The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1883-10-18
John Goode, Jr.
CONFRONTED BY THE CONGRESSIONAL
RECORD.

Many people do not know John Goode,
Jr., and his record, a part OF the latter be-
ing here presented. as it appears in the
Congressional Record for July 25, 1876, ct
seq.-during Mr.. Goodies first term in the
United States House of Representatives !:
ELECTION CONTEsT-PLATT VS.. GOODE.
The speaker pro tenn: The regular order
is the report of the committee of elections
in the contested election case of James H..
Platt. Jr., Us. John Goode, Jr., from the
Second Congressional district of Virginia.
The clerk will report the resolutions OF the
committee. IN
The clerk read the resolutions, as fol-
lows: s
Resolved, That John Goode, Jr., acGs not
elected, and is not entitled to seat IN the
House of Representatives of the 44th Con-
gress from the Second Congressional district
of Virginia. 2o rl
Resolved, Ihat james FL. Platt, Jr., acds
elected, and is entitled, to seat u. the 44th
Congress as Representative from the Second
district Of Virginia.
And now remember that that report was
the report-the maajority report-of the
committee of a Democratic House-a COM
mittee whose chairman and majority were
Democrats. The resolutions being read,
Mr.. Brown, Of Kansas, addressed the
House
Mr.. Brown of Kansas Mr.. Speaker, !
regret that the committee of elections, in
this last case which it will probably report
at this session, has again failed to agree.
and comes before the House with divided
report. l had hoped that one case could
be decided without any reference to poll
tics, and that we could come together in
our conclusions. But we have failed, and
without bitterness or unkindness | must
say that we have failed in case where
the law and the facts are so plain that the
failure itself is complete refutation OF
all charges of partizanship made against
the Republican minority of the committee,
and stands as patent proof against those
members of the Democratic majority who
have signed the minority report in this
case. / have studied the case carefully In
all it's bearings, and have been forced TO
the conclusion that there has been all or
ganized effort, commencing with the poll
ticians of the Second district of Virginia
and extending up through the county OF
ficials to the State Board of Canvassers, to
seat upon this floor man who was not
elected, and who has no more right here
than any other defeated candidate.
Bya series of frauds so astounding that
even the minority of the committee VIZ
tually confess that great wrong was COM
mitted, MI. Goode received certificate of
election, and has during this entire session
sat here, elected not by the voters, but by
the refusal Of the county board of Nanse-
mond county to count 2O6 legal votes for
Mr.. Platt, by the neglect Of the county
clerk of Prince George county to attest
the returns of that county, and by the par
tizanship and disObedience to law OF the
highest officials of the State OF Virginia.
Election day came and the election seemed
to be very close. In spite of all the Navy
Yard frauds, of which the minority OF the
committee in their report endeavor to
make so much, Portsmouth, for the first
time since reconstruction, had gone Con-
servative. and the Democrats were in high
hopes that they had been successful. A
little leverage, and they would be sure.
So twelve votes that had got into the
wrong ballot box at Norfolk were destroyed.
Conservative judges of election, two days
after the election, go to the clerks office
in Nansemond county, and in utter viola
ton of the law get possession Of the re-
turns which they had duly made and sealed
two days before, and mutilate, forge and
alter them by writing on them statements