National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1877-01-18

in cases where crops havo been destroyed by
grasshoppers. Referred.
Also, introduced bill to establish land dis
triet in the Black Hills region. Referred.
RIeHr OF SUFFRAGE In THE DISTRICT.
Mr.. WILLARD, of Mich. presented memo
rial, signed by over two hundred workingmeu Of
the District Of Columbia, praying for selEgov-
eminent and the right of suffrage in any form OF
govsrnment that may be prepared for tho Dis
trict Of Columbia. Referred to the special COM
mission Of the government Of the District Of Co.
lumbia
On motion Of Mr.. BANNING, of Ohio, the &c
expectancy and utility of constructing harbor OF
refuge on the Ohio river, at the mouth Of Mill
creek at Cincinnati.
THE REcUsAST BARNES TO PRODUCE THE TELE-
GRAMS.
Mr.. CAULsIELD, of ILL.,, from the Committee
on the Judiciary, to which was referred the letter
addressed to the Speaker yesterday, by Z. W.
Barnes, offering to produce the kilograms called
mitted to 60 at once to New Orleans in the Gus
tody Of deputy sergeant-a alarms of the House,
to procure the said dispatches; that he bring said
mittee in Washington within ten days, and that
he abide the further orders Of the House. 90, g.
M. TURNEY, Of Pa, offered bill to amend
so much Of section Az or the Revised Statutes
as relates to the transportation of petroleum. On
steamboats, carrying Passengers. Referred T.
MI. LANE, Of Oregon introduced bill to pro-
q the r..
Appropriations, reported tho Indian appropria:
ton bill, and it was referred to the Committee Of
the Whole, and made the special order for to-
. THE ELECTORAL COUNT PRoBLaM.
Mr.. HARRIS. of Va, offered Q preamble and
resolution recitins that 1t provided BY article
?. section Of, the Constitution Of the United
Cs-ko khnvA aI 20 hall Nfv.ft L.
sI humber Of eeesdrs Of President and
Vice President equal TO the whole number of Sen
ators and Reprssentatiyes In Congress to which
Constitution IL was provided that the person hay
int the greatsst number Of votes, provided 1t was
elected President; and, Therefore, instructing the
special Committee on the Powers, Privileges and
Duties Of the House to inquire and report what
Constitution to elect President and Vice Presi-
dent Of the United States. Referred to the spe-
cial committee.
THE LOUISIANA RETURNING BOARD.
The House then resumed the sheraton of
the report made yesterday by Mr.. LYNDE from
the Committee on the Judiciary in relation to the
Returning Board Of Louisiana, and the time for
debate was extended one hour, giving in all two
Mr.. OBRiEN, of Nd, argued that the House
could compel the Returning Board to produce the
papers.
MI. HOAR, of Mass, said he would not allude
tothe exciting political question growing out OF
constitutional right Of the House to call upon any
State to give up its records and archives. He
was clear In his own mind that 1t had no such
been called upon to defend the rights of the States
before Democratic House Of Representatives.
had already BEEN settled by the Supreme s GoaTt
oflthe United States. Each Of the two authori-
ties. the Federal Government and each State
for ITSELF was supreme in certain cases, and each
authority is paramount In certain matters.
He laid down the broad proposition that What
ever power the United States has to compel the
authorities Of State to take the records Of o
State and hold them, the same authority vested
in the State TO compel the United States offcers
of The s.se this Hou,.
