Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-12-27

$l,50 PER YEAR IN ADvANCt
40 .nn ~ the end Of slx months.
Address j. M. HEDRICK & CO.
DON'T LIKE THEIR OWN PHYsic
We republish the following dis
patch, taken from last nights CoUR
TER:
NEW YORK, Dec.t t19.-Thc commit.
tee of the House of Representatives
on election frauds continued its scs.
sion. McDougall offered resolu.
ton asking subpoena duces tecum
be issued to the President or Other
officers of the Western Union Tcle-
graph company, ,srequiring. the pro-
z duction of all kilograms sent or re-
ceived through their Offices relative
to the election by A. s. Hewitt, y.
Magone, Fernando Wood, John
Morrissey, John Kelley,:Smith M.
Weed, Jr., and w. D. Hilton. The
Chairman stated he could not enter
staia this resolution in its present
shape. as they were only empowered
to enquire as to the cities of New
York, Brooklyn, Jersey City, and
.Philadelphia. Mcssrs. McDougall
and Wells argued that the resolution
should pass in it's present shape, as
they had information that many dis
patches were sent in cipher.
Waddell's substitute, providing that
'subpRnas issue requiring the Prcsi.
dent and other officials Of the West
ern Union and A. & p. telegraph
companies to produce all kilograms
between the same parties relating to
fraudulent registration and voting
at the Presidential and Congressional
elections was adopted on motion, and
the republicans voted against it.
The intelligent reader will recol-
lect that early in the session a motion
was made on the republican side to
appoint committee to investigate
the frauds whereby New York and
Brooklyn were enabled to overslaugh
tho immense republican majority in
the interior of New York state. Mr..
Speaker Randall, with characteristic
impropriety, made Sunset Cox Chair
man of that committee, which was
very much like appointing John Nor
rissey on a committee to suppress
gambling. The rest of the democrat
ic majority on that committee are
about as well versed as Cox in the
great art of how not to discover DEM
Ocratic frauds.
From the above dispatch it will be
seen that the committee has arrived
on the scene of operations, and that
Messrs. McDougall and Wells, the
republican minority of the commit
tee, following the example set by
Morrison at New Orleans, have asked
for subpoena duces tecumcompelling
Mr.. Orton, President of the Western
Union Telegraph Company to bring
into the committee room all his dis
patches sent OF received through his
company by Hewitt, Wood, Norris
sey ct al touching the election. It
will be observed that this was an en-
fertainment to which Mr.. Jumping
Jack Cox and his fellow reformers
were not, in their opinion, invited.
twill be furthermore noticed with
what neatness and dispatch the ma
jority Of the committee emasculated
that resolution of its vitality.
We presume that this is the only
so-called Christian country, or at any
rate, the only one speaking the En-
glish language or pretending to be
civilized on the face of the earth
which essays to lord it over its citi-
zen with the smelling committee and
with the Subpoena dhces tecum. 1t
simply means that for the sake of
making capital for the party
Star Chamber and inquisitorial COM
mittec, in the absence of any informa-
ton which would be listened to by
grand jury or court, may go forth
armed with this arbitrary authority
and compel people to divulgc their
private and confidential messages
may invade the post-office and tear
open your letters; may compela dis
Z closure of all your personal, confiden-
: tial and official correspondence, in
word may violate the privacy and
sanctity of the telegram and letter,
and reduce them to the brazen and
-valueless publicity of the bulletin
board, all on suspicion, and to the end
' that some dirty linen may be found
here or there the for wardrobe of the
lpartisaa smelling committee.
1t is supposed to be one of the fun
damental principles Of English and
American law that no person shall be
compelled to testify or furnish evil
dence against himself, but this
is Of little consequence to your
ordinary investigating committee.
Clothed with the almighty sub
p9no deces tecun,, which means
that you are suspected, but that
there is not sufficient evidence
against you, therefore, you must come
into the august presence of the COM
mittee with all the books, letters,
papers and telegraphs, necessary to
establish your guilt!
But what is sauce for the goose
must be sauce for the gander. Let us
have fair count in this subpoena
dnces tecum business. The House
enjoyed a monopoly of the luxury
last winter, and Morrison seems to
like it better now in New Orleans
than Cox does in New York. We
have just now heard a dismal howl
go up from many thousand reform
throats against Mr.. Orton because he
refused to unload all his dispatches
into the hands of Morrison, at New
Orleans, yet these same chaps throw
-alp their hands in righteous indigna-
l'tion against throwing calcium light
into the Grammercy Park telegraph
station.
1T makes mighty sight Of differ
cnce, YOU know, in the sport, if the
tiger happens to be coming instead of
going.
THE Hon. John Morrissey having
declared all bets of, principally, as it
Is alleged, to save himself from pay
ing his fictitious bets made on Tilden
just before the election, and in which
the Hon. Johns I. .. U. were put in