The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-05-22
The seatingIof o,Ferrall.


We briefly noted last week the seating of
Col. O'Ferrall as representative from the
18th Virginia District, position to which
Hon.J ohm Paul was unquestionably elected.
The Democratic Congress, as was con-
fidently claimed as soon as it was known
that that party waslin the ascendency in
the lower House, in disregard of law, evil
dence and right, gave the seat to 0 'Ferrall
simply because they had the power to do it.
There never was any question as to Paul's
election, and no contest would ever haye
been made had not the contestant had
more faith in the partizanism of Congress
than in its sense of right.
The New York Tribune's Washington
correspondent, under date of May 9Th,
gives the following account of the seating
of O'Ferrall:
When 1t comes toa question ofpolitical spells
as Gibraltar factionai differences disappear in
q twinkling. and there Is no need of an effort to
read any Democrat out of thesparty. ConsiderR-
tions of law and Justice are laid aside with an
easy prompitude that ought TO excite wonder.
if not admiration. Despite the fact that the
leaders of the hostile Democratic factions were
straining every nerve to-day to defeat each
other on the tariff question they stood together
like a band of brothers in support of the resolu-
ton to admit OFerrall, of Virginia, to O seat In
the House. No unprecedented man who will ex-
anime the testimony in the case can reach a
feated by a majority of several hundred votes.
Not only did the majority override the testi-
minority of the House In a manner that was
neither fair nor decent.
Several weeks ago Mr.. Lowry. chairman OF
the subcommittee, prepared and submitted a
report to the full committee, in favor of OFFER
rail- The absurdity of the positions taken In
that report was exposed In The Tribune at the
time and several members of the Elections
Committee demurFed to the document. judge
Lowry became convinced that he could not Sc
cure its adoption. even by Democratic COM
mittee, and he accordingly set himself to work,
and, it is asserted, with outside assistance pre-
submitted to the House last week. 1t was not
in print until Saturday, and at meeting of the
Elections Committee this morning, the mem
beers of the minority requested that the case be
not called up to-day, but postponed until We'd
neaday, by which time they promised to have
the "yiews" OF the minority ready to submit to
the House. FtfH
The committee agreed almost unanimously to
the postponement, but an hour later Judge
Lowry rose in his place In the House and
demanded immediate consideration of the
case. In vain did the Republican members Of
the committee protest against this unpFec6-
dentHd and outrageous course, although the
Democratic chairman rose and declared that, In
his opinion, courtesy and fairness to the minor
ity required that the pOstpOnement should be
granted Only fifteen Democrats voted with the
Republicans against consideration, and on the
hnal vote that slender minority had disap-
peared, with one or two exceptions. Demo-
cratic votes against the motion to behead the
Morrison bill Will be in demand to- morrow, and
O'Ferrall is expected to add.one to that side
The discussion which preceded the passage Of
the resolution to seat him was spirited. Messrs.
Hepburn and Miller made vigorous speeches
against the resolution, and showed conciusively
that the action OF the majority had been in vio-
laton of the plainest rules of evidence and that
no valid testimony had been adduced to show
that OFerrall received majority Of the votes le-
gally cast John 3 Wise also spoke with great en-
ergy and hot elOquence on the same side. HIS
seat is contested by "Parson" Massey, the
| father of Virginia reputation, whose claims
rest on the same basis did those of O'Fertall,
the only difference being that the majority
against O'Ferrall was only 800, while MASSEY
was defeated by nearly Z. 600 votes. Disregardips
the fact that every sentence he spoke in denun-
citation of the Democrats and their methods
would be laid up against him and used In the
consideration of his own case, Mr.. Wise poured
hot shot into their ranks with q vigor: and
rapidity which spoke well for his courage