Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-04-28
THE FRAUDULENT INVESTIGATION,
Senator Payne DGnOupces the Committee
as Unfair aud scandaIops,

Senator Payne DGnoupces the Committee
as Unfair aud Scandaiops.
WASHINGTON, D. c., April q. - The
Chair laid before the Senate communica.
ton from the clerk Of the House Of Repre-
sentatives Of The State of Ohio transmit
ting q transcript Of the testimony taken BY
q committee of that house, aud the report
of the same committee on the subject Of
the charges against the official integrity Of
certain members of that house in connec.
ton with the election of Hon. Henry B.
Payne as United States Senator.
Mr.. Payne at once arose and said /:
Mr.. President no formal mo.
ticn ig required, I believe,
to send these papers to the Committee on
Privileges and Elections. desire 10 be
considered as making such motion, if it is
required, and to couple with it the request
that the minority report may take the same
course, copy of which | submit with this
formal disposition of the matter. | am at
present content, but desire to make short
statement to accompany the papers into
the hands Of the committee. A Democratic
caucus for the nominatioD of q candidate
for United States Senator was convened at
Columbus on the evening of January S,
1884. was not in attendance, but with.
out doubt the contest vas heated and bit.
ter. The result Of the first ballot was as
follows Booth |, Pendleton Is, Ward II,
Payne 46; a majority for the successful
candidate l3 over sill The papers sub
mitted embo6y the results OF an investigs,
tien into this canvass conducted secretly
for more than than three months by com,
mittee of the House Of Representatives Of
the State of Ohio he then read the res.
olution under which the committee was
appointed, and continued: The scope oi
the investigation as actually conducted BY
the com mittee is stated in the majority re-
port, as follows Whenever our attention
was called to anything which Indicated the
probable employment Of, improper means
10 gain support We followed the clues pre-
sented on the theory that we we're not onl!
authorized but in duty bound to pursue
any matter that promised even remotel!
to chow the use OF such means in connec
ton with the election because the discover!
Of one important fact, although having NJ
immediate bearing upon the charg'
against the persons named in the resoiu
ton, might lead to discovery having sucl
bearing. And furthermore, aud upon tn
same theory, our inquiries we're not con
fined 10 technical rules ef legal proof, bu
the oomm;uee availei itself of any sourc
OF Observation-Disclosures hearsaY state
ments and even the opinions of witnesses
l had hoped that the request put forWAr
by the minority members of th
committee, that the proceedings should b
open and public, would have been accede
to and that might have bee
spared the misrepresentation or misreprt
sentations OF the testimony which, fc
three months, has been 30 assiduously ci
culatsd and against which l have OF court
no defense. The results OF the invesigr
ton are nowhere embodied in the msjorit
and the minority reports, First no mel
ton whatever is made in the msjority T,
port Of Mr. Donayin, bat in the report
the minority is found the following: Aft
weeks of delay Mr.. Donovan appeared b
fore the committee and testified that
knew of no fact Of bribery or no Get on Il
part Of any person toward any other persC