New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-02-14
CHALMERS AND MANNING.
THEIR ELECTION CONTEST IN THE HOUSE.
PROBABILITY THAT THE MERITS or THE CASE
WILL BE LOOKED INTO.
TBr TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.

WILL BE LOOKED INTO.
TBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.
WAsHIyGToN Feb. 13.-There seems to be some
prospect that Mr. Manning will be disappointed.
When Congress assembled he occupied plano of
lofty virtue. The Governor of Mississippi lad Is
sued certificate in his favor
from the Hid Congressional District Of that state,
but General Manning did not propose to take adj
vantage of the fact. In his reply to Chal-
mers's notice of contest Manning said -
II will not take seat in said
Congress nor ask the Clerk to enroll my name as a
member thereof, until / have indicated and the
House shall have affirmed my right thereto" This
was high ground. The case was referred to tho
Elections Committee for an investigation and report
on the prma Jace title. Not only the certificate OF
Manning but all the papers in the case were so re-
ferred To the surprise. not to say disgust, OF MI
Manning, ten of the fifteen members OF the coin-
mittee-four Democrats and six Repubhcans-cahe
TO the same conclusion that he had found, and
agreed to report that neither he nor Chalmers was
entitled 10 the seat on primd fdc'e title.
Manning wanted the seat badly enough all the
time and il he had not supposed the Democratic
majority would be ready and willing to SIN collec-
lively in his behalf he would probably have done
so individually for his own benefit. He would nave
presented the despsed certificate and demanded his
his seat, and it would have been gwen
70 him. He was an attentive Ills
tener to the discussion to-day, and as one
Democrat after another indicated his purpose to
vote that the seat remain vacant until the House
can ascertain to whom it belongs, Mannings anxi-
ety and uneasness increased The opening speech
of the debate by Mr.. Turner, of Georgia, chairman
of the Elections Committee, was an extremely
forclble legal argument. He took the ground that
the House having given the committee JURISDICTION
not only of the certificate" but OF the papers
showing that the face OF the returns
as certified by the proper officers. Chalmers was
elected by $50 majority, and also the papers
containing Manning's waiver, because in his own
opinion the so-caled certificate was worthless, they
should now take all these matters into consldera-
ton in reaching a conclusion. All the speeches ex-
cept one were by Democrats, three against ana
seven for Manning.
The strongest speech in his favor was by DIT.
Dorsheimer. who argued that a man who receives
certificate Of election to Congress has no right
to waive ii, and that the House has no right to
refuse him a seat under it pending decision
on the merits One of Mr. DOrshemer's ilustra-
tons was that after President Hayes was declared
elected he could not have come IN and refused the
Office on the ground that he did not believe he mad
been elected The only course for him would have
been to resign, if he did not wish 70 take a seat
under the title given by the Electoral Commission
members on both sides listened attentIvey rs they
did during Mr.. Curtin's speech for Manning;
lie too spoke with great vigOr 1t IS understood
that he has been waiting for several years to pay
a grudge he owes Chalmers. who voted
against him in the contested election case OF Curtin
against Yocum. l.. II. Davis, of Missouri, and Mr..
Crisp of Georgia, both made good speeches IN favor
of the report of the majority OF the committee;
Messrs. Cobb. Herbert, Robertson, Elliott and
Oates spoke on the other side;
From some question asked by g. s. Cox and Van
Alstyne during the debate ii was clear that they
think Manning was not elected at all Mr. Bland,
of Missouri another Democrat said If Manning
believes he was elected and is willing to come be-
fore the bar of the House and demand to be sworn,
will vote that he be admitted, but until he does
so. never will" The only Republican who spoke
to-day was Mr.. PettibOne, who delivered strong
argument in favor of the committees report.
A vote will be taken tomorrow. The case
is so generally regarded by lawyers as sm
generis that it is expected nearly every Republican
Representative and good many Democrats will
vote against giving the seat to, Manning until ne
has shown a better title than the one based on the
certificate, which he has himself discred ted. he
indications seem to be that the committee VIII DC
RuStainpd