Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1880-06-05
FROM EXTRA.
The Credential Committees Report,
1t is Agreed to by the Convention
Except the Portions in Dispute.


the chair called the convention
to order. 1t being now one o'clock,
he Immediately introduced Hon. Omar
D. Conger, chairman of the committee
on credentials, and in behalf of tle
committee apologized for the delay in
deciding the case before them. He
represented the difficulties under
which they labored, that they had
been almost continuously and
laboriously in session for over
two days, the committee had consider
ed all cases with candor and fairness,
and without dispute, except on the
various questions. The committee
report a roll Of members. In the
Louisiana contest they recommend
the admission Of the Warmoth dele
CATION, aud the exclusion Of the Beat
tie delegation; the report discusses
the organization of the convention Of
the state of Louisiana: they find that
the bolt was without cause, and they
recommend the admission of james
I. Rapier, from the 4th congressional
district. Alabama-this case is also
traversed; they also advise that Smith
and Warner, who were duly elected
by the district convention, should be
admitted in place of Arthur Bingham
and r. H. Mosely, jr,, of the 7th dis
trict of Alabama. In the Illinois
case, the committee recommend the
following changes; In the ninth con-
gressional district the committee con-
testants are admitted in place of the
sitting members. The I'd
siOnal district (west side Chicago
remains unchanged. The districts
in which changes are made in ILL
nois are, the LIST, Sd, 4th, 9th, 9Th
9th, 10th, 18th, 18th. The com
mittee report in favor Of retaining
of the four delegates at
large from Illinois. In Kansas four
district delegates are reported in place
Of sitting members. In Pennsylvania
the Ninth and Nineteenth districts
sitting members are recommended as
entitled to hold their seats. In West
Virginia the sitting members are en-.
titled to their seat in contested cases.
The committee rehearses the call of
the national committee as the basis
for their action on all contested cases.
Applause greeted the paragraph
where allusion is made to the con-
gressional district representation,
and refers to previous calls to Sustain
their position, and shows the justice
of their decision. The calls of 1856,
1860, 1864, and all others down to the
present date, were the same in this
respect as the calls Of this year, and
all were adopted with a purpose to re-
move doubts and make district repre-
sentation a principle that could not be
controverted or disputed.
The committee also say that state
conventions, too, have in almost every
case decided that congressional dis
tricts should have representation in
the national convention as they have
elected them. The rights Of repre-
sentatives 50 elected have ever been
regarded as sacred, and should not
now be invaded for the first time in
the history of the party by this con-
vention. The committee declares the
purpose ofthe convention is to select
the candidate most likely to be
elected, and the nearer we get to the
true feeling of the people.
the wiser and safer will be
that selection. If state conventions
may select delegates to a national con-
v%ention who do not represent the feel.
ings of the people, then those state
conventions might as we'll select all
delegates from a single district in the
state. This overriding of the will of
the people cannot be too severely cen-
sured. In the Utah case the com
mittee favors retaining the sitting
members as being in accord with these
principles. Applause. Mr.. Conger
SAID Mr.. Clayton ARK would present
the minority report of the committee
on credentials. This report differs
from the majority on the application
of the principle of the district repre-
sentation. Applause and cheers
They declare that the majority offer
an ex. parte factor rule to be applied
in this convention and one which will