The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1877-11-02
the LOUISIANA CONTEST.
The Statements OftAe C0ntestaAts BE.
g.,IT fore the Senate Committee. a

Il WASHINGTON. Oct. 96.-Tho Com
mittee on Privileges and Elections met
this morning and had submitted to
them written statements by Messrs.
8pods,xxl and Kellogg, as to the evil
Glence each proposes to submit to prove
his title to u seat In the Senate from
Louisiana. On motion of Senator Hoar
Il was resolved that the contestants file
their statements with the Clerk, and
that each have permission to examine
the others brief, that he might pre-
pare, II desired,' q reply thereto. In
order to give them this opportunity
the committee took recess for one
hour. 5st .gt..a, 500
When the committee reconvened,
both contestants Submitted supplement-
al briefs, which, with the original ones,
were read. Mr.. kellogg in his brief
contends, In substance, that the Senate
cannot try the question al to who were
legally elected to the Legislature, mas
much as the legality Of that body Is
conclusively determined under the
Constitution and laws of the United
States and of Louisiana by the record
evidence which these laws carefully
supply to the Senate. This thing is
cOnfided to the States themselves, to lie
determined through their Returning
Officers in the first instance, and there
after to be determined by the Houses
OF the Legislature. duly organized by
those who hold the prima facie evil
such Houses. II, however, the COM
mittee should not agree with this view,
then he should ask them to investigate
and report upon the following mat
tiers: a. fi.s~ ~ f..
First-the violence and other revolu-
tionary and unlawful acts and infiu-
ences res0rted to, either to prevent the
organization of. the Legislature by
which was elected, or to deprive
either branch there of q quorum before,
at the time, or after my said election
to the Senate. s., I.- r.:i..
Second-The violence and other re-
evolutionary or unlawful acts and in
fluences resorted to deprive of their
Offices the executive and judicial officers
of Louisiana belonging to what ia
known as the Packard government.
Third The acts resorted to secure
organization of what is known rs the
Nichols Legislature and the INSTALL
Nichols Executive. .,
Fourth-The character, extent and
effect upon the election in Louisiana,
In 1876, Of those offences against the
election laws which are enumerated I'm
such laws, and especially in the
twenty-sixth section of the act of 1872.
Fifth-The action Of the returning
omcers in making up ssthe returns of
all the persons and officers voted for !"
ut the election OF November, 1876, in
the State of Louisiana.
shall also ask, in the event that the
committee shall decide to go behind
the record evidence to which / have
alluded, that the testimony taken by
the committee of the Senate, OF which
Senator Howe WAS Chairman, in 1877,
may be ordered by the Senate to he
used for the purposes Of such investiga-
ton. .. .ts-l
Mr.. Spofford, in his statement, says
that the Senate should not require any
evidence beyond the credentials issued
by the recognized and de facto Govern
ment of the State, but if the committee
determined to go beyond that point he
would be ready to prove the facts stat
ed by him in his argument the other
day. i..a .. ..
The committee, after hearing these
statements read, held a brief secret
session, but took no action further than
to order that they be printed, and then
adjourned until Monday next.
1t has been anticipated that large
part of the time Of the next Committee
Of Elections in the House would be
taken up over tho Louisiana cases.
Two Of them, however, will be cut
short by the withdrawal of the Repub-
lican contestants in the Fourth and
Sixth Ditricts (Smith and Nasl,), leav-
ing J. b. ELAN and F. w. Robertson
without contestants. 1t looks very
much AS though, before long, Hayes
will be left as the solitary visible proof
that u Returning Board was in Louisi-
ana last fall. .:..