National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1877-01-17


establish port of entry at Rock Island, Ill. Re.
ferred.
Mr. GARFIELD, of Ohio. from the Committee
on Ways and Means, reported q bill to ADJUST the
accounts Of James Atkins, late collector Of the
Fourth district Of Georgia. Passed.
MI CANNON, OF Utah, introduced bill to
authorize the sale and private entry Of certain
lands within the limits Of salt Lake City. Re-
ferred.
Mr.. THESE, of n J., presented q memorial Of
DR.. Mary E. Walker, calling attention to the
fact that certain rights are withheld from women,
and asking that they have the same elective priv.
The regular order having been demanded, the
House resumed consideration Of the bill reported
by Mr.. O'BRIEs, from the COMMITTEES on Oolnsge
to sgPo,nt commission to consider the silver
The bill was defeated by . vote Of lbs yeas to
1o4 nays. -"
DISTRICT MATTERS. y.
Mr.. WOOD, Of New York, from the COMMITTEES
Of " avs and Means, reported bill In relation
to the payment Of the interest on the s.e5 bonds
1.-THE bill provides in the first section for the
carrying out of existing law by appropriating
provides that the money paid for such in
terest shall be reimbursed out of the taxes from
M MI. HOLMAN, of Ind. made the poin. of order
that the bill made an appropriation, and must
first be considered in Committee of the Whole.
Mr.. WOOD said that the whole purpose of the
bill was to carry out the provisions of existing
law, and it was not amenable to the point Of
order.
to place the bonds Of the District on the same
footing as all bonds of the United States. And
that was virtually permanent appropriation.
MI: WOOD said that the interest on bonds o.
the United States was paid without permanent
appropriation, and it was only proposed to put
these bonds on the same footing.
on the ground that the bill made a permanent
appropriation, and the bill was therefore re-
ferred to Committee of the Whole.
Mr.. SPARKS, of ILL.,, member Of the special
committee on the powers privileges and duties of
the House in relation to the electoral vote, Of
fered q resolution authorizing said committee to
sessions Of the House.
Mr.. GARFIELD, of Ohio, made the point of
order that the resolution could not come In eT-
cept by unanimous consent, as II was not privi-
legged. The committee had authority to report
at any time, but only upon the subjectmatter re-
ferred to them. member of the committe had
no authority to offer the resolution OF his own
motion.
The SPEAKER overruled the point Of order.
upon the House of Representatives the duty Of
electing q President Of the United States In q
certain contingency. That was question Of the
that any question bearing upon that point was
asG one % and
any question affecting the Presidential election
The SPEAKER denied that he had SO de-
cided.
The resolution was then adopted.
ARREST OF THE LOUISIANA RETURNING BOARD.
MI LYNDE, of Wis, from the Committee on
in the case Of j. Madison Wells and other mem.
bers Of the Louisiana Returning Board, who are
charged with contempt, submitted report. The
mittee, has right to demand the papers Of the
Louisiana Returning Board; they declare ].
Madison Wells and his colleagues Of the Return.
H. To- and az I'D AZ
q resolution authorizing their arrest.
MI. LYNDE demanded the previous question,
and said that after It was seconded, he would al
MI, GARFIELD hoped that the resolution
would not passed at this time, but that 1t would
be printed, 80 that all could examine it. and that
a reasonable time would be allowed for debate.
He thought the House should inquire what would
be LEFT Of the independence Of the State If this
resolution was adopted.
Mr.. LYNDE called attention to the fact that
the time was rapidly approaching when this whole
matter must be decided, and II the papers de-
manded of this Returning Board were to be any
MIR. GARFIELD said thst he, for one, would
not permit the resolution to be passed in this way,
but he would make all the resistance In his power.
After some further discussion of this nature 1t
was agreed that the debate should run for three
hours, after which the vote should be taken.
Mr.. FRYE, Of Me-, said that, as q member of
the Judiciary COMMITTEES, he had not assented to
the report. He thought that the doctrine con-
tanned in 1t was perfectly monstrous. 1t was an
archives which could be held secret-which would
not be subject to committee Of the House of
Representatives. Adopt this resolution, and no
TO produce all State papers. This House has no
more right to interfere with the Returning Board
Of Louisiana than he as an individual would have.
