Daily globe., 1879-04-25
ELECTION CONTESTS.
The House Getting Ready to Consider.
1hesn-TAe DOnneIly- WasAbara, Testtnso-
7ay to be Printed.

The House Getting Ready to Consider.
Then,-TAe D0nnelly- Washbara, Testtn,o-
ny to be Printed. 80
Washington Special april 23) Chicago Tri-
bune-Rep.
The House committee on elections held
meeting this morning and decided to hear
arguments in the cases of the contestants
from the Eighth and Ninth Congressional
districts of Iowa on the 18th prox.. on which
occasion they have invited all the Iowa Rep
resentatives to be present The claimant
from the Eighth district is one j. @. Holmes,
who has forwarded to the committee as
part of his case the poll books showing the
names of the persons who voted for him.
This election" appears to have been held
in only four rural townships in the district,
and the whole number of votes cast was l72.
At the regular election in October, 1878,
3O,560 votes were cast in this district, of
which 5 @
THE SITTING MEMBER REoK1yED 15,345.
MIR. Holmes, who appears to have been at
that time modest, retiring sort of person
compared with what he is now, sent to st.
Louis and had lot of tickets printed with
his name as candidate for Representative.
These he took to four obscure townships on
the Missouri border, and there his 172
friends voted for him on the 9th of Novem-
ber. It is doubtful if so inexpensive can
vass or 80 quiet an election was ever before
conducted in this country.
Mr.. John J. Wilson, who claims the seat
to which Gov. Carpenter was elected by
about 1000 majority in total vote of 80, ,124,
received some 25O votes in quiet 'seleotion"
similar to that of Mr.. Holmes. It will be
remembered that prior to the last election q
question was raised by the Democrats as to
whether the Iowa election for Representatives
should be held in October or November.
After q thorough examination of the llw and
the constitution Of that State, it was unani-
mously held by Democrats as we'll as by Re-
publican lawyers that the second Tuesday in
October was
THE PROPER DAY.
All the parties put their candidates in the
field, and the election was held on that day.
Notwithstanding all this consideration of the
subject beforehand, and the farcical nature
there are already indications that majority
of the House committee on elections are
determined to report against the legality of
the October election, and to recommend that
all the seats of all the Iowa members be de-
clared vacant on the ground that no legal
election for Representatives was held in that
State last year. Chairman Springer is un-
derstood to have said that he should be glad
to vote to sustain the legality of the October
election
IF HE COULD DO so
consistently. 1t is probable that in case {
majority of the committee agree to recon
mend that the seats of the present member
be declared vacant, they will withhold thei
1 report until near the close of the presen
session in order that these. members ma,
participate in the proceedings of this ses
sion. new election can then be held be
fore the beginningof of the. next regular ses
sion of Congress. If this is done it will un
doubtedly be an advantage to the Republi
cans. who feel confident of regaining th
two districts now represented by the Green
back members Gillette and Weaver.
The committee have opened the papers il
the case of
DoNNELLY AGAINST wAsHBURN
in the Third Minnesota district, and ordere
them to be printed, but no time has bee
set for hearing.
The papers in the case of Curtin agains
Yocum, Gleenbacker, Seventeenth Pennsy!
vania district, will be opened tomorrow
, The testimony IN this caso is very volunir
{ GUS, and if all is printed will make a volum
, of over 5000 pages. Washburn receive
!, 3012 majority over Donnelly, and Yocu1
, but 70 over Curtin. The former contef
: would probobly not have been made but fo
, the personal enmity on the part of the con
testant, and if the case is treated with any
) thing like fairness Mr.. Washburn will re
4 tain his seat.