New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1877-02-07
Especial Correspondence of the Republican. ]
AFFAIRS AT THE CAPITAL.
Counting the Electoral VOte-The Gal
leries MOnODOIized by FavOrites-GOv.
ernOr Wells and His Accusers.

leries MOnOpOIized by FavOrites-GOv.
ernOr Wells and His Accusers.
WASHINGTON, February 2, 1877.
The proceedings in the hall of Represen-
tatives yesterday afternoon will be written
in history as OF exceptional interest, both
because of it's rarity and because of the
great interests involved. As early as ten
O'Clock the House galleries began to fill.
At one o'clock the Senate in body, led by
the President pro tenn. and Ssrgeant-at-
Arms French, with its rear guard of Senate
attaches, entered the chamber of Represen-
tatives. They were received by the mem
bers of the lower House standing until their
visitors were seated. Directly in front of
the Speakers chair were seated Justices
Miller and Field, Secretary Chandler, Hon.
William M. Evarts and Judge Black, while
scattered around the chamber we're, among
others, Secretary Robeson, General Slough
ton, Charles O'Conor, General Sherman,
Postmaster General Tyner, Hon. George
Bancroft, and some prominent naval Off.
GERS. The tellers were seated at the Chief
Clerks table, and when comparative quiet
had been restored, Mr.. Ferry, standing
at the right of Speaker Randall, opened
the Alabama certificates and continued
alphabetically with the States until
Florida was reached, when the re-
turn of the Republican electors were first
opened, then the Democratic, and lastly a
Democratic document, recapitulating the
vote of the State. When asked if obiec-
fiOng w TnuAa IN ha NJ. \
submitted series of written objections on
the part of the House against accepting the
certificates of the Hayes electors. Written
objections were also submitted against re-
ceiving the certificates of the Tilden cleo
tors and the last paper read. Mr.. Ferry
thereupon announced that all the papers
would be submitted to the arbitration COM
mission, and the two houses separated to
resume the count after the settlement OF
the Florida case. There was an immense
crowd about the Capitol, and if any portion
of it was part of Mr.. Wattersons grand
army with which he proposed to eDliven
the somewhat monotonous course of every
day life here the present season, it should
be said, in justice to them, that they lacked
the marauding propensities and sanguinary
spirit which ordinarily animates an invad-
ing army to deeds of plunder, violence and
bloodshed.
great deal of grumbling and dissatis-
faction has been heard and felt in times
past at the arbitrary and the wholly indie
tensible cause of members of the House
and Senate in shutting out the general pub
lie from the galleries upon extraordinary
occasions, and apportioning the seats to
members of their own families or to favor.
ites. By what right they presumed to
divide up the accommodations of the House
galleries yesterday, giving to each Repre-.
sentative and Senator three tickets each, to
distribute to his particular friends, none of
them have voluteered to state. Perhaps
they regard the public as too insignificant
to waste their invaluable time in hunting
up warrant that doesn't anywhere exist.
The pretext was that the capacity of the
galleries was limited, and the line must be
drawn somewhere; and they drew it 30 as
to exclude all but members of their own
family, or personal friends. The galleries
should have remained open to every person,
whether plebeian or belonging to the line
of nobility; and when every seat was filed,
the doors should have been promptly and
inexorably closed to all comers. 1t is no.
tOrious that these tickets of admission in
some cases were hawked about the Capitol
and streets, and sold to the highest bidder,
as high as $40 being demanded in the early
part of the day, and going off at 81 or $3
later.
There is an evident determination on the
part of those who do not jump at cOnolu-
sions to suspend Judgment upon the case
of Madison Wells until all the back cOun.
ties are heard from. Mr.. Littlefield comes
forward with confession" )" which, if true,
ought to bar HIM Arom the confidence of
honorable men hereafter. If untrue, the
other horn of the dilemma appears quite as
formidable. Such tools cut in both direc-
tions.
Messrs. Pickett and Maddox, according
to their own statement, had a nice little
scheme, which was devised for buying up
the Returning Board of Louisiana, their
CONSEQUENCES of having done patriotic
service thereby and their percentage being
all the remuneration they asked for their
share in the bargain. KNOX.