The State Of Louisiana has by law created
returning boards, and the House cannot inter-
fere with it under the Constitution. The return.
ing board was necessity; because he tMR. Frye
eerted conspirs cy in Louisiana to deny the right
Of suffrage to a class Of citizens who were en-
titled to Il under the Constitution of the United
States. He believed that in some matters the
States was supreme, and the right to its papers
was one of its supreme powers. Tho Congress
sad no to call for the Of the
would have to demand the archives and records
Of Congress and examine them. The right Of .
recognized. We had just emerged from one war
to secure State rights. Was 1t possible that gen.
tlemen who had gone into that war for State
even recognize the right of State to its papers?
If so, then the war had taught these gentlemen
more than heimagined.
to show that when Jefferson was President he
refused to obey the order of Congress to produce
original papers. He also cited q message Of An
drew jackson when he refused to give certain
information called for. But he did not quote JEFF
ferson or jackson as authority, because no au-
thority seemed to be recognised now except that
committees was now engaged In the fndecency of
examining into the proceedings Of q National
campaign and how it had expended its campaign
funds. He, for one, and as a member of the Re-
publican National Committee, had advised the
officers Of that committee to produce all the tele-
grams and letters that had been called for. He,
for one, had nothing to conceal as to dispatches
relating to Louisiana, South Carolina, or Flor
party had carried all three Of those States and
that their votes would be announced as for Ruth
erford b. Hayes unless they were stolen from the
Republicans by the Democratic party. Zap
Mr. LUTTRELL of Cal, said he wanted to
ask question. He thought it cut of place for
thieves after the Republican committee had
levied campaign funds upon widows and orphans
in the Departments. Applause.
wanted to ask question he did not expect him to
INTERCEPT demagogical speech about stealing.
Mr.. LUTTRELL said Mr.. FRYE was a member
the assessments had been levied as he stated.
Mr.. FRYE replied that . committee Of intelli-
gent gentlemen was now Investigating that mat
ter and would soon report. Since the matter had
been brought up, however, he would say that no
assessment was levied upon the persons intimated
by Mr.. LUTTRELL The committee had sent po-
lite requests to officers who were appointed by the
President and confirmed by the Senate to con-
tribute to the expenses Of the campaign, and he
knew of no class OF people who ought to be as
sessed more than those he had named. They
campaigns.
Mr. LUTTRELL inquired if it was not under
stood that all who failed to contribute would lose
their Offices.
Mr.. FRYE denied it, and said that no one was
asked q second time to contribute to the cam
Mr. COX. ofN Y, said that the whole point
before the House was whether the authority Of
the House should he defied by the Louisiana Re-
turning Board. We are bound to see that the
election for President was fair and honest, and it
now comes with a bad grace for gentlemen on the
Republican side to say that the committee could
not have original papers. He wanted to call at
tsntion to the fact that only few years ago Mr..
FRYE Joined in q report, with other gentlemen, to
condemn the Louisiana Returning Board, and had
denounced 1t as arbitrary and illegal.
Dir. FRYE said he wanted to repeat now what
he had heretofore stated that he had never
signed that report. He believed that the board
was honest, but had at that time acted under q
misaPprehension of the law.
Mr.. COX wanted to know If 1t had come to that,
that after the Democrats had probed the matter
to the bottom, and had discovered the rottenness
Of the Returning Board, that the House is to be
told that they acted under q misapprehensiOn.
There had been entirely too much mfsapprehen-
sion of law on the Republican side.
Mr.. FRYE inquired If there had never been
misapprehension oflaw on the Democratic side.
Mr.. COX replied that there had been, but 1t
was not corrupt misrepresentation. He again
called attention to the report made in 1874 de-
nouncing the Returning Board.
Mr.. FRYE said he had not signed that report.
1t was signed by Mr.. FOSTER and Mr.. Phelps, of
New Jersey.
Mr.. COX wanted to know whether Mr.. FOSTER
and Mr.. Phelps were not good Republicans. He
thouRhf thew were A 0OOd ReDublicana Mr..