Omaha daily bee., 1886-09-14

OAiNa'h aApNNi NhNN oubNiN hSn A'tNiioN I'VE
whether man of his record has any
rightful claim upon the support of any
decent republican, Leaving out or uues
ton his corrupt methods and notorious
| venality we appeal to republicans TO
pause and reflect before they put prem.
lum upon party treason and conspiracy
against its very existence.
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 conspiracy
TO deliver republican Nebraska into the
hands of the enemy. This infamous plot
is not mere conjecture. The
| proof of it does not rest on surmise or
suspicIon. 1t is not to be poo.poohcd or
brushed away by pronouncing ii one of
Rosewater's malicious campaign sland
dcrs.
The records of the legislature of
which Church Howe was u member in
1911, contain the indeliblc proofs of the
reasonable 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 to
| Tildcn and democracy is rs follows
In 1876 Nebraska elected Slas
| A. Strickland, Amasa Cobb and
A. ii. Connor presidential electors
| by a vote of 81, ,01G us against vote of
| 1884 cast for the Tildcn and Hendricks
electors. After the election 1t was dis
| covered that the canvass of this vote
could not take place under the then ex-
isting law before the legislature con
vened The electoral vote had to be can
vassed in December at the latest, and. the
regular session of the legislature did'not
begin until January In order to make
II legal canvass of the electoral returns
Governor CARRIER called "a special session
of the legislature to convene on the 9TH
of December, '76, at Lincoln, for the pur-
pose of canvassing the electoral vote of
the state. The democratic effort to cap
tnre republican electoral votes Is historic.
1ildcn's friends, notably DR.. Miller, had
boon plotting for the capture of
one OF the electors from Ne
braska, and it is also historic that
large bribc WAS Offered to one of the
electors, General Strickland. The cali of
bIlt ltSISlbtult DIOht lIllO lut pllu VI lnt
plotters, and they found Il willing and
reckless tool in Church Howe. When the
legislature convened at the capital,
Church Howe filed protest which may
be found on pages g, I and of She Nc
braska House journal for 1877. The fol-
lowing extract makes interesting reading:
81. Church Howe, q member of the egsla-
ture of Nebraska, now convened by procla-
nation of his excellency, Governor Slas
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 hay
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 in fierce since November lS75.'
The second and third clauses deal with
technical objections and are somewhat
lengthy The concluding sentences of
this precious document are as follows:
against any canvass of the electoral vote
of the state by this body, and demand
that this, my protest, be entered upon
the journal" (SignedD Church Howe,
member of the Legislature of Nebraska.
The democrats did not respond to the
call of the governor and there was barely
IL quorum in the senate while there were
several to spare in the house of which
Howe was Il member. The protest en-
tered by Howe was doubtless prepared
by the Tilden lawyers in Omaha and
Howe had the glory of being the sole
champion OF Sam Tlden. The legisla-
ture ignored Church Howe, spread his
protest on it's record and canvassed the
electoral vote in spite of it.
When the legislature convened IN Jan
uary, 1877, the presidential contest was
ut its height in Washington. Church
Howe had changed places from the house
to the senate. Early IN the session,
resolution was introduced expressing the
conviction on the part of the senate that
Hayes and Wheeler having received Il
majority of the electoral votes were en-
titled to their seats. This resolution
gave rise to very lively debate which
lasted two days. Church Howe asked to
be excused from voting when it first
came up aud was so excused. On the
final passage of the resolution the record
[page 376 Senate journal 1877, shows
the following result: Yeas-Ambrose,
Baird, Blanchard, Bryant, Calkins,
Carns, Chapman, Colby, Dawes, Gar.
field, Gilham, Hayes, Kennard, Knapp,
Pepoon, Powers, Thummel, Van Wyck,
Walton and Wileox-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 L. w.
Thomas, South Carolina democrat,
[pages 1893 and s0s Senate journal, All
this time Church Howe professed to be Il
republican independent, republican on
national issues and a temperance granger
on local issues. His temperance and
A