New-York tribune., 1878-03-29
A CONFEDERATE OUTRAGE.

arm r,grp. OF MASSACHUSETTS, DEPRIVED OF THE
SEAT TO WHICH HE WAS LEGALLY ELECTED.
IBr TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIDUNE.l
WASHINGTON, March 2s.-The Democrats, by the
aid of General Butler and the vote of Speaker Ram
dali. turned out of the House. to-day, MI Field
Repl who was fairly elected. and placed in his seat
AR Dean. who was the choice of minority of the
vo,ers of his district only.
This contest has been by far the most interesting
ope of the present Congress. The testimony, which
~as very volumnous was referred by the Commit
Zoe on Elections to subcommittee, consisting OF
Nessrs Potter Williams (Ala.), and Hiscock.
lessrs Potter and HiscOck reported that Mr. Field
was entitled to his seat, and Mr.. Williams made
minority report in favor of Mr.. Dean. The full COM
rttee adopted the latter report though two OF the
Democrats, Messrs. Potter and Gambler, refused 10
sgree to it,
sifted down, the question turned on the correct
ness of two separate counts of the votes The eec-
hon law in Massachusetts requires the ballot boxes
10 be turned emptied every hour and the in
snectors make secret count of the number of bal
lots cast during each hour. At the end OF the day
they add together the hourly counts and
announce the result. In Boston 1t has
heen proved by experience that many
mistakes are made in the hourly counts by the cleo
lion officers. and in order that these mistakes may
II,
IS expressed, the votes shall be recOunted by the
Board Of Aldermen. The count on election day in
1876. gave Mr.. Dean very small majority, and al
though there was no suspicion of fraud or unfair
.ounting. the vote was so close that recount
vas ordered by the Board of Aldermen. Now ii has
been the universal experience in Boston that when
the votes at an election are recounted by the Board
,f Aldermen mistakes in the origina! count have
been discovered, and the last and more careful
count has been the accepted one. When the Board
If Aldermen recOunted the votes in the lAth Dis
Hct in 1876 they found that majority had been
.ast for Mr.. Field.
The question for the House of Representatives to
aecide was. (Which of these two counts was most
likely to have been correct 7" All of the Republi-
sans of the House except General Butler, and such
.areful and conscientious Democrats as Mr.. Clark
son n. Potter and Mr.. Gambler, and about haf-a-
1ozen Others decided in favor of the last and more
careful one. The remainder of the Democrats and
General Butler said the count made on election day
was the one that should be accepted.
The first vote last evening was on the substitute
Of the minority, declaring Mr. Field to be entitled
TO retain his seat On this the House was evenly
divided even after the Speaker had voted with his
party friends and the resolution was lost. Every
member of the House was either present and voted,
OF was paired, except Mr.. Chapman Freeman, of
Pennsylvania, who was supposed to be IN Philadel-
phia but who, it turned out. was at his room in
this city SICK If he had been present yesterday, or
had been paired, Mr. Field would have retained his
seat.
This morning the first thing In order was vote
On the original resolution seating Alr. Dean. Mr;
Freeman was present, but the Democratic slde OF
the House was SO thin that the Democrats filibus-
tered for nearly an hour before they were wiling
that the vote should be taken. Then the division
of the House was exactly it yesterday and the
Republicans felt encouraged After the call was com;
peted, Mr. J. Taylor Jones, of Alabama rose and SAID
he voted for Mr. Fields admission. yesterday, be-
eause he thought that was the law of Massachusetts
but the House having decided otherwise he voted
now for Mr.. Dean. This vote made a tie and gave
award the seat to Mr.. Dean. The vote as It was an
nounced was 124 for Dean to 1913 for Mr. Field, and
the Democrats and General Butler are happy.