Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-01-12

II might be supposed chat the fund


= Itmight be supposed that the funda-
mental principles upon which repose the
rights of representatives in this country
were tolerably well settled by this time.
But such seems not to be the case. at
least so far as some of the leading Re-
publican members of Congress are con-
cerned. In the contested case of Dele
gate from Utah these Republicans de-
mand that Campbell shall be admitted
to a seat, though it is acknowledged that
Cannon. his opponent. received at the
election ten votes to his one. The
ground upon which this pretension in
favor of Campbell is raised is that Can
non is polygamist, and, moreover, an
unnaturalized foreigner. These may be
good reasons for the rejection of Cannon,
but they do not strengthen in the least
= Campbelps claim to seat. If on inves-
tigation it should turn out that Cannon.
though receiving an overwhelming ma
jOrity of the votes of the territory. is not
entitled to seat, it is certain that Camp
bells pretension is as barren as if he had
received no votes at all.
Are the Republican leaders in Con-
gress utterly oblivious of the memora-
bic struggle a hundred years ago in En-
gland when the great question involved
in this case was finally and authorita-
lively settled? John Wilkes defeated
Colonel Luttrell by an overwhelming
vote for the House of Commons But
the majority. in obedience to the COM
mand of the Tory Administration, adj
mitted Luttrell to seat with his hand
full of votes on the ground that as
Wilkes was disqualified, all the votes
cast for him were illegal and void, pre-
cisely the position taken in behalf of
the man who was not elected Delegate
in Utah. But the British people indig-
nantly rejected this doctrine. Burke
Numbered in the Commons against the
act as an outrage upon the rights of
representation, and denounced the ma
lOrity for having reversed alike the rules
of arithmetic and common sense. After
fierce struggle running through many
years the Ministry responsible for the
attack upon sound representative prin-
ciples were overthrown. Colonel Lut-
trell was elected, and Wilkes, as a
member of the House of Commons, had
the proud satisfaction of drawing with
his own hand deep black lines of era
sure through every vote, motion and
resolution on the journal connected
with the former admission of Luttrell.
To make this ceremony forever memoir
able. it was performed in the presence
of the assembled representatives of the
British Nation. 1t was the solemn pro-
test of a liberty-loving people against Il
dangerous violation of the rights of rep
resentatiOn.
Have the Republicans in Congress a
mind to overthrow this great precedent?
To the people of this country it is a
matter of small concern who shall be
the Delegate in Congress from Utah, or
whether the Territory shall have dele
gate at all. The Delegate has no vote,
and can exercise extremely small inffu-
=ence in political affairs. But it does
concern this country very much that the
great and inestimable right of repre-
sentatiOn shall not be assailed under pre-
tense of q superior regard for the cause
of morality. If Cannon does not possess
the proper qualifications for a Delegate
let him be rejected. But the admission
of a man who VIGOROUSLY was not
. elected and was not the choice of one out
of ten of the voters of the Territory,
would be a gross fraud upon the princi-
Piles of representation, and precedent
fraught with danger to republican in
-stitutions. During the baleful period of
reconstruction there were instances of
the admission of carpet-bag members
by INSCRIPTIONS majOrities upon pre-
tensions entitled to no more respect
than is due to the claim of the Utah
contestant. But these acts, performed
in time of political violence. will not
serve for examples now when the coun-
try would gladly forget them--Ha7Y9s-
burg pa Patriot.