New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-02-02
FLORIDA SENT TO THE TRIBUNAL.
AN IMPOSING coURT-ARGuMENTs 10 BEGIN TO-DAY
"A DECISION BY TUESDAY,
rpY TELEGRAPH TO TIE rRBUSEi


fpY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRtBUSE.l
| WAsHIyGTox Feb. 1.-Immediatcly after the sep
araton of the two houses of Congress this afternoon
the Electoral Commission met in the Supreme Court
room The doors OF the gallery, which is to be re-
| served for the use of correspondents, were not
opened for L. or 20 minutes after the session began
but when the newspaper representatives, were al
mittcd the tribunal was in session perfcctlng ar
rangements for hearing the FLORIDA case at its meet
| ing tomorrow morning.
| The commission when in session is very dignited
and august body. Justice Clifford occupies the seat
of the Chief-Justice with Justices Miller and Strong
on his right hand and Justices Field and Bradley on
| his left Beyond Justice Strong sit Senators Ed
| munds, Morton, aud Frelinghuysen, ana Senators
Thurman and Bayard occupy the seats Of the Clerk
of tue Court Beyond Justice Bradley sit Messrs
Pavne Hunton, aud Abbott, who Gen. Garfield
and George I. Hoar sit in the place of the Marshal
OF the Court. Immediately in front of the bench
are the tables occupied by the oficia! reporters
Within the bar al table placed in the center sat
| to-day Representatives. jerks Tucker, and Field.
| Jeremiah Black, ex-senator Trumbull. and r. I.
| Merrick were at a table on the right and Samuel
| Shalabarger at one on the left. Behind tpesc
| another long table has been placed, occupied this
| afternoon by Senators and Representatives who
had signed protests against counting the votes OF
Florida and by gentlemen who have been retained as
| counsel Among these were William NJ Evarts, r.
W. Stoughton, Stanley Matthews, Charles OConor
| VIM f. Chandler, and others. Abouta dozen gem
tlemen not present in an official capacity, also sat
| within the bar Among them we're VIM. Beach Law
renee of Rhode Island, the eminent writer on inter
national law; the historian, George Bancroft,
! Senator Stevenson of Kentucky, and Col. FELTON,
About half dozen ladies and three or four gentle
| I'm, ti,o g,tats
| the Supreme Court il in session.
The business of the commission this afternoon dur
| ing its public session simply preliminary. The
directors were requested TO name their counsel, and
| a plan OF procedure was agreed upon. Then, on
motion OF oae Of the members OF the commission, its
public sessions were adjourned until 1920 to-inor-
row. when arguments iii tine Florida case viii begin
Under the rules of the commission tomorrow
| morning Mr.. Field and Randolph Tucker will
! have the floor for two hours the Florida cases
| They will be followed by Senator Sargent and NI.
McCrary az the directors to the Tiden returns
| from that STATE. When these speeches have been
made and the objections thus fully set forth the
case itself will come up in form, aud TWO hours Will
~ allowed under the rules TO the counsel on each
| side.
| One very important decision was made 10y the
commission to-day. The Democratic lawyers APP
pear willing, if not anxious, 10 consume great deal
of time in talking. and would like to have had the
rule allowing two hours for arguments Oh each side
Of every dispute so construed as to make every
separate point presented. dispute thus opening
the way TO an enormous flood Of oratOry The COM
mission decided TO consder all objections relating to
Florida as forming single case, and thus the sum
total of the speeches the whole Florida question
cannot aggregate over eight hours.
| As to the Important matter VI the admission OF