The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-01-19
CHEAP PARTY CAPITAL.
THE MINORITY REPORT ON THE
THOEBE-CARLISLB CASE.

Four Members of the House Elections
Committee Pretend to Find Some
thing Suspicious in Mr.. Carlisle's
Course-Mr. RoweI Presents a Sup
Elementary Report.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 1S.-The views Of the
minority of the Elections Committee on the
Thoebe-Carlisle contested election case were
presented to the House this morning by Mr..
Lyman of Iowa The report says that mad
the case been submitted to the committee
on the record as made at the beginning of
the present session OF Congress there would
not probably have been a dissenting voice.
The vote would have been unanimous for
the resolution adopted by the majority, but
at the first meeting of the committee the
contestant made a strong ex parte showing
by affidavits and otherwise in support of
motion to reopen the case.
SNTELLED OF FRAUD.
This ex parte case tended very strongly to
establish that great fraud was committed
IN the Sixth District of Kentucky, resulting
i'll the apparent defeat of the contestant;
that there was evinced a determination on
the part of Mr. Carlsle's friends to prevent
the announcement of the result of the cleo
ton when it was discovered that the con-
testant was elected; that the election re-
turns were tampered with and changed
and kilograms sent out on the
night of the election to have
the returns withheld for that purpose, and
that the contestant was prevented from es-
tablishing these facts within the time al
lowed by law, for the reason that he was
betrayed and deceived by his attorney. The
minority says that the contestee made an
eX parte showing to the effect that these
charges were untrue
AFFIDAvITs NOT PRINTED.
The minority says it was refused an op-
portunity to have a mass of aflidavits
printed and examined, although the major
ity afterward showed that tins request was
reasonable by ordering the printing of the
papers. The minority feels that case invOlv-
ing such grave charges Of fraud should not
be settled in this nasty off-hand manner by
the mere presentation of ex-parte atidavits,
and it urged a fitting investigation
of the case. Failing in this
it was unable to vote as it would,
on every personal ground have been glad
to have done in favor of the sitting mem
ber's title to his seat. 1t believes that a
reasonable showing having been made by
the contestant, ne should in all justice and
fair dealing be allowed to establish, by legal
and competent evidence, if he can, the alle-
cations of fraud made by him.
THE WISH FATHER TO THE THOUGHT
The minority do not see why, if the
charges be untrue the contestee should so
persistently oppose an investigation, and his
opposition is to their minds SO strongly cor
roborative of the claim made by the con-
testant as to restrain them from supporting
the ma jOrity resolution without an inquiry
Precedents are quoted i'll support of the
HI
Guiding a synopsis of Mr.. Carlisles remarks
in the Butterworth case and of Mr..
Butterworth'S own declaration in
favor of an investigation into his
right to his seat. The minority then states
that the contestant is a working man, poor,
Unversed in law, and suffering from mis-
management of his case and lack of money,
against whose character not one word has
been said He is entitled to no more con-
sideration than any other citizen because he
is a working man, but on the other hand it
should not be forgotten that he is entitled
to no less. He is not a partisan, and has
never been a Republican. He and the con
testee are members of the same political
party. He is, however, a representative of
a large class of citizens belonging to both
political parties, united in labor organiza-
tiOns and ran as their candidate. In view
of these facts, the minority feels obliged, in
what it believes to be the interests of exact
and equal justice, to withhold its consent TO
the majority report. This report is signed
by Messrs. Lyman, Lodge, Houk and john
ston. of Indiana.
Mr.. ROWELL'S SEPERATE REPORT.
Mr. Rowell, in a supplementary report,
states that he concurS in the majority com
mittee report, only dissenting from the
practice of trying disputed questions of fact
upon ex parte testimony In answer to the
contestants charge that the returns from
nearly all the precincts in one county We're
in the same handwriting or in other
words, that the returns were
forgeries, Mr. Rowell says that the original
returns were brought before the committee
and completely refuted it. No amount of
testimony can change the appearance of
these returns. Regarding the attack upon
the returns as a vitally material point in
the case and in view of the presentation of
the original returns, Mr.. Rowell continues
that he does not see any good reason for e.
opening the case.