Representatives can compel the journal clerk Of
the Legislature Of New York to bring his papers
and thus deprive the New York Legislature Of
them, then the Legislature Of New York may also
call for documents In any Department Of the Gov
& etionS Of that Department The Supreme Court
had decided that in certain eases the States were
sovereign, and there were certain things the
ferred to decision made by the Supreme Court
some years ago, and delivered by Justice Nelson,
income tax UPON the salaries Of State ofcers and
the decision set forth that If that could be en-
forced the sovereignty Of the State would be In
Now, does any one believe or suppose that II
the Congress cannot impose an income tax on
state officers, to make them aid in paying the
expenses Of the United States, because 1t would
cripple State sovereignty, that you can compel
the production Of records and papers which were
absolutely essential to the government Of the
MI. BLAND, Of Mo-, inquired If it was not true
that in the case of contested election for q
OF esd p
Tit could be done in that case. could it not be
Mr. HOAR admitted that ballots were called
| for in the n contest in (,OnQrasa lint the
papers called for by this committee do not affect
. local election, but @ matter Of the greatest
papers or records affecting tie election Of Gov.
ernor or state Legislature, or Of electors for
President and Vice President, were essential to
ereignty Of the State. Congress could not lay
hands these papers, for BY doing so II may stop
| the operations Of the State government.
D." Mr.. HEREFORD.
NJ HEREFORD, Of West Virginia, said that
there was no purpose, originally, to take the
papers out Of che State Of Louisiana. but the Re-
| fore the committee in New Orleans. These rec
rights Of the people; and the people have right
scrds He asserted that the Louisiana Returning
Board had no legal existence whatever, and 1,
had no right to the records called for. Their. has
bate about the rights of the Slater; but when
Governors were deposed and Legislatures were in.
az the Of
States. The papers even Of q court supreme or
otherwise, were subject to inspection, and yet It Is
Returning Poard, and that 1t cannot be compelled
to produce papers.
Mr.. BANKS, of Mass, said there was no anal.
| ogy whatever between the papers in possession
Of this Returning Board and the records Of the
Supreme Court. The records Of the Supreme
Court were the records Of cases, and their produc
ton did not in any degree affect the authority or
the existence Of the court Any one is allowed to
their loss would not touch the existence of the
court. There was, therefore, no parallel between
are the papers on which the very existence Of the
State government or the Government OF the
nal returns upon which are based the existence
Of these State governments, and without which
it cannot show authority for any OF Its acts You
this was made upon State government for origi-
nal papers.
Mr.. soUTHARD.
Hr. SOUTHARD. of Ohio, said he could call
attention to case where this had occurred. On
January 10, 1878, the Committee on Privileges
and Elections Of the Senate were inquiring into
the State government of Louisiana, and they had
all the records and papers Of the State before
them and examined them. They were all pub
lished in q report then submitted to the Senale.
Applause on the 10Or and in the galleries..
MI. HOAR, Of Mass, moved that the galleries
The SPEAKER suggested that the applause
there was the fault Of the members on the floor,
who started it.
Mr.. HOAR said that they should then be
cleared, for he did not wish them to be subjected
to the bad example of the floor.
The SPEAKER warned the floor and the gal
leries not to repeat the applause.
Mr.. BANKS, resuming, said that the case re-
ferred to by Mr.. Southland was not ana Joyous to
the one under consideration. (Derisive laughter
on the Democratic side.l The Senate was at that
time inquirng which one Of the conflicting state
governments of Louisiana should be recognized.
II was question, then, whether there was q
government in the State. In this case, however,
the papers affect the election Of the President OF
the United States, and is national matter, aud
IL these papers should be lost or destroyed the
very evidence Of the election of President might
be also destroyed. He wanted also to call atten-
tiOn to the fact that the authorities of the State
Of Louisiana gave as o reason for not surrender
ing these papers that they had heretofore given
up papers to q Congressional committee and they
had been lost, and they do not wish to put other
State papers in jeopardy. If given up, these pa
pers may be lost by accident or be destroyed by
design, and thus the very election Of the Presi-
dent might be imperiled., r..s .- 60. T,
He did not want to be understood az saying
that Q committee would destroy them, but the
manifestations Of applause In the galleries, and
the historical yell which We hear so often now
shows to what length psrtisanship may carry
people in this matter. The ground given IN the
report for calling for these papers is that public
rumor asserts that there has been fraud in the
| ,Anff hA AL Af4. .-1NA f,.T