National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-04-28
Senator Payne's Case.


The Senate received yesterday the ma
jority and minority reports OF the commit
tee of the Ohio legislature, appointed to
investigate the subject Of Senator Payne's
election to the United States Senate. We
have read both reports through carefully to
discover, II possible, the strength Of the
case made against Mr. Payne by the testi-
mony, and the conclusions Of a Republican
majority of the committee thereon. This
we have done that the position Of this
journal might be fearlessly and wisely
taken at this stage Of the inquiry in respect
thereof. II the testimony had established
in the deliberate judgment Of a majority of
the committee, who are our party friends,
and they had so stated in their re-
port, that Mr.. Payne's seat in the
Senate was attained by corrupt means,
though minority Of the committee, DEM
ocrats, differed with them, we had de-
termined TO urge reinvestigatlon OF the
Ohio senatorial election by the United
States Senate itself. But the majority of
committee do not so declare. They exone-
rate in specific terms the members Of the
legislature whose alleged suspicious con
duct caused the investigation. They do
not locate or charge any particular corrupt
act Of any member OF the Ohio legislature.
The impression made by reading the ma
jority report is that the committee do not
feel that the testimony taken possesses suf.
fcient judicial force to justify any specific
charge whatsoever. This being the case,
the practical question arises, ought our
pttsf fy, 10 60, lao
funds to gather up and preserve the sedi.
ment Of Democratic feud In Ohio'
The majority report concludes as follows:
In the course of this inyesii ,atlon fity-aye
| witnesses have been examined. In the report
| only the most salieut features Of the testimony
are embracei-sanh portions as bear directly
| upon what 1t is fair tV assume falls within the
| legitimate scope OF the inquiry. There Is a
| large amount Of cumulative testimony, witch
Is important ns showing the general prcyileuc,
| of the opinion that Improper methods were
resorted to to secure the result reached by the
| Democratic senatorial caucus of jan g. 1884,
and the reasons therefor, and which consti.
tutcs valuable contribution, In tangible form
| to the history Of that occasion. A number OF
clews furnished were not followed, because
we were convinced that they could lead only to
| points at which further pursuit would become
| necessary, but which could not be passed
without authority to reach beyond the limits
Of the state for Witnesses And much anoly.
nous information was ignored by the com
| mittce chiefly for the same reason.
Although, as stated In the outset. the tcsti.
mony developed nothing OF al inculplting
character concerning the monlbers of this
house named I'm the resolution Of inquiry, we
believe that circumstances surrounding the
election of Henry Il. Payne as one of the sen.
ators to represent the state of Ohio in the Con.
gross Of the United States, as presented by the
testimony, are such as to warrant us in recon
mending that an authenticated copy of the
testimony and report be transmitted TO the
President of the United States Senate for the
information OF the body OF which Senator
Payne is a member, and for such action as 1t
may diem advisable.
This summary Of the report OF Republl-
can majority does not permit any hope or
just grounds for expelliug q Democratic
senator, no matter how great the political
necessity for party advantage may be In the
future. A Democratic House, IN the case
of Romeis, was induced by the judicial fair
ncss of Oscar Turner, chairman of the COM
mittee on elections, to vote In favor Of seat
ing Republican. This is an example
worthy Of imitation, although we know full
well that the present administration came
into power by fraud and intimidation, which
the people will avenge BY the election of q
Republican Congress this fall, aud Repub
l!can President In 1888.