The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1878-05-23
THE FRAUD INVESTIGATION.
Mr.. Peter Seeks the Truth About
Ncyes, Sherman and the Elsc-
ton Of 1876.
Action Delayed but Net Defeated
by Republican. Fillihusti1g.
Full Text Of the Resolutions.

AuE LOG5C III AAAaN LA5Iy 6ANCA .
protracted fight in which the repUb-
Leans exhausted all the arts of par
liamentary fllibustering, and sue
ceeded only in delaying action for
some days:
WHEREAS, The State of Maryland has,
by its Legislature, formally declared 4
due effect was not given to the electoral /
vote cast by that State on the sixth day 4
of December, 1876, by reason OF fraud
ulent returns in the electoral votes from
the States of Florida and Louisiana; and i
WHEREAS, An affidavit by Samuel B.
MeLin, Chairman of the Board OF State
CanVaszers of the State of Florida for
the election held in that State in No
Vember, 1876, for the election Of PreSi- i
dent and Vice President has been made 1
public, alleging false and fraudulent re-
turns for votes for such election IN that /
State, whereby the choice of the people |
Of that State was annulled and reversed,
and that the action Of the Board of State |
Canvassers in making such returns was
Influenced by the conduct and promises |
of the Hon. Edward F. NOyes, now Min /
lister to the Government of France and I
WHEREAS, It Is alleged that a conspi- |
racy existed in the State of Louisiana, /
whereby the Republican vote in all the |
precincts Of the parish of East Felieiana !
and in some pTecints of West Feliciana,
at the general election in November,
1876, was purposely withheld from the
polls to afford pretext for the e1clu-
sion by the Returning Board of that
State Of the vote cast in those precints
| for electors ofPresident and Vice Presi-
dent. and that James Z. Anderson, the
Supervisor of Registration Of East Fell
ciana, and d. A Weber, Supervisor Of
| Registration in West Feliciana, in that
State, in furtherance Of that conspiracy
| falsely protested that the election in such
precints had not been fair and free, and
/ that the State Returning Board there
upon falsely and fraudulently excluded
! the vote of the said precincts and by
means thereof and OF other false and
| fraudulent action by the said Returning
Board, the choice of the people of that
State was annulled and reversed, and
/ that such action OF the said Weber and
Anderson was induced and encouraged
| by the assurances of the Hon. John
| Sherman, Secretary of the Treasury of
/ the United States and
WHEREAS, The gravity Of these
charges, the nature of the evidence upon
which they are reported TO be based and
| the official dignity and position Of the
persons named in connection with the
/ said frauds, make it proper that the
same should be inquired into, to the end
that the honor Of the nation may be vim
dictated and the truth as 10 such elections
be made known therefore, be it
Resolved, That a select committee,
consisting of eleven members Of this
House, be appointed TO inquire into the
Aforesaid allegation as to the persons in
Office aforesaid in respect TO the said
/ election, and into the alleged false and
/ fraudulent canvass S1d return of votes
/ by State, county, parish and precinct Of |
/ ficers in the said States of Louisiana and /
/ Florida, and into all the facts which in |
I the Judgment of said committee are coz
nected with or pertinent thereto, and |
that said committee for the purpose of
executing this resolution, shall have |
power 70 send for persons and papers, |
to administer Oaths and to take testimo- !
ny, and, in their discretion, 20 detail /
subcommittee with like full authority /
of said committee in every particular, /
and with power TO sit in Florida and I
Louisiana, which subcommittee slralI 4
be committees Of this House, and the /
Chairman thereof shall be authorized to
administer oaths; that the said commit
tee and subcommittee may employ
stenographers and be attended each by
deputy sergeant-at-arms, and may sit
during the sessions Of this House and
during the vacation, and that said COM
mittee proceed in this inquiry and have
leave to report at any time.
1t was deemed best by those hav-
ing the subject in charge that Mr..
Potter, who is a ready debater,
should present the resolutions in
stead of General Williams, and the
result proved the wisdom of this
decision, for the Republicans at
once instituted a stormy time, and
finally, by refusing to vote, broke
up a quorum, so that the House |
came to a deadlock and was unable |
to pass the resolutions. Mr.. Pot
ter, finding that the Democratic /
vote alone fell below q quorum had /
no alternative but to move an adj
journment and await the return of !
the Democratic aosentees. These
were telegraphed for and finally, on
Friday there was a quorum present
without including a single republi-
can, and the resolutions passed with /
only two democrats in the negative,
and not q single republican vote |
cast
The introduction of the resolu-
ton produced q decided sensation /
on the Republican side. The Re-
publicans had not anticipated that /
It would be based on the Maryland \
resolution, or that it would incul- |
pate Governor Noyes, Minister to
France, or Secretary John Sherman.
They were, therefore, prompt to raise
a question of order that the proposed /
investigation was not privileged.
Mr.. Potter held that il an inquiry
into the title of the President was
not s question of privilege, the
House could hardly be called to
pass upon q more important ques-
ton, whether privileged or not The
Republicans then wranglsd q good
deal over the rights ofthe States in
the House, and finally settled down
on General Garfield's assumption
thst the question was not one OF
privilege unless It vas based on the
constitutional power of impesch-
ment, and that the house could not
now go into the validity OF the |
IEeSlueuES ute. MI. MllS, OF
Texas, from the Democratic side,
contended that the whole question
was settled in the Forty-fourth /
Congress, and any attempt to inter
fere with that settlement by the
Forty-ffth Congress he regarded as
a usurpation Of power. This dec
laratIOn was loudly spPlsuded on
the Republican side. Mr.. Potter
fully answered Mr.. Mills by saying
that If ever there was a case il
which fraud should be inquired
into i was when that fraud had
been successfully accomplished.
The Speaker thea Euled the reselu-
tons as privileged in a very clear
and concise decision, and recognised