleague sherman aud comrades went
/ 70 New Orleans ~ the request OF the
| President. They d.4 not AJAX the Demo
T cratic committee - join them in making
q report 70 the P-e-ident, but asked that
the Democratic testimony be placed IN
/ their hands that the dve Rspubll.
cans might make up verdict and
send it 70 the President VINO con-
stl,utcd the senator from Olio 5Aer-
man and hi. tour associates in New
/ Orleans, the sole judges in this case
/ There never was time In The history o!
4 tbls nation, when the form Of Govern.
/ rnent and Constitution we're pu: - q
/ more severe .est than now. Every thIng 2
done. By Congress, should set an eI'
ample tD lls peop.e Of cooIness.
Mr.. Morton .ssld ell the ingenuity that
/ --..r4 ., b-rnob. IN hear IN the other