The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-02-28

! therefore ask the house to excuse me from
voting upon this question.
The Senator was excused by unanimous
consent.
| The vote resulted
! AYEs.-Messrs. Atchinson, Berry, Col
trane, Diggs, Flanary, Fletcher, Glasgow
Heaton. Keezell, Koiner, L0venstein, Ly
brook. Mccormick. Meredith, Newberry
Petit, Thurman, Warwick, and Wingfeld
--19.
NOEs.-Messrs. Bailey, Baaladna, Bliss
Gaines. Grim. Mcdonald, Norton, Rogers
and To|aaes-9.
Coalitionists in italics.
All those not voting were paired off ex-
cept Mr.. Wickham, who was excused.
The bill having received twO-thlrds
vote the Chair announced that it had
passed the Senate Notwithstanding the OBJ
jections of the Governor.
THE CALLAHAN-RUE CONTEST.
We condense the following report of the
speeches made in this case from the Dis
patch, SO that our readers may see upon
what evidence Callahan was seated:
Mr.. Mccormick reviewed the history of
this vacant seat, showing that Mr.. Rue,
being Il senator after qualifying as post
master, fagrantly refused to resign his
senatOrship and allow his successor in the
Senate to be elected at the November cleo
ton. All the trouble about this seat Mr..
Rue is himself responsible for. But for
the overwhelming victory of the Demo-
Gratis Rue would be postmaster now, and
sitting in his seat in the Senate too.
Analysing the evidence, Mr.. Mccormick
showed that in Norfolk county there are
six precincts-three that gave Coalition
votes three that gave anti-C Coalition votes.
The former were all open. OF the latter
two were not opened at all, and one only
for a part of the day, and the closed pre-
cincts were closed by the false representa-
tions made by the friends of Rue.
Mr.. Gaines asked were not the judges of
these three precincts Callahan's friends.
Mr.. Mccormick said if they were they
had been deceived by the statements of
Rue's friends to the effect that the election
had been postponed from the 18th to the
18th. These closed precincts last NOvem-
Der gave majority of ia against C0ali-
ton. A man named Sykes, a representa-
tive and ticket-holder of Rue, circulated
the report that the election had been so
postponed. This fact is not denied nor
did Mr. Rue think it safe to put Sykes
upon the stand as witness.
There was fraudulent combination, by
which they hoped to keep from the polls
all of Callahan s friends and bring out all
of Rue's for it does not appear that the
rlmOr was circulated among Rue's people.
Rues majority in Norfolk county was pro-
cured by fraud, and Rue is responsible for
the fraud of hisagent. But it is said that,
giving Callahan all that he claims, Rue is
still elected by As. In that calculation all
consideration of the Third Ward of Ports
mouth is eliminated. Here Callahan had
organized a committee Of twelve infuen-
tial negroes. AS soon as their names were
published in the morning papers the navy
yard people saw the negroes, and promised
if the negroes would publish card re-
nouncing Callahan they would give the
signers places in the navy-yard. This bar
gain was carried out. A card renouncing
Callahan was published.
Mr.. Mccormick pressed this point of |
Federal interference in elections in Vir- |
ginia very strongly. He wanted to see it |
reproved. There had been enough of it.
1t is said that the Federal interference |
could not have affected the result, but in |
that view Mr.. Mccormick did not concur. |
One of the men testified that he could |
have controlled $50 votes. All Of them |
were men of influence. They were men |
who could control their fellows. But here
is the bargain f; here is the bride; here is |
the interference of the Federal authOri- |
ties in Virginia elections. 1t is an ever |
lasting goodbye to free elections in Vir-
ginia if we do not stamp this practice with |
our condemnation. These bribed votes |
should be cast out, and as the poll cannot |
be purged with reasonable certainty, the |
whole ward should be thrown out. Cast |
out that land the county vote], and John |
Callahan is elected.
Mr.. Diggs, dem. who, with Mr.. Thurman.
signed the majority report, said the Senate |
sits here as Judges. 1t Is their duty in a |
case of this kind to enforce, not to make |
the law. We are not to count people who |
stayed at their homes because it was a cold
day. Nor are we to consider the vote of |
last November. Mr.. Rue comes here |
elected-elected by $50 majority. Mr. |
Diggs did not care anything about MI.
Rue. His past actions and his past record
had nothing whatever to do with this case.
Mr.. Diggs, in his examination Of the evil
dence. could not possibly make 1t out that
Rue was in anywise responsible for the
rumor that the election was postponed.
He thought that point hardly worth con-
sidering. According to the testimony that
rumor came from Dr. Tabb Democratic |
member of the House) to Brown, enc of |
Callahan $ friends, who told it to Sykes,
one of Rue's friends, who seems to have |
repeated it to some extent.
If Mr.. Rue is to be held responsible for
everything that anybody chooses to say
about him, how much more should Gala |
han be held responsible for the following |
brought to the attention Of Mr.. Diggs by |
Galnesl:
j. w. CAST, being duly sworn, deposeth |
and saith as follows:
Question To what political party do
you helQng2
Answer The Coalition party, and am
chairman of the Executive Committee Of
said party for the city of Portsmouth.
x . ''Imet Mr.. Callahan about week
before the election on the corner of
County and Crawford streets, in this
''city, near his place of business, and in
course of conversation l asked him if he
Thought the Democrats would swallow
him. His reply was, C. d. them.
they have got to do it. as there was no
thing else for them to do and in the
'ssame conversation said it made no differ
fence whether Rue beat him or not, he
s'would contest and get the seat anyhow"
Mr.. Diggs further contended that one of
the closed precincts would have given Rue
a majority, and that all of these precincts
were in the charge Of Callahan's friends,
and that Rue did contradict the rumor
complained of. Sitting as judges the Sen
ate must give the seat TO Rue.
The question being on the first PROPOSE
ton of the minority report-"that M. 2.
Rue Is not entitled to seat in this body''
the vote resulted:
AYEs.-Messrs. Berry, Coltrane, Glas-
gov, Heaton, Koiner, Lovenstein, Ly-
brook, Mccormick, Meredith, Petit, War
wick, Wickham, and Wingfeld-13.
NOES Messrs. Bqilea, RgyAaza, Bliss,
Diggs, Edmunds, Flanary. Gasases, Grim.
Mel @ogQld, Newherry, Norton, Po,cell, Rog-
ers, Thurman and Ioapnes-l5.
COalitiOnists in itGlics.
The second proposition of the minority,
''that John Callahan is entitled to seat in
this body as senator from the Thirty-third
district" was agreed to.
AYEs.-Messrs. Berry. COltrane, Glas-
gov, Heaton, Hurt, Koiner, Lovenstein.
Lybrook, Nice ormick, Meredith, NeWherry,
Petit, Warwick, Wiakham, and Wingfeld
ID.
NOES -Messrs. Bariam, Bailey, Bliss,
Diggs, Edmunds, Flanary, Gaines, Grim,
Mcdonald, Norton, Po,eeN, Rogers, Thur
man, and Iocnes-14. i
Coalitionists in itagica.
The Chair decided thatthis vote disposed
Of the whole question.
, Mr.. Gaines tried to get areconside Iteration,
but not having voted with the prevailing
side was ruled out
subsequently Callahan was sworn in.
Two vetoes, one of the bill in relation to
the suspension and removal of certain Of
ficers, and enc declaring that County Su-
perintendeneies shall be declared vacant in
certain contingencies, were sent in by the