The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-02-09

i mission saw at once that dill tie decisive
4 lines OF fhe controversy were to be deter.
mined isl tile limitations OF 9its poy;er and
the selection OF the subj ttnatter; thefUl
discussion accorded to counsel, and In the
| elaboration OF the Commission. The result
| Is declared In this form and to this effect
Commission will receive no evidence, bu,
will merely inspect the certificates, which
the Constitution and the laws Of the United
States have authorized for transmission, ana
which the president Of the Senate has open
ed In the presence OF the two houses.
| The Commission has decided that In one
particular it will receive evidence touching
the eligibility of one c. the Florida electors.
I do not understand the Commission TO
have overpassed the question, what the eff
feet Is rs to the acceptance or rejection Of
a vote thus challenged for eligibility, but to
have decided that OH that point it will re-
ceive the evidence which may be offered :
First, as to whether the exception takemto
Humphries's vote is maintainabie aud sec
ondly, whether, II maintainable and main
tanned, the methods Of the Constitution per-
nit of any rejection from the certified vote
transmitted and opened OH that ground.
Mr.. Evarts, I'm his argument, did not
elaborate the last position. He left the sub
iect, after showing, as he claimed, that
| Humphries was clearly eligible. The ques-
| ton suggested whether the commission had
power to reject clearly illegal vote he did
not discuss. =
| ....... .t. ,. Mr.. MERRICK t.~
| closed the argument on the Democratic
side. In the course Of the argument the
| following occurred: =,
| Tucfipa M1llar Vp1J cav that fhn lictinr.
ton between the man who accepts the office
OF senator and the man who accepts the
office OF elector is that in the one case the.
objection goes to the power of the State,
and in the other it does not. What is the
| difference in the power Of the State:
! Mr.. Merrick: In the one case the prohl-
bition is that no person shall be represen-
tative or senator who has not attained GER
tain age; in the other case 1t is that no per-
sou shall be appointed an elector who holds
an office OF trust or profit.
| Whenever there is a power given to do
an act, the donice Of the power can only
exercise it according to the precise instruc-
tions and limitations Of the donation.
TIE LEGALITY OF THE LOUISIANA RETURNING
| BOARD.
The contest in the Louisiana case will be
over the legality of the Returning Board
itself. 1t will be claimed that there has
been no canvass Of the votes, and that no
electors have been appointed. The same
excellent authority which furnishes these
rather discouraging forcshadowings eX-
presses absolute confidence that the Com
mission has inaugurated a line OF pro-
cedure that must threw out the vote Of
Watts, the Oregon postmaster. ~.
THE FLORIDA CASE. III
| The argument in the Florida case ls
| closed. Each side used their powers in the
argument, which was very close and tech
nical. The Commission will take for private
consideration until early tomorrow morn
ing, and it is expected will reach result
during the day. The Democrats have little
hope for anything more favorable to them
| than the throwing out OF the vote.
THE PosT-oFFICE APPROPRIATION BILL,
as reported by the Senate committee to-day,
| is increased in amount about 81, 800, 900 over
total OF 1921 900, as passed by the
House. The principal items OF increase are
as follows: For mail transportation by rail-
roads, 100000, making the total for this
purpose $9,600,000; compensation OF post
masters. s250,0O0; payment Of letter-car-
riers, S150,000; railway post-ottice clerks,
$4,000; route agents, S105,000; mail-mes-
sengers, S100,000; clerks in the post-otlces,
| 100000; manufacture Of stamped enve-
| lopes aud newspaper wrappers, $4,000;
postalcards, $4,000; advertising, $4,000;
miscellaneous and incidental expenses,
$50, 900. Tie total Of the bill rs, now re-
ported exceeds that Of last year. $3.50, 1000,
but is 1,633,000 less than the estimates.
BREACH-oF-PRoMIsE SUIT AGAINST SENATOR
A.. -.|." CAMERON.
To-day Il suit for Mary S. Oliver against
Hon. Simon Cameron for breach Of promise
| of marriage was entered. The plaintiff sues
defendant e'for that whereas heretofore,
that is to say on the 7th day OF December,
1876, in consideration that the said plain
tiff, who was then sole and unmarried,
at the special instance and request
OF the SAID defendant, had then
agreed and undertaken to marry and
| the said defendant, then-to wit, on the
day and year last aforesaid, undertook and
faithfully promised the said plaintiff to
marry and take her, the said plaintiff, to
| wife, i'll a reasonable time then next follow
| ing, and she AYERS that, although reasona-
BILE time for that purpose hath long since
elapsed, and although she, the said plain
tiff, confidng in the said aforementioned
promise, hath always been ready and will
ing to marry and take to her husband him,
the said defendant, yet defendant hath not
taken her to wife, although often request
ed" &c. She lays her damages al $4,000.
The plant tiff in this case is lady OF good
figure, rather under the ordinary size. She
has pleasant countenance, light brown
hair, blue eyes, and dresses with much taste.
She is about thirty-fve or forty years OF age,
and is said to be q widow from Pennsyl-
wanna, and has daughter at school. She
has resided here for several years past, and
Is employed in the Treasury Department.
........ Mr.. sTEPHENs's CONDITION.
Alexander II. Stephens has not been so
we'll to-day, but there is nothing serious.
he is still kept free from oil excitement, not
allowing visitors, or even the newspapers
and letters to be read to him as yet.
VARIOUS ITEMS. 81 g. ..
The treaty for the Nicaragua snip-canal
was nearly ready for transmission to the
Senate when Henry Meigs sprung the con-
tract with the Nicaraguan Government to
build the canal over the route indicated by
the treaty. nv. ~
The Appropriation Committee is making
its items for the military appropriation bill
on basis of twenty-five thousand men.
The case Of the United States against
General Belknap has been dismissed, on
motion of the District Attorney, by direc-
ton Of the Attorney-General, for the rea-
son that the evidence would not sustain the
prosecution. The action was taken by di-
rection Of the President. ,s,
The Senate has confirmed B. F. Kelly, OF
West Virginia, as register at Santa Fe.
Judue IVaita ia nl1oted nc saving thai yes.