The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-10-18

leries were crowded, and the corridors for
wohours previously werealmost impasst
able. -.'h 5a.a \ rg
At12M. Clerk Adams called the House
to order, read the Presidents proelama.
ton conyening Congress, and called the
roll.
| The Contested Seats. loro'ar
When Louisiana was reached the Clerk
made the following statement m
There were received from the State Of
louisiana, bearing date December 20, 1875,
set of credentials and declaring certain
persons elected from the First, Fourth
and Sixth districts. Inasmuch, however,
as John McEnery was never de tdCto Gov
ernor of Louisiana, and never in point of
fact exercised or performed the functions
of that Office, it is not deemed necessary
to make here any statement concerning
the regularity, or the irregularitya Of the
credentials coming from that sourceljA AM
other set of credentials were signed iiS5by
! Wn. Pitt kellogg, as Governor Of Lopisig
ana with the seal of the State attached
all bearing different dates, and all of
which reached the hands of the clerk
through different channels, declaring per.
sons elected from each of the districts ex-
cept the second, as to which distract no
certificate seems to have been issued by
Governor Kellogg to any one. The law
of Louisiana prescribing the character of
the credetials provides that as soon As pos
sible after the expiration Of the making
returns of an election for representatives
to Congress, certificates of returns shall
be entered on record hy the Secretary of
the State, and signed by those officers
shall be delivered to the persons so elec,
ted and another copy transmitted to the
Clerk of the House of Representatives.
These credentials signed by Governor
Kellogg are in no sense in compliance
with the requirements of the law of Louis.
lana. They do not even purpOrt to be
copy of certificate. On the contrary,
they are simply declaration by Cover
nor kellogg that certain persons were
elected, without even stating the sources
of his information, and they no more coll
stitute credentials, within the meaning
of the law of Louisiana, than a similar
statement from the Treasurer or other
State official woulddo. They cannot,tAere.
fore, be recognized by the Clerk The 9TH
err set of credentials is signed by Cover
nor Nichols and Secretary ofState ArrOys,
with the seal of the State attached, They
declare the persons elected in each ofthe
districts of Louisiana, and conflict with
the certificate signed by Gov. Kellogg,in
reference to two districts only. These
credentials comply with the law of Louis
lana in every respect, and the Clerk has
accordingly placed on the roll the names
of the persons contained in them.
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
to "the Speaker of the House" and he re-
peated the suggestion that as there was
no Speaker the paper should be opened
10y the Clerk. (Murmurs of mol "NoPO
Mr. COX hoped there would beho 4ob.
lection to. the Clerk opening the paper,
The CLERK-InasmuCh as it would
raise question which the Clerk Is not
now prepared to determine, be will leave
the matter to the House after it shall
have organized. - ..,.s H.,r
The CLERK. also stated as to Florida
that he had received the certificates of
Governor Stearns to the election of VIII
liam J. Purman.in the First and HoBatio
Bisbee, Jr, in the Second District, but he
had subsequently received two certificates
from Governor Drew. One of these re-
cited the canvass, which showed the cleo
ton of thurman had been by the Supreme
Court of Florida declared Illegal and
that another canvass had been Nmade in
obedience to the order of the Supreme
Court, which showed the election of Rob.
ert II. M. Davidson from the First district.
Under such circumstances he had felt
bound to place the name ofMr. Davidson
on the roll. The other certificate of Gov
ernor Drew simply declared as othe Sec
ond district that by counting the votes in
certain precinct in Clay county (which
the Board of State Canvassers had reject.
ed and which the Supreme CoqTthad said
could not be legally counted) il .. Finley
would be elected. Under such circum-
stances the Clerk could not see anything
to invalidate the previous certificate in
favor of Bisbee, and he had therefore
placed his name on the roll. s7 ~.
With reference to Colorado, the Clerk
said the certificate presented by James
B. Belford showed that he was elected on
the Sd Of October, l876,at a time not auth.
orized by the laws of the United States,or
of the State Of Colorado, o,while the papers
presented by his competitor (Patterson)
were merely certified copies of abstracts
of votes in the eseveral counties, which the
votes had never been canvassed by any
board of canvassars. The Clerk had there
fore declined to place either name on the
roll but had left the matter for the House
after the organization to determine.
Mr.. HALE (Maine) rose to what he
called question of the highest privilege
| (the right of a member to his scat while
| Mr.. Wood IN. Y rose to what he asser-
ted to be question of the highest priyi-
lege Organization of the House by the
election Of Speaker and tie Clerk stated
nominations for Speaker were now in or.
der.
After some contest on the question Of
precedency the Clerk ruled that the rep.
resentatives elect could NOT, before the or
ganization of the House, take out of his
hands the duty imposed upon him by law,
by directing him either to insert or omit
a name and that the motion ofMr. Wood
to proceed to the elections of Speaker,
must be put. He announced that 2S7
members had answered to their names.
Mr., Woods motion was agreed by lac
ayes to l29 nays.
Election Of Speaker.
Mr., Clymer nominated Samuel j. Ran
dali, of Pennsylvania, and Mr.. Hale, Of
Maine, nominated James A Garfield, oi
Ohio. Messrs. Clymer, Banning, Fort and
Fostor were appointed tellers, and Mr