The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-01-17


named gentlemen.
Mr.. Frye of Maine, a member of the Judici-
airy Committee. said that when that report was
agreed to 10 the committee there was no Re-
publican member of the committee present
For his part he regarded the doctrine enunciat-
ed in it as a monstrous one. Under it there was
no sovereignty anywhere in the country that
was not subject to be called before a committee
of the House and compelled to produce its orig
inal records; He held on the contrary that
board of the state Of Louisiana than he as an
individual had. He held that the returning
board having been legally constituted by the
Constitution of the United States, and proceed
ed with its duties under the law OF Louisiana,
having made its returns, and these returns hav-
ing been authorized by law the House was pre-
Guided from going behind them. The only au-
thor,ty that the House had was the general
condition of the country, the puolc veal to in-
quire whether or not there was sucn state OF
things there as Congress ought TO take notice
Of On that question he should at once admit
there was such condition of things there as
required congressional ihterventlonlf Congress
had a right to interfere to prevent murder, out
rage and every other barbarlsm. he believed
there was now and had been for the last eight
years deep, determined and absolute purpose
not to permit to certain citizens of Louisiana
the exercise of the right of suffrage and he
believed these citizens were prevented from the
exercise of that right by murder, by blows by
in some things states were supreme, and in
some things the United ates was supreme.
He believed Congress had no more authority to
take those original papers and records and to
bring them out from under the jurisd cton of
the state OF Louisiana TO the city of Washing
ton, than the authorities of Louisiana have to
take the papers of the United States and carry
them to New Orleans For states rights there
had been one war, and was it possib BILE that the
men who went into the war for state rights had
q rfa6 I'm of IN I,~r nolx
to say today that congressional committee
could take and carry away the archives of
state, OF state court or of state returning
board?
1t seemed that nothing was sacred from the
Democratic investigating committee. Even to
day committee of the House was committing
the indecency of demanding from a national
committee its whole manner of conducting a
national campaign, its whole correspondence,
all its kilograms, all its money collections, sc.
He was happy to say as a member of that COM
mittee, that he had advised the. putting in of
verything-letters, kilograms >&c-f0r he
knew perfectly well that there was nothing in
them which would indicate fraud in Louisiana
Florida or South Carolina. Hs knew that the
committee believed the Republicans had car
that they would be counted for r. B. Hayes,
unless the Democrats of those states and of the
United States should steal, by fraud, the votes
Of those states. (Contemptuous laughter on
| the Democratic side and 10 the galleries He
hoped the galleries would not help the Demo-
cratic side of the House IN this debate.
Nh. Luttrall of California; do not think
| the gentleman has right to charge the Demo-
| cratic party with stealing when his Republican
committee robbed the poor orphans and widows
| in the departments to carry on the campaign.
| loud applause in the galleries)
Mr.. Frye of Maine-I did not know when !
| gave theigentleman from California the liberty
| to ask question that he wanted to interject a
| little demagogical stump speech that would
meet the approval of the galleries on that SIDE
Mr. Luttrell-Do you deny that it is so? You
were on the Republican National Committee,
and you know that the poor widows aud
| orphans of the departments were made to pay
for the support of the campaign. loud calls
| of order on the Republican side.)
| Mr.. Frye-There is committee OF members
| of the House, intelligent members of the
House, which is investigating that very subject
The committee will find out and answer the
| gentleman shortly.
| MI, Luttrell attempted to make another re.
mark, but was informed by the Speaker that
the gentleman from Maine was entitled to the
| floor.
"Well, sir" said Mr.. Luttrell, she bull-dozed
them" (Laughter.)
| Mr.. Frye declared that the Republican Com
| mttee had never assessed, demanded or asked
contributions from such people as Mr.. Luttrel
| had described. On the contrary, it had SEM
/
| teri 10 gentlemen VINO were confirmed by the
| President aud confirmed by the Senate to belt
| to run the campaign.
| Mr.. Luttrell-Was it not understood that
| every one who declined to pay an assessment
| should be discharged?
| Mr. Frye-It was not so understood, and
| there never was man asked twice for con
| tribution.
| Mr. Luttrell-Because if he was, be was dis
| charged.
1
| that anybody should be punished for refusing
| to make a contribution whatever to the Repub
lican National Committee from the department
! clerks.
Mr.. Cox of New York said he would not fol
low the argument of the gentleman from
| Maine, which had been sufficiently answered
by the badinage OF the gentleman from Cali
fornia and by the ironical cheers of the gal
| leries. The poiLt before the House was simply
whether the authority of the House should bt
disregarded by the returning board of Lou
| isiana.
Mr.. Kasson argued against the res oluton
because it would establish the precedent tina
| committee Of the House could summon the
governor of state to bring before it the pa
| pers of his office and could bring that high
official before the bar of the House and degrade
him by asking him to stand at the bar an6
answer for contempt If one state Officer
| could be so called any other state officer nigh
be. If one state paper could be taken aay
state paper could be taken and the archives O.
| state might be plundered He denied the
right of committee of the House or a con-.
mlttee of both houses, by resolution or by law
to insist upon the Executive officer of a STATE
bringing his official papers and producing then
| before it.
Mr.. Hooker said he would not follow the px
ample of the gentleman from Maine Frye) il
seeking to avoid and evade the plain simpl
proposition submitted by the report of the iu
dietary committee by stating with the emphasi
which that gentleman did that he believed tina
for series of years great body of the citizen:
| OF Louisiana had determined to deny the RICH
of suffrage to certain class which was entitled
to it. What was there that surrounded tn,
| returning board of Louisiana with sanctit
which prevented it from giving to committed
of the House information whether there hat
been al honest vote in that state? Should
it be said that that returning board had th
power to cast out votes from this or that parist
and that there was no power which could in
vestigate whether 1t had legally done so? H
did not think so and therefore would vote TO
the resolution.
Mr.. Garfield argued against the resolution
quoted against the power therein asserted, re-
| ferring among Others to the fact that in
1900 when the fathers were discussing tn
question of an election contest they distinctly
excluded in bill which passed one house in on
form and the other house in another form as to
| the idea that a petition touching question oil
| how vote went inside of state should be
presented or heard. He denied that any prince
potentate. legislature, congress or committee
OF congress could wag its tongue against the
act of state in this regard. He referred to
the famous Placquemine fraud in 1874 by
which the vote of Louisiana was given to Polk
and stated that no one theE claimed the right
to go behind the vote Of the state to undo the
outrageous aud open fraud. The provisions Of
the constitution in regard to the Presidential
elections were imperative and left no time OF
authority tor contest, and he challenged the
naming of any statesman who had ever claim.
ed that Congress had the power within the five
limitations named by him to go inside of a
state to look at its vote. 1t the votes of Que
state were examined the votes of all the states
ought to be and thus an election of President
might be at any time rendered impossible. de
appealed to the Democratic side of the House
to pause before it committed this act of as
SAUL and destruction of whatever there was O
sovereignty in the 38 states of the Union.
Mr. Davis of North Carolina asked Garfield
why it was that partisan committees had been
sent to the three Southern states by Presden
Grant? (Excitement and applause in the gal
leries and general disorder.)
Mr.. Garheld-If the galleries will stop theil
| CHATTER l will answer. The gentlemen who
went to Louisiana at the request of the Pres
dent, went there only as invited witnesses and
on our arrival we were asked by Democratic
committee to join them in helping to secure
count of all the votes actually cast We au.