The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1877-04-19
From the New York Tribune.
IHE NEW CONGRESS-.
How Five Has Reen Made IHelFe-Ihe
Boil or the Next House or RepFesen-
taIITes as Manipulated By the In
geGiOus Clerk.

How Five Has Reen Made IHelFe-Ihe
Boil eft Next House or RepFesen-
taIITes as Manipulated By the In
gelIOus Clerk.
WASHINGTON, April S.-The extra
ordinary secrecy respecting the roll
Of the next House of Representative
can not longer be maintained. The
Clerk Of the House is required to pre-
pare q payroll Of "InOse persons
whose credentials in due form Of law
have Geen duly filed" with him, and
their monthly pay is forwarded sc
cordingly. This payroll was made
on the 81 Of this month, and its mode
OF preparation settles the action of the
Clerk as to certain contested seats at
the opening of Congress.
On full House, II all were seated
who were entitled, priDld fdcie, to be
certified and seated, the parties would
stand: Republicans, IA ; Democrats,
149, or q Democratic majority Of five.
But the Republicans, up to this time,
lose one in Missouri, where, in the
/ Third District, mutilatiOn OF a re-
turn while IN the Clerks Office in st.
Louis was made IN order 10 defeat
Metealfe, who was elected Oh the face
of the returns, and to elect Frost,
Democrat. The case is now in the
Courts. The Republicans also lose
another in the Fourth District of
California, where Paeheco, Republi-
can, had on the face of the returns a
majority of one vote but WiggintOn,
| Democrat, instituted proceedings
which have delayed the declaration Of
q result. In one or both these cases
certificates may be Issued before the
time OF meeting. In neither case Is
there any probability that the Demo-
cratic claimant will secure it. These
losses make the DamOcGatic majority
seven. As to the three disputed
/ States" the facts stand In South
l Carolina the five members elect are
/ snrOlled-three Republicans aud two
Democrats. In louisiana tho Clerk
has placed upon the payroll Messrs.
/ Ellis and Gibson, Democrats, and
Darral and Leonard, Republicans,
they having certificates Of election
from both Nichols and Packard. No
names are enrolled for the Fourth
and Sixth Districts, where Nichols
and Packard certified the election OF
different persons-the former declar-
ing Elan and Robertson elected, the
latter declaring Smith and Nash.
This uon-eurollment costs the Repub-
Iic&ns two more. In Florida, where
Stearns declared PuTman in the First
District and Bisbee in the Second
District elected, both Republicans,
and Drew declared Davidson in First,
and it is believed Finley in Second,
q. -, 1fforbr
rolled Davidson in the First, and left
the Second District blank. In this
case the rule of the clerk, spplied in
Louisiana, OF accepting 3 name when
certified by both Governors and re-
jectiDg name when the certificates
conflict, appears to be changed. For
although the two Governors differed
as to both districts, the Clerk OF the
House decides between them as to
one district and declines to do so as to
the other In the first count of the
Returning Board in Florida, Purman
was declared elected in the First Dis
trict by 294 mOJority, and Bisbee in
the Second by l42. In the next
count, then claimed by the Demo-
Gratis as the true count, in accordance
with the opinion of the Suprem e
Court, Davidson, Democrat, had $40
majority in the First District, and
Bisbee, Republican, Is in the Second.
The significant thing about this dis
, criInination between certificates is
that the Clerk has apparently dis
, criminated in favor of the Democrat
J who is alleged to nave been counted
out" by the Returning Board, and
against the Republican who still re-
mained elected Notwithstanding the
, corrections ordered by the Court
! Both PlrmRn and Bisbee were de.
t clared elected by the Returning
I Board, and were commissioned by tht
then Governor in pursuance OF thI
law of the State. These changes cos
] the Republicans three-twO by substi
. tuting q Democrat for q Republican
3 in the First District. aud one. hI
l Ignoring the election of RepuollcaI
b in tire 5eCUud DistriSb-nIaIzing . loss
1 of five in the two States of LOuisiani
D and Florida, and bringing the Demo
e cratic majority up to twelve. II, be
, fore the meeting of Congress, tht
' Clerk should find in q changed cOndi
e tiOn of things In Louisiana q grOunC
} for accepting the Nichols certificate
e as to the Fourth and Sixth Districts
! the Democratic majority on hi. rOl
!, can be increased to fourteen.
J. But the most extraordinary thin
b done by the Clerk is his action as 4
!. Colorado. At the election in Octobe
j, last, the people voted under q distric
J. proclamation for representative 70
It the unexpired term Of the Forty
e fourth Congress and the full term 0
= the FOrty-fifth Congress, with this re
e suit {:
{, XLIVth Congress. XLVth Congress.
II B. Belford, Ri SlS b BelfOrd, R...-..l3, 4.
a n. Patterson, D-l3.3lOI VI. Patterson D-i2 .
d Belford's maj. 99S Belford's maj. s
e after Mr.. Patterson found himse
{, fairly beaten in October, he took tn
l. ground that there was no State la'
for an election at that time for th
Z FOrty-fifth Congress and he au
y nOunced himself q candidate on Nc
l. vember 7th for that office, when
o few polls were opened by his friends
y and 1000 votes were polled out {
q nearly 10000 in the State. As th
ID Presidential Electors were chosen b
Of the Legislature, there was last yes
ID no presidential election in Colo
n rado. The Governor OF the Stat
II gave Mr.. Belford a proper certifical
q OF his election, perfect in form bG
. the Clerk OF the House refuses to AZ
= ceDt il as binding upon him. Their
g Is no conflicting certificate. PAtteT
&c son has, and can have, no "credeI
ct tials." His election, If it may be 81
's called, was farce and a fraud +; but
IS is deemed good enough to justify
l. ministerial officer in violating tn
t, law which Obliges him to enroll thos
De persons whose Credentials" sho'
'r that they were regularly elected.
70 the "credentiaI" comes from the Gov
,f ernor or other certifying officer, an
t il il sets forth the declarations II
quired by law, the Clerk is require
10 to accept them, and he has no righ
" to question any allegation contains
y therein. No House Of Represent
is tives has ever violated this dOctrint
g. and the Clerk makes q grave mistAB
D. in refusing to enroll Mr. BeliOrd.
-n is safe to say that the House wi
u never be organized or any steps take
a toward organization, until this g
tempted wrong be corrected. TT
country is and always has been di
posed to concede much to such a
error of judgement made in gOC
IN faith. But it will not tolerate sue
"A an error made under circumstane
ot which, with other facts, create di
on trust OF the motive prompting
With BelfOrd's name off the Dem
cratic majority may be fifteen, whiC
Iv Is the worst possible result With
on it may be fourteen, il the Ciel
lie can reach that point Of enrolliI
Elam and Robertson, Of Louisian
and should persist in his purpose
rule off Bisbee, OF Florida. Witho
he them it will be twelve, retainil
Florida as at present.
ng p.osapts IN. tba Pone