New-York tribune., 1878-04-16
pTA1RS MEMORIAL IN THE HOUSE.


OF GREAT EXCITEMENT BARELY PREVENTED
lBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBuNE.l
WAsutNGToN. April 15.--Mr. Montgomery Blair
had his brief hour in the House to-day. Ihe DaVlu
Dudlev Field quo wauantO bill was introduced ny
Representative Kimmell, and Governor Swami tol-
lowed soon after with the memorial of the Mary
land Legislature.
No Republican seemed to notice the presentation
of the Kimmell BILL and no objection was maze 10
its reference to the Judiciary Committee; ou'
when the Blair memorial offered by Governor
Swami and was read, objection was Immediately
made by many on the Republican side, and points
of order were raised to prevent its reception Gen
eral Garfield led the opposition, and claimed that
the ouestion treated of in the memorial had Oeeh
settled bv both Houses of Congress- and that there
fore the resolutions should not be received. lie also
insisted that no rule of the House, nor anyprece-
dent. required the reception of the memorial any
more than it would require the reception OF Dill 10
subveIt the Government.
The House was rapidly drifting into state OF IN
tense excitement, when the hour of O'Clock arrived
and some called the regular order, which caused
the whole subject to 90 over until next Monday.
The Republicans seem to have been taken entirely
by surprise to-day and to have placed themselves
in false position by their contest against the re-
ception of the MARYLAND memorial To begin with
their opposition would have been of no value even
If the HOuse had decided that the memorial should
not be received, because the subject had already
been sent to the Judiciary Committee, in the
David Dudley Field quo warrantO bill, which was
introduced and referred without having been OBJ
served by the Republicans.
In the secOLd place, there is no reason to believe
that the Democrats intend to do anything with
the proposition in any form, and if the memorial
Is allowed to 90 TO a committee it will
pf fl,o
Congress At the same time the Democrats
have traditional notions in regard to the pre-
roRatives of the States; and an attempt to
prevent the reception of the joint resolutions of
State Legislature will be regarded by them and
by many Republicans as an interference with State
sovereignty. and an attempt to deprive State of
its manifest rights under the Constitution. The
Republicans therefore, would have been defeated
today il vote had been reached on the questions
they raised and it is not good policy to enter con-
test of this kind without at least an even chance OF
success. Influential Democrats of the House also
say that the opposition of the Republicans to the
reception of the memorial to-day was in conflict
with Republican traditions, well those OF the
Democratic party. The anti-slayery party, which
was the forerunner of the Republican party,
made memorable contests in Congress for similar
rights The Democrats before the ln-
sisted that slavery was not subject 10
be dealt with by Congress, and adopted
a rule directing that all petitions upon
this subject should be laid upon the table, and
not considered. 1t was this Tule which the
champions Of the antisavery cause justly regarded
as a denial of the right Of petition, and it was in
reference to it that Of the most notable his
torical debates in the House occurred.
From all that can be learned upon the subject, it
is evident that Democratic majority opposes the
proposition to reopen the presidential count on its
merits although the members of that party wOuld
certainly vote unanimously to refer the Maryland
resolutions. Speaker Randall said tonight that
the subject cannot probably come up before the
House again until next Monday.
Ii was noticeable that either side of
the chamber during the contest to-day, had q word
10 say in defence of the memorial OF in favor of the
David Dudley Field quo warrantO bill
The next step contemplated by those who are en-
gineeTng the Blair resolutions Is to an inyes
tigatOn by the Committee on the Judiciary of all
matters pertaining TO the electoral struggle of last
Winter, aud the strength of such a sensation as
they say they produce to enforce the reporting
OF their bill and its passage through the House
The number of Democrats who are engaged III this
scheme Is very small, and there very few who
expect TO hear from the bill again.