Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1885-08-25
The Legislature of 1ss3-4-1ts Action In tn
Matter of Contested Elections.

Ex-senator Thurman says, 1T won't do"
The Legislature of 1ss3-4,lts Action IN 1ne
Matter of Contested Elections.
The General Assembly met in December
1855, ninety four of the one hundred mem
bers of the House responding to their names
and thirty. three of the Senate. For the
first time in years a democratic majority
OK charge of the Capitol and organized
the two houses Sxty.two Of the members
of the House were democrats. Each body
found large number of contested elections
upon its calendar, to be disposed OF by its
Committee upon Privileges and Elections.
To dispose Of them in their order. the action
Of the Senate will first be inquired into.
! When the Senate adj ,urned in April 1857
Stevens. Martin, jones and Rue we've mem
hers, After lis adjournment, and prior 10
the meeting If the legislature In 1885, pic
| veus Jones and Rue accepted federai OIL
ces. while Martin qualified a. railroad com
mi sioner of the State. Sometime alter &C.
cepting their Offices, they undertook to re
sign the position Of Senator held by them
respectively, and the Governor issued wits
of election, aud successors were elected.
The Governor was only authorized to order
elections for Senator where the vacancy &C.
| Cured hy death or resignation" and mas
mach as the acceptance of the office held
vacated the seuatorship, there was nothing
to resign. Accordingly the Senate ordered
new elections, and they were held. A
democrat named Bryant contested the seat
of Judge Crumpler, republican; it was
promptly accorded the latter. 10 the case
of Petit and Huhard, Inc latter was un-
seated because Of gross and notorious un.
fairness and rregularity at one precinct,
| which made it necessary that lis vote should
be rejected. For like reason, and upon o
stronger case, keezel was seated from Rock
| iugham, and Webb was uuseated. Turner,
of Norfolk, was elected at au election held
when there was no law to govern it, and
The seat WAS only denied him until he could be
duly elected, when he was seated Callaghan
was seated because the federal government
openly aud shumelessIy Used the navy yard
10 ty to elect Rue by intimidatipg voters,
while the Malone Judges of election would
not open the polls in those precincts where
Callaghan had majorities. In the Senate,
therefore, there were five cases of contest
and in these three democrats, two republi.
cans, and one straightout republican were
seated The report in favor of Senator
Hurt being practically Guanimous.
La the House of Delegates there were
ell, ven contests The House promptly re.
iected the claims Of j. n. Slubbs, Philip
G, BISON, Joseph Fl. Spangler aud Hartman
Newbcrry, all democrats, and retained the
| republican mctn brrs in their seats. Seven
| cases were thus left 10 be acted upon Two
of these cas-. $ were settled by ordering new
elections in Buckingham and Cumberland,
and Norfolk city. The sitting member from
Bnckingha and Cumberland, one Boiling,
was lIEsrated hncallao ut the lime Of his
a., lion he wys Eoi Il resident Of his legisla-
tive district, as required by law. IN Nor
folk city it was concusvely proven that in
the " hi,t, ami Therefore democratic, ward
| every obstacle VAS thrown in the way Of
voting, aud u large Lumber were in line at
sunset, awaiting their turn 10 vote, while
many had gone away, seeing the conspira-
cy. In The negro wards rapid voting was
he rule, and their vote was cast solldly.
This left but five cases TO be acted upon
| Dryer, rep, VS.. Pretlow, dem; Robinson,
dem. VS.. Franklin, rep; Clarke, rep, VS..
Vaushn, dem, aud Gillian vs.. Lawson,
dem Iu all these cases the sit
ting members who had received the
c,rtilrate Of election were returned,
except in the case from Appomattox, where
Robinson, democrat, was seated. The net
result, therefore, of the action Of the legis-
| lution in contested election cases may be
summed up as follows: In the Senate
Webb aud HUBBARD were ousted, and Keezle
and Petit seated; Rue was not allowed to qua
lily, and CaIaghan, republican, was seated,
and Hurt unanimously acceded his seat. In
the House, four democrats were denied seats
claimed by them. New elections were or
dered as 10 three members. -Four demo-
Gratis were declared entitled to seats given
them by the returning boards certificate,
and one republican, Franklin, was turned
out, and Robinson, democrat, seated. The
democrats never had an actual two thirds
majority Of the House, but always lacked
one vote of it in a full House. These facts
demonstrate the ahsurdity of the charge of
gross partisanship made against the party.
But two cases remain to be mentioned.
First, Griffin, Of Warwick. He was post.
master in his county at the time OF his cleo
ton, and, before qualifying as delegate,
resigned his Office, the law being emphatic
in its declaration that he could not hold
both. Subsequently, it was ascertained
that his resignation was q sham, that it had