The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-05-21
In the Course of Which MIR. COnverse's Al
legged Argument Is Demolished, and Mr.,
Lowry Assails John S. WISE
Certainty that Peelle Will Be Unseated
and the Place Given to English.
Congressman Who Speculate in Margins
Senator Vance and the FreeTraderS
of North Carolina.
ENGLISH-PEELLE.
Debate in the House Yesterday-The Case to
be Voted on To-Day.

Debate in the House Yesterday-The Case to
be Voted on To-Day.
Special to the indianapolis Journal
WASHINGTON, May 20--The House to-day
took up the Engish-Peee contested election
case and, after lengthy debate, sent it over
until tomorrow. when it will be disposed of
A great deal of interest was manifested on the
floor, but the galleries were not crowded. The
Democrats were present in force Senator
Vorhees came over from the other end of the
Capitol to hear the debate ard exert his influence
among the Democratic members who do not
think that Peelle should be turned out The
Englishes, father and son, were busy looking up
their friends. The old gentleman was very
attentive to the debate and showed great deal
Of nervousness. He sat beside Converse, who
conducted the case as it came from the
elections committee Friends of English
were drummed up while those of Peelle were
there without any solicitation.
Mr. Converse opened the debate. His voice
was as strong as when he raised it ir behalf of
wool, and had it not been for the questions put
to him by General Browne Mr.. Peelle, Mr.. Mil
Ter, of Pennsylvania, and Mr.. Taylor of Ohio
he would have made good showing for his man;
but as it was, his argument was completely
broken down. He said at the outset that Mr..
Englsh's claim to the seat was based principally
on the fact that between one and two hundred
fraudulent votes had been counted for Mr..
Peelle Another argument was that
occupants of the Jail and poor
house had been set at liberty and
compelled to vote the Republican ticket Still
another was that Gt .ns who wanted to vote
the Republican ticket were bulIdozed and not al
lowed to vote at all He spoke of the alleged
spring back ticket as a counterfeit of the Demo
cratic ballot He said there had not been fair
election in Indianapolis for twenty years. Under
a cross fire of questions he had to admit that
there was no proof of his assertions that is, that
he could not, either on his own kn owledge or on
any testimony taken, point out a single case to
prove what he charged. He brought in Austin
II. Browns report, and had 20 defend Browns
character from pertinent questions. In short,
even Democrats admit tonight that Mr. Con
verse did not read Engish's title clear.
Judge Lowry, of Fort Wayne, was in his
speech very scattering and 3iscursve. He
plowed over the ground that Mr. Converse had
furrowed before, but it took him a very much
longer time. He showed bad temper at the out
start and kept it up. He spoke forty minutes
over his time, despite frequent hints from Mr..
Pettibone, of Tennessee, who was to follow,
that it was time for him to give somebody else
chance At the very first he got himself into
trouble with John S. Wise. The latter in a
speech the other day, spoke of Barnum's great
act of buying Indiana mules Judge Lowry
went out of his way to refer to
this, and said that if Barnum should want to buy
Wise he would purchase an animal of inferior
order to the mule He would discuss the cues
ton of mules even with Wise, who he be
lieved, based his reputation and courage on the
formed prescribed by the code duello.
Mr. Wise demanded that these words be taken
down. There was some little excitement, but
more laughter over the scene which followed
Lowry, in the meanwhile, breathed defiance
but said nothing. When the report of his words
was read to the House, Speaker Carlisle, amid
considerable roise, ruled that he saw nothing in
them that demanded any action by the House.
and then everybody laughed.
Continuing his scattered argument, Mr.
Lowry again referred to Wise as q man of kitchen
craftsmanship and harlequin in the halls of
Congress.
Mr. Wise rctorted that he would waive his
privilege as a member and call for personal
explanation from Lowry.
The latter thus has an ncipient affair on hand
with virginian who has fought several duels
There is no thought, however, that anything
more serious than scathing reply from Wise
to morrow will follow
Once more did Lowry refer to Wise in con-
nection with 'egg-sueking dogs" phrase Wise
had also used in debate a few days ago In his
peroration he referred to the great
fraud of 1876" and to Tilden as 'the
uncrowned king of the Democratic
party" He predicted amid great Republican
laughter and Democratic applause, that the
ticket of Tlden and Hendricks could carry the
country this year by 500 600 majority
General Browne said Mr. Lowry meant that
they would be defeated by that majority.
Mr. Pettibone closed the debate. He explained
the spring back tickets. showing that there was
nothing wrong about them. His principal point
being that if Republicans could distinguish
them, Democrats certainly could.
General Browne will open the debate to-rnor-
row Mr.. English will be seated when vote is
TAKEN but it will be upon clear showing that
he was not elected
To-day, altogether, was very lively in debate
about the matter 1t will be more lively to-
morrow in the wind-up. Mr. Peelles speech, in
his own defense, is looked forward to with great
interest