New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-06-02
AT THE NATIONAL CAPITAL
COLONEL BISBEE SEATED.
fBY TELEGRAPH To THE TRIDUyE.l

lBY TELEGRAPH TIE TRIBUSE.l
WASHINGTON, June $50 far the House of
Representatives is concerned the Solid South is not
| so solid as 1t was yesterday morning. The lid
District of Sonth Carolina and the lid District
| of Florida are now both represented by men who
were the choice of majority of the voters in those
districts. No thanks are due to the Democrats i'm
the House for this result for tonight, as last night
they stubbornly refused to vote, and compelled the
| majority to keep a quorum composed of their own
members
This is the fourth Congress in succession in which
the seat of the sitting member from the Hid Florida
District has been contested, and what is still more
remarkable, in every case the contestant has been
awarded the seat and i'll three of these cases Mr.
Finley has been of the parties. In the XLIVth
Congress he contested the seat of Walls colOred
| Republican, and admitted April 10, 1876.
In the XLVth Congress Finley. contested the right
| of Bisbee the sitting member, and on
February 20, 1870 near the end of
that Congress. Bisbac was unseated and
| Finley again admitted. In the XLYIth Congress
Hull, Democrat who narrowly escaped soiourn in
the Penitentiary, was seated n certificate gained
| by means of fraud on January 20, 1881. Near the
end of that Congress, Hull was unseated by a Demo-
cratic House and BSbee was admitted. To the
present Congress Finley received a certificate of
election on the ground that he had received an al
| legged majority of 1,1j2 votes.
Mr. Ranney, of Massachusetts,, who prepared the
report in favor Of Colonel Bisbee's title to the seat
made the opening argument today There is no
point IN the case or in the volumnous record of the
testimony, that Mr.. Ranney had not carefully ex-
amined, and his speech to-day
keen and thorough but wholly dispassion-
ate analysis and review of the whole
matter Accepting his promises, which appeared
|
! there was no escape from Mr. Ranneys conclusions.
While the frauds in this election were less iagrant
than in the decided yesterday they were no less
effective in thwarng the viii of The majority as Mr.
| Ranney was able to show. In Madison County the
| same means were used to prevent Colonel Blsbee
from obtaining necessary legal evidence in support
Of his title Which TesOrted TO with such success
| in the of WtherspOOn in the Ist Florida Dis
trict an account of which recently published in
| TIE TPBUNE In Madison County Bsbee's attor-
| ney and the notary before whom the testimony was
| taken. were set upon by a mob and driven away
while Bisbees witnesses were 0yerawed by threats
| of violence aud thus stampeded. The militia was
| called ont Ostensibly to preserve the peace. but
really 70 terrorize the Republlcans and that object
| was accomplished.
Mr. Belfzhooyer, Of Pennsylvania, another men,
| beg of the Elections Committee, spoke about two
hours in favor of Finley and tried without success
| to weaken and overihrown Mr. Ranney's position
| AS a sample of Mr. Beltzhooyers arguments 1t may
| be mentioned that several hundred qualified Re-
publican voters, whose votes had not been included
| in the returns of the Democratic election
| managers had severally sworn that they did
vote the Republican ticket, and this testimony
| is all set out in the printed record Mr. BetzhooVcr
| held that this evidence, being that Of iIterate
cOlOred voters, should be rejected and the votes
with it. because it did not appear in the record
that the voters were subjected to eross-examina-
| tiOn. Mr.. Jones of Texas the Greenback
| member of the Elections Committee who made
a speech in favor Of Colonel Mackey Yesterday,
| his impartaty. His speech was listened to atten-
lively by members OF both sides of the House. and
his rather vehement manner OF stating propositions
of nf vypr
| heartily enjoyed by the Republicans. The Demo
Gratis appear to be unable to appreciate Orenoy any
| thing Mr. Jones may say They evidently dislike
Soon after o'clock the previous question was de-
MANI d and obtained without division, the Demo-
Gratis for once showing CLEAN OF sense and refrain
naming hour for debate should be equally divided
| between the contestant and contestee, and MIR.
| Finley, who never makes speeches. gave his half
| hour TO Mr. McMlin fiery and untamed states
man from Tennessee. The first part OF Mr. Nc MI
which nobody who knows that gentleman
well will feel inclined to dispute
and yet it hardly seemed sufficient reason why Mr.
| Finley should continue to occupy seat winch
| rightfuliy belongs TO another man. Mr. McMililn
did not appear 30 well after he passed from the de-
scripticn OF Mr.. Finey's oyable traits into a dis
cussOn Of the merits OF the case and he had cyl
| IDENTIFY not given them as much atteutl0n as ne
should have done. Colonel Bisbee got only small
| fragment of his half hour before, under pre-
vous order which the Democrats stubbOrnly
refused allow To DE vacated, the House was COM
PEELED 20 take q until o'clock. Colonel
| Bsbee, who is "A pleasant an interesting speaker,
succeeded, however in engaging the earnest atten
| ton of the House, and after tho recess began
Republican III mbers very generally declared that
every lncuber of the majority would be on hand at
the evening session III order to hi the quorum and
dispose of The case.
At the evening session Colonel Bisbee completed
his short but excellent argument Iii his owH BEHALF
and Il vote was Immediately taken on the rcsolu
tons OF the committee, which were SdOpted-yc3S,
Ill nays .. The negative votes were cast by two
ReadjusieT Democrats, = Regular Democrats-Ilatd-
enbelgh aud HOman-and five tireenbackers.
Colonel Bistee was then sworn III. and Mr. Hazel
ton, of Wisconsin, called up the LOwe-N heeer con-
| tested election case.
question of consideration raised against it,
and then unanimous consent was given for General
Wheeler to make statement i'll his own behalf. lie
sJd that the case had been hurried through by the
committee without giving sufficient time for con-
slderRtiun ana argument that the printed reports
in the case were received only today and thai of
tie three members who had expected TO speak in
his behalf two absent and one Ill. Others had
been selected but had not yet found time TO pre-
pare themselves Chairman Calkins asked
whether if time should be given the mi
nority would permit the case theu to be
taken up and disposed of without hhbuslellng,
or whether the maj OrIty wOnld DC required 10 keep
a quorum present Of its own members. Mr.. henna,
or behalf Of the minority, replied that the majority
would be compelled to have a quorum OF It's own
was .hea taken and the case was formally brought
up for action-yeas 14s; nays, 4. Its c0nsldeIa-
ton vii. be proceeded with tomorrow, and II Is eX-
peCted that u final vote will be taken Oh Saturday.
A EFTITCVANT WITNESS