Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1886-07-22
SAINT PAYNE.
Three Reports From the Com.
mittee.
The Ohio Senator Declared Innocent
by His Democratic Colleagues
Congressional DOings

WASHINGTON, July 15.-Three reports
from the Senate Committee on Privileges
and Elections upon the Payne case were
submitted to the Senate to-day. The re-
port, signed by Senators Pugh, Sauls-
bury, Vance and Eustis, the Democratic
members of the committee, sets forth at
length the public history of the case,
recognizes the transcendent importance
of throwing around the Senate of the
United States the highest safeguards
against seating a member whose title
was procured by bribery. fraud or cor
ruption, and describes the processes by
which the signers reach the conclusion
that there is no ground for further pro-
ceedings against Mr.. Payne. The report
says the committees first act was to
comply fully with the first request of the
Ohio House of Representatives to make
an examination of the testimony taken
by the Select Committee at Columbus.
Upon this testimony, Mr.. Hoar made q
report to the committee that after care
full reading, no evidence, opinien or state
ment whatever was found personally in
culpatiDg MIR. Payne in any way with
the corrupt use of money in connection
with his election. Neither did such sx
animation show that enough had been
found to justify the charge that the cleo
tion was procured by the corrupt use of
money.
About this time the supplemental res
olution of the two houses of the Ohio
Legislature and of the Republican State
Central Committee made their appear
ance, and soon after Congressman Little
and Butterworth were heard at length.
The signers of the report declare that no
new evidence not contained in the orig
inal matter submitted was brought to
their attention which any court would
not hold to be merely cumulative and
speculative, and insufficient by itself OF
in connection with the original, to justi>
fly report in favor of trial by the Sem
ate of Mr. Payne's right to his seat. They
conclude that Henry B. Payne has not
been charged with having anything to
do personally or with having any per-
senal knowledge of or connection with,
or participation in any act or anything
that may have been done, or charged as
having been done, that was wreng. GRIM
inal, immoral or repreheDsible in his
election; that no member of the CON-
mittee and no witness, representative or
other person has expressed the opinion,
or intimated any belief or suspicion, that
Henry B. Payne is, or was, connected in
the remotest degree, by act or knowl-
edge, with anything that was, or may
have been, wrong or criminal, or immor-
al, in bis election; and on the whole case,
as presented to them, they recommend
that the Senate make no further invest
tigatiun of the charge involving the right
of Henry B. Payne to his seat This re-
port asks that the committee be dis
charged from further consideration of
the subject and that it be indefinitely
postponed.
Senators Teller, Evarts and Logan
unite 10 report in which, after reciting
the circumstances surrounding the Sem
atorial election in Ohio, in 1884, it Is said
that no action was taken by the State
Legislature which elected Senator Payne
calling in question the validity Of his
election, but that the new legislature
constituted in January of the present
year had adopted the resolution under
which the investigation of Donavin's
charges had been made. The Senate
Committee had found it proper to accept
the presentation of the case set out in
the majority and minority reports of the
select committee of the Ohio House of
Representatives.
The only Constitutional warrant for
an investigation In case like that pre-
sented is in the clause making each
House of Congress the judge of the quail
i6cations of its own members, and the
clause comforting the right of expulsion.
The signers Of the report do not find that
a case. has been presented that would