National Republican., 1882-07-17
The Contested Cases.

MIR. Calkins, chairman of the House
Committee on Elections has set things
in motion for the further publication of
the House of Representatives. Upon
his request the caucus of the Republicans
determined on having quorum in their
seats by Tuesday, and the wide-awake
Sergeant-at-Arms, Colonel Hooker, at
once commenced using the telegraph
| for that purpose. He has all along had
perfect understanding with the abb
scntees for their prompt response to tele-
grams, and is now assured of quorum
at the desired time. The cases of Smalls
VS.. Tillman and of Shelley VS.. Smith are
the only ones now on the calendar of the
House. All others are still in committee.
In these cases the committee report
against the sitting members. These re-
ports will undoubtedly be adopted, Civ
ing Smalls the seat now occupied by Till
man and leaving vacant the seat now
held by Shelley.
In Buchanan VS.. Manning the commit
tee has as yet made no report and no de-
| cision. 1t has been considered by sub
committee of five, viz: Calkins, Jacobs,
and Pettibone, Republicans; Jones, Inde-
pendent, and Atherton, Democrat. Two
Republicans and one Democrat sustain
Manning, while one Republican and the
Independent say he is not entitled to the
seat. Thus it will be seen that the one
Bourbon on the subcommittee is for his
fellow Bourbon, while the four anti
Bourbons are equally divided. Messrs.
Calkins and Jacobs agree that crime and
| fraud were flagrant at the election, but
they rule out the twelve precincts only
in which fraud was directly proven. In
other precincts the evidence of fraud,
though hcircumstantial, is, in the estimation
of Messrs. Pettibone and Jones, sufficient
to show that Manning was not legally
elected. The full committee will meet
tomorrow, and will decide by majority
report which of the two views to adopt
The statement of Mr.. Calkins, although
not favorable to unseating Mr.. Manning,
is terrible arraignment of the Bourbon
offenders for their crimes against the
ballot-box. Mr.. Atherton will not be
likely to read it in the House if the case
shall come up on report adverse to
Manning. 1t is our hope and belief that
the full committee will decide that Mr.
Manning is entitled to go home and sub
NIT to a fair election By The people Of his dis.
trict. The measures res orted to by the
Bourbon officials to make fraud easy
and the positive proofs of swindling in
| 4.pnlya ,,rani i,,pt in thn canpnl die nj Ct
neutralize all presumptions Of fair play
1t is easier to discredit some of the Bour.
bon witnesses who SO carefully guarded
the ballot.boxes against fraud when
these had been illegally removed from
the polling places than it is to believe
that Manning overcame the solidity Of
the colored vote, which he SO positively
asserted to the Greenback candidate ex.
listed, and would be sure to beat him il
the latter remained in the field.
The case of Lee VS.. Richardson (South
Carolina) will also be acted on tomorrow
by the full committee. Mr.. Pettibone, O
the subcommittee, is of the opinion that
it is equal in enormities to any that has
been presented to the House. Anderson
VS.. Reed and Stovall VS.. Cabell will also
be acted upon by the committee to-mor
row.
With the reports which the committee
shall make in these cases the House vii
be sure to agree, and the country to bt
content Just judgments are terror t.
evil-doers. The only way to insure the
freedom of elections in the South is tc
demonstrate that only those who car
show behind them free ballot and a fail
count can hold seats among the repre-
sentatives of the people.