The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-10-16
Senate Organizes and Adjoulns
House ami Senate Inform the Prtsiden'
thEt they are Ready for Business.
SENATE.


SENATE.
WASHINGTON, October 10.
The Senators were early in their place.
and the usual bustle attending the open
ing Of the session prevailed.
SWORN Is.
The oath Of office was administered Ia
Stanley Matthews, Of Ohio, elected ia
place OF John Sherman, resigned; j.
Donald Cameron, Of Pennsylvania, in
place Of Simon Cameron, resigned, and D
II. Armstrong, appointed from Missouri
vice l.. Y. Bogy, deceased.
The usual committee was appointed 10
Join the committee Of the House and iu-
form the President that Il quorum Of the
two houses had assembled.
Adjourned until l2 o'clock to morroS
Senators ab'ent, Morton, Mcmillan and
Sharon.
HOUSE.
At the opening Of the session oi the
House the galleries were crowded, and
the corridors for two hours previously
we're almost impossible.
Al IL o'clock Clerk Adams called the
House to order, read the Presidenlr
Proclamation convening Congress and
called the roll Of members, by States, be-
ginning with Maine.
When Louisiana was reached the Clerk
made the following statement: "There
we're received from the State OF Louisi-
ana certificates bearing date Of December,
1876, and declaring certain persons elect,
ed from the Let, 4th and 9Th districts, but
silent as to the other districts. Inasmuch,
however, "a John McEnery was never
de facto Governor Of Louisiana, and
never in point Of fact exercised or per,
formed the functions OF that Office, il is
not deemed necessary to make here any
statement concerning the regularity OF
irregularity OF the credentials coming
from that source. Another set oi creden
tials was signed by Wm. Pitt Kellogg, rs
Governor OF Louisiana, with the
seal Of the State of Louisiana,
all bearing different dates, and al
Of which reached the hands Of the clerk
through different channels, declaring the
persons elected from each OF the districts
except the Second, as to which district no
certificate seems to have been Issued by
Governor Kellogg to any one.
The law OF Louisiana prescribing the
character OF the credentials provides that
IS SOON as possible after the expiration OF
the time Of making the returns Of the
election for representatives, in Congress, a
certificate OF the returns shall be entered
on the record signed by the Secretary Of
State and Governor, and that L copy
thereof subscribed by these officers shall
be delivered to the persons so elected, and
another copy transmitted to the Clerk Of
the House Of Representatives. These
Credentials signed by Governor Kellogg
are in no sense compliance with the re-
quirements OF the law Of Louisiana. They
did not even purport TO be copy Of the
certificate. On the contrary they are
simply declarations by Governor Kellogg
that certain persons were elected, without
even stating the sources OF his intorma.
tion, and they no more constitute Gre
denliala within the meaning OF the law
oil the State OF Louisiana than 4 similar
statement from the Treasurer or any
other State official would. They cannot,
therefore, be recognized by the clerk.
The other set Of credentials are signed by
Governor Nichols and Secretary Of State
Arrago, with the seal Of the State attached.
They declare the persons elected in each
oi the districts Of Louisiana and conflict
with the certificates signed by Governor
Kellogg. In reference TO two districts
only these credentials comply with the
law OF Louisiana in every respect, and
the clerk has accordingly placed on the
roll the names OF the persons contained
in them, H@a
When Missouri was reached the Clerk
stated that no certificates had been re.
ceived from the Third District. Just
then paper was handed him addressed
10 the Speaker Of the House, and he re.
peated Gsuggestion that as there was no
Speaker the paper should be opened by
the Clerk. Murmurs OF mo, nor
Mr.. Cox hoped there would be no oh
lection to the Clerk opening the paper.
The Clerk-lnasmuch AZ it would raise
4 question which the Clerk is not pre-.
pared to determine, he will leave the
matter to the House after 1t shall hare
organized.
The Clerk also stated, as to Florida,
that he had received the certificates OF
Gov. StearnS as 10 the election Of Wm. J.:
Purman in the First and Horatio Bisbee,
Jr., in the Second Districts, but he had
subsequently received two certificates
from Governor Drew. One Of these
recitedthe canvasS, which showed that the
election of Parman had been, by the Su-
preme Court OF Florida, declared illegal,
and that another canvass has been made
in obedience to the order OF the Supreme
Court, which showed the election Of
Robt. II. N. Davidson from the lst dis.
trict. Under such circumstance he had
felt bound to place the name Of Davidson
on the roll. Another certificate Of Gov,
Drew simply declared as 10 the I'd dis.
trict, that BY counting the votes in u Ger.
tain precinct in Clay county which the
Board OF State Canyassers had rejected
and which the Supreme Court had said
could not be legally counted, J. J. Fiulay
would be elected. Under such circum:
stances the Clerk could not see anything
TO invalidale the previous certificate Ia
favor Of Bisbee, and he had, therefore,
placed his name on the roll.
With reference to Colorado the Clerk
said that the certificate presented by Jas.
D, Beliord showed that he was elected on
the 81 day Of October, 1875, and at the
time, was not authorized by the laws Of
the United States or Of the State Of Colo.
rado, while the papers, presented by his
competitor, Patterson, were merely certi.
fed copies Of abstracts OF the votes in
several counties, which votes had never
been canvassed by any board Of canvas.
sers. The Clerk had therefore declined
10 place either name on the roll, bat had
left the matter for the House, alter or.
EaniEAtion, to determine.