Omaha daily bee., 1886-10-12
Keen IL efnrn T,ennhlinnns.


publicans to pause and reflect before
they put a premium upon party trca.
son and conspiracy against Its very exist
cncc.
Ten years ago, when the republican
party was on the verge of disaster, and
every electoral vote cast for Hayes and
Wheeler was needed TO retain the party
in power, Church Howe entered into
n conspiracy to deliver republican
Nebraska into the hands of the enemy.
This Infamous plot is not mere conicc.
surmise or suspicion. 1t is not to be
pooh.poohcd or brushed away by pro
nouncing it one of Roscwater malicious
campaign SANDERS.
The records of the legislature of which
Church Howe was a member in 1917,
contain the indeliblo proofs of the treas
enable conspiracy, and no denial can
stand against evidence furnished by his
own pen. Briefly told, the history of this
plan to hand over the country 10 Tildcn
and democracy is as follows:
In 1876 Nebraska elected Silas A.
Strickland, Amasa Cobb and A. ii.
Connor presidential electors by vote of
3l,916 as against vote of 1854 cast for
he Tilden and Hendricks electors After
the election it was discovered that the
canvass of this vote could not take place
under the then existing law before the
legislature convened. The electoral vote
had to be canvassed in December
at the latest, and the regular Ses-
sion of the legislature did not begin
until January. In order to make
legal canvass of the electoral returns,
Governor CARRIER called special session
of the legislature to convene on the 9TH of
December, '16, at Lincoln, for the pur-
pose of canvasSing the electoral vote of
the state. The democratic effort to cap
ture republican electoralvotes is historic.
Tilden's friends, notably DR.. Miller, had
been plotting for the capture of one of
the electors from Nebraska, and 1t is also
historic that a large bribe was offered to
one of the electors, General Strickland.
The call of the legislature broke into the
plan of the plotters, and they found will
ing and reckless tool IN Church Howe.
When the legislature convened at the capi-
tai, Church Howe fled q protest which may
be found on pages 6, 2 and of the Ne
braska House Journal of 1877. The fol-
lowing extract makes interesting reading:
81, Church Howe, a member of the legisla-
ture of Nebraska, now convened by procla-
nation of his excellency, Governor Silas
CARRIER, for the purpose of canvassing and
declaring the result of the vote cast IN Ne
braska for electors for president and vice
president of the United States, hereby enter
my solemn protest against such act denying
that the governor has power to call this body
in special session for any such purpose, or
that this body has any authority to canvass
or declare the result of such vote upon the
following grounds:
First. This legislature now convened hav-
ing been elected under what is known as the
old constitution, has no power to act in the
premises, the new constitution of the state
having been III force since November, 1875 ~
The second and third clauses deal with
technical objections and are somewhat
lengthy. The concluding sentences of
this precious document are as follows:
For the foregoing reasons l protest
against any canvass of the electoral vote
Of the state by This body, and demand
that this, my protest, be entered upon
the journal" (Signed) Church Howe,
member of the legislature of Nebraska.
The democrats did not respond to the
call of the governor and there was barely
q quorum in the senate, while there were
several to spare in the house of which
Howe was a member. The protest en-
tered by Howe was doubtless prepared
by the 1ilden lawyers in Omaha and
Howe had the glory of being the sole
champion of Sam Tilden. The leglsla-
ture ignored Church Howe, spread his
protest on its record and canvassed the
electoral vote in spite of it.
When the legislature convened in Jan
uary, 1877, the presidential contest was
at Its height IN Washington. Church
Howe had changed places from the house
to the senate. Early in the session, a
resolution was introduced expressing the
conviction on the part of the senate that
Hayes and Wheeler having received a
majority of the electoral votes were en-
titled to their seats. This resolution
gave rise to very lively debate which
lasted two davs. Church Howe asked to
be excused from voting when it first
came up and was so excused. On the
final passage of the resolution the record
[page 376, Senate Journal 1871 shows
the following result; Yeas-Ambrosc,
Baird, Blanchard, Bryant Calkins,
earns, Chapman, Colby, Dawes, Gar
field, Gilham, Hayes, Kennard, Knapp,
Pepoon, Powers, Thummei, Van Wyck,
Walton and Wilcox-20,
Those voting in the negative were:
Aten, Brown, Covell, Ferguson, Hinman,
Holt, Church Howe and North-S.
During the same session of the legisla-
ture, Church Howe's vote on United
States senator for the first three ballots is
recorded as having been cast for f. w.
Thomas, South Carolina democrat,
[pages 1913 and POS Senate Journal All
this time Church Howe professed to be
republican independent, republican on
national issues and temperance granger
on local issues. We simply ask what
right man with such a record has to
the support of any republican.