The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1877-01-25

Last week the rebels OF the House
passed a resolution to imprison the mem
bers Of the Returning Board Of Louisi-
ana. because they refused to deliver up
to a committee of the rebel House the
records of the Board. Wells and Ander-
son, of the Board, came to Washington
City. They arrived at 2 o'clock in the
night and at daylight were arrested by
the rebel Sergesntat.Arms, and held as
prisoners.
In the House, before the resolution
was passed, there was a lively debate, as
follows:
WASHINGTON, January II.
discussion took place in the House
to-day upon the resolution reported by
the judiciary Committee yesterday, in
relation to the refusal of members OF the
Louisiana Returning Board to produce
certain papers before the Louisiana Spe-
cial Committee.
Mr.. o. Breen (Dem of Md, said that
the report and resolution before the
House received his entire approval. The
object of tie investigation was to deter
mine the legality Of the acts Of the Re
turning Board and to verify the returns
made. Congress had this power and in
this crisis, when the existence of the
Government itself might depend upon
the true results of the Louisiana election
Il must resolutely exert itself to the full
est extent
Mr.. Hoar (Rep.) Of Mass. said that he
was struck with amazement that it
should ever have fallen to his lot to de
fend the rights of an American State
against Democratic House of Repre-
sentatives He laid down the PROPOSE
tion that whatever power the House had
to compel the authorities of a State to
deliver up the records of that State and
bring them to the House to be kept ac-
cording to its will, that same authority
the Legislature of State had over U. S.
officials within its jurisdiction.
Mr.. Bland (Dem of No, asked if a
committee Of the House had not power
to examine the ballots in the case of con-
tested elections of members of Congress?
Mr.. Hoar replied that the records
which were now sought for were the re-
cords of local elections, and the records
which related to the existence Of the
government Of a State Nobody doubt
ed that there was a certain class of re-
cords in which the principle he had laid
down did not apply, but the records of
the election Of Presidential electors were
records essential to the preservation of
the Government and sovereignty itself
and Congress had no right to hay hands
on them and bring them out of the ter
ritory of State
Mr.. Hereford (Dem Of W. Va, stated
that the House had never ordered the
papers to be taken out of the State. The
Returning Board had refused to allow
even an inspection of them. The right
of the people to inspect public papers
never had been doubted until to-day.
Why was it that at every stage of this
Investigation the Democratic party met
with obstacles and objections from the
Republicans. 1t was because for years
past Governors could be dethroned and
no question. no objection, no protest
came from the other side. Legislatures
had been disbanded, and not yet a pro-
test came from the other side. But now
the voice of the people must and would
be heard in deciding the great question.
Mr.. Banks (Rep.) of Mass, said that
the records demanded were the records
on which the existence of the State Gov
ernment and the Government of the
United States depended. He defied any
gentleman to find in the history of the
United States single instance in which
such demand was made. No man could
justify the officers of Louisiana if they
had given up their records into irrespon-
sible hands.
Mr.. Southland (Dem) of o., said that
in the forty y-second session the Commit
tee on Elections in the Senate had been
ordered to inquire whether there was a
State Government in Louisiana, and IN
that investigation the committee sum
moned to Washington the members OF
the Kellogg and McEnery Returning
Boards, and the records of both parties
bad been produced before it, Ap-
plause.
Mr. Banks replied that in that case
the existence of the Government Of Lou
isiana had been at stake. The Govern
ment had not been established, and the
question had been whether one or the
other of these governments should be
established. 1t would be conceded that
on the records demanded swould depend
the election of the President of the Unit
ed States. If they were destroyed, the
original evidence of that election would
have to be destroyed. If they were sur
rendered up, they were surrendered, he
made no impeachment on the commit
tee, to absolutely irresponsible parties.
They might be accidentally lost or inten-
'tionally destroyed. If those records
were lost by accident, or destroyed by
design, the only evidence that exists on
which the election of the President is
founded and the Government of the Uni
ted States established, would be lost or
destroyed. Manifestations of interest
and applause.
Even that yell, which had become his
toric and which was heard yesterday,
showed to what extent some men, not
connected with the House, were willing
to go in such matters. What was the
foundation for this extraordinary, un-
paralleled and unprecedented demand,
which would take from the Government
every evidence and the foundation on
which its authority and right to exis-
tence must be based2 This is public ru-
NOR, and whence did it conner From the
party interested in the destruction Of
the original evidence
The State of Louisiana, he declared,
ought never to yield those papers except
to an overwhelming force, and the Gov
ernment of the United States, ought
never to suffer the State Of Louisiana to
be deprived of their possession. except
by power greater than that of the uni
ted States. Sensation.
Mr.. Hurd (Dem.) of o.. defended the
resolution, and argued that the only
question was, whether the House Of Rep
resentatives had the power to enforce
the production of the papers called for
by an investigating committee, and now
in the custody of the Louisiana Return
ing Board; and when the gentle
men on the other side interposed the OBJ
lection that States had rights which Con-
gress could not interfere with, they sim
ply begged the whole question. The
question was whether Congress had the
power to inquire. If il had, it necessa-
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