Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-10-17
CONGRESSIONAL.

D.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 15.-At the OPEN
ing of the session of the House the
galleries were crowded and the cor
ridors for two hours previously were
almost impossible. At II o'clock
Adams called the House to order and
read the Presidents proclamation con.
vening Congress and called the roll
of members by States beginning with
Maine. When Louisiana was reached
the clerk made the following state
ment: There were received from the
State of Louisiana credentials bearing
date goth Dec, 1876, and declaring
persons elected from the first, fourth
and sixth districts, but silent as to
other districts. Inasmuch, however,
as McEnery was never defacto gov
eInor of Louisiana and never in point
of fact received or performed the
functions of that office, it ifs not now
deemed necessary to make here any
statement concerning tho regularity
or irreguiarity of credentials coming
from that source.
Another set of credentials were
signed by Kellogg as Governor of
louisiana, with the seal of State at
tached, all bearing different dates and
all of which reached the hands of the
Clerk through different channels de-
claring persons elected from each of
the districts except the second, from
which no certificate seems to have
been Issued. The law of Louisiana
provides that as soon as possible aft
err the expiration of the time of ma
king returns of election for Repre-.
sentatives q certificate of returns
shall be entered on record by the
Secretary of State and signed by the
Governor, and that a copy thereof,
subscribed by those officers shall be
delivered to the persons so elected
and another copy transmitted to the
Clerk of the House of Representa-
tives. These credentials by Cover
nor Kellogg are in no sense compli-
ance with the requirments of the
law of Louisiana. They do not even
purport to be 8 copy Of certificates !;
on the contrary they are simple de-
clarations by Governor Kellogg that
certain persons were elected without
even stating the sources of his infor-
nation, and they no more constitute
credentials within the meaning of
tho law of Louisiana than q similar
statement from the Treasurer or 9TH
er State official would do. They can
not be recognized by the Clerk. The
other set of credentials is signed BY
Nichols and Secretary of State ARA
go, with the seal of State attached.
They declare persons elected in
each Of the districts of Louisiana,
and conflict with the certificates
signed by Gov. Kellogg in reference
to two districts only. These creden-
tails comply with the law of Louisi-
ana in every respect and the Clerk has
accordingly placed on the roll the
names OF the persons contained in
them.
When Missouri was reached the
Clerk stated that no certificates had
been received from the 3D. district.
just then paper was handed him
addressed to the Speaker Of the
House and he repeated the sugges-
ton that as there was no Speaker the
paper should be opened by the Clerk.
Murmurs, No, MOL
Cox hoped there would be no OBJ
lection to the Clerk opening the pa
per.
Clerk - Inasmuch as it would
raise a question which the clerk is
not now prepared to determine he
will leave the matter to the House to
determine after it shall have organ
lied.
The clerk also stated as to Florida
that he had received the certificate
of Governor Stearns to the election Of
VIM. j. Purman, in the LIST and II.
Bisbee Jr. in the I'd, but he had sub
sequently received two certificates
from Gov. Drew.
One of them recited canvass
which shows that the election Of Pur.
man had been by the Supreme Court
of Florida declared illegal and that
another canvass has been made in
obedience to the order of the Supreme
Court which sho wed the election of
Robt. M. H. Davidson from the let
district. Under such circumstances.
he had felt bound to place the name
Of Davidson on the roll. The other
certificate of Governor Drew simply
declared as to the second district, that
by counting votes in 3 certain pre-
cinct in Clay CO., which the board OIL
State canvassers had nAgloCfed, and
which the Supreme Court Ind 6oii1