New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-02-14
A REVIEW OF YESTERDAYS WORK.
BEFORE THE TRIBUNAL
nights sMoKED OUT WITH CANDLES.
Icy rELEGRAPH 10 IHR rRfRrNKl

WASHINGTON, Feb 13.-The Commission took
hold Of the Louisiana to-day in a spirit that
plainly indicated that the days of delay are at an
end. All the members were IN their places except
Senator Thurman. The Democrats wanted to wait
for his arrival. few minutes delay was assented
to matter of courtesy and not of right, Senator
Edmunds taking care to protest against any assump
ton that 1t required more than quorum to trans
act business. Mr.. Thurman in after while,
suffering from neuralgia but was not able to
main during the day. At 11:15 the directors
started with their speeches. Senator Mcdonald of
Indiana and representative jerks OF Pennsy lyania
appeared for the Democrats. Mr.. McDOnalds
sonOrous outdoor voice and his robust manner gave
to his effort rather more apparent weight than lts
matter deserved, for il little more than re-
hearsal Of the familiar Democratic arguments
against the Returning Board He brought out with
good deal of force however. the technical legal
objections against the power of the board TO
the vote for Presidential Electors and he insisted
on the disqualification of two of the Hayes electors
by the Federal Constitution for holding Federal
offices, and of four of them by the State Constltu-
ton for holding State offices.
Mr.. jerks devoted himself chiefly to drawing
highly-colored picture of the alleged frauds and
ruptOn Of the Republican election officers and she
Returning Board. Both he and Mr.. Mcdonald talked
before the Commission instead of being partisan ac-
cusations about which the rules of the Commission
do not admit testimony TO be taken Mr.. jerks
went into the details of the excluded Democratic
maorities in the rejected parishes and treated the
throwing out of those parishes wholly result OF
Republican conspiracy and fraud. He never once
as much as referred TO the methods resorted TO Tor
securing those maOrties. The whippings, murders,
and other forms of bulldozDg that destroyed heavy
Republican rnaOrties he did not much as NELL
ton.
The Republicans were not particularly fortunate
in their DIRECTORS to-day. Representative HuriDut
of Illinois and Senator Howe opened the case.
Neither of them made "a strong speech Mr. Hurlbut,
in detailing the violence, disorders, and incpent re-
belion in louisiana went almost as far as to admit
what the Democrats would be glad to make out,
namely, condition of affairs such as would justify
the rejection of both the ground of there
beng no efficient State government. lie made good
points however in citing a decision OF the state
Snpreme Court in UNFOLDING the validity OF the
Returning Board and the action OF Congress ana
the President in affirming the legality of the Kellogg
government.
Senator Howe, who made the closing speech. spoke
in a thin and querulous voice, which dropped occa-
sonalIy into naudible depths. His style OF oratory
on this account almost bOrdered on the grotesque'
The best features of his remarks were the keen bts
If satire in the opening on the impuden certificate
of Gov" McEnery. to the Illden return, ana the
effective descriptions at the close, of the bud0zng
campaign in Ouachta Parish. Both the kepuDhcah
directors threw the weight of the legal arguments
in favor of the Hayes returns upon the counsel VINO
are to follow them. They gave their own attention
chiefly TO the strictly political side OF the coh'ro
yersv. Both the Democrats were evidently eager
Mi sra
thew knew could not be sustained By admissible
evidence.
After the directors had finished il was expected
that the Democratic counsel would make some effort
IN get i'm as evidence part of the mass OF docu-
ments tina. Law in big bundles upon their tables
They did not, however, say word on tue SUBJECT
Judge Campbell of New-Oreans. who mas come Oh
10 assist in the Louisiana case, maze pea lol an
extension of the two hours allowed by the rune u
the counsel on each side. tie Thought SIX hours
oupbt IN he allowed on account of the numerous I'M
nortant points 10 be discussed. MI EVarts quleuy
remarked that he supposed the decisions in the
Florida ease had greatly reduced the area OF DISCUS
SION This brought Mr. Carpenter to his ieet' eager
70 assert that the Florida rulings had no bearing Oh
the Louisiana case. The question az 10 which s'at-
ute was in force ut the time OF the eectoh was oo,
he said. which would alone consume good deal OF
time. Commissioner Hoar remarked that this was
ouestion that could well be discussed in printed
briefs.
The Commissioners then began to discuss the sub
iect Of the allowance of time IN conversational
way Mr. CARPENTER came IN here WIN an ooJectloh
IN something said BY Mr. Hoar, and was reprl-
manded by the latter for interruptlng the dehDera-
tiops of the Commission. recess OF three-quarters
of an hour was voted and the Commissioners went
into their retiring room. On returning they surprised
LAWYERS and spectators by announcing that they had
determiued 10 sit until o O'Clock, and that they
wouId allow 4l2 hours to counsel ON each side.
further recess of half hour was taken to give ine
a., n bosty dinner at the restaurant. AT , o'clock
the Commission reassembled, and Mr.. Carpenter
took the floor
Tn their anxiety 10 push the business along a. rap
;v M possible the members of the Commission over
Looked the absence of gas III the COURTROOM III was
soon dark and the only method of lighting that
eopld he hastily improvised was by candles. About
6fty ~ these lights were arranged upon the tables
of the Judges and the lawyers, but their united
strength only produced partial mitigation OF the
darkness of the large wanted apartment The spec
tators sat in totally obscure background, and the
counsel became ndistinct and ghostly hgures IN the
midst of lurid and smoky atmosphere. MI Car
penter struggled bravely on with his argument for
over an hour and then begged for a reprleve saying
that the smoke of the candles made him sick. The
Commissioners appeared be tired OF the effort to
hold night session under such difficulties. and an
.aiournment until 10 tomorrow morning
carried,
n. r,r,.,,a, at the outset of his speech. said