St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-02-05

l.
had to inquire whether the people Of the
Twelfth Indiana district had lawfully
expressed their choice. The question
was whether Mr White was eligible to
a seat to which he had undoubtedly
been elected. He (COckran) did not be-
lieve that there was any fair question
of law before the house. He did not
regard the record as anything but the
PROOF OF THE JUDGMENT.
The judgment was the act of the
court, which stood Independent of any
thing the clerk might do. In this case
there was no record of what the court
had done, and the house was driven to
an inquiry into the facts. Mr.. White
stood before the house upon his oath,
declaring that in 1865 he went before
the court in Allen county, Indiana, ac-
companied by witnesses, and complied
with all the provisions of law, and tha
a certificate of naturalization was issued
to him. Holding the views he (COckran)
did, there was nothing left for him to
decide but the question whether he
would believe the sworn statement OF
member of the house, cOrrObOrated by
character against which not one word
had been uttered in this debate. Ap-
plause. Members on the Democratic
side claimed to represent popular SOY
ereignty in the fullest meaning OF the
word. They claimed that to their party
belonged the mission of Vindicatlng
the power of the people at the ballot
box. SO far as the people of the Twelfth
Indiana district could speak, they had
declared their wish. their will, their de-
mand-that Mr.. White should be their
representative. Applause. Against
this command of the people the commit
tee on elections had advanced a number
of circumstances which. it was said.
tended to impeach the accuracy OF Mr..
White. He believed either that Mr..
White was naturaliZed in Indina, or that
he had committed perjury. He was
4 LAWFUL MEMBER
of the house of representatives or his
place was at the bar Of criminal court
on the charge of perjury. He must look
to the character of the person upon
whose statement he proposed TO base
his action. This man came before the
house with thirty years of honorable
life to give weight to his statement: he
came here with history which was
part of the history of his country. He
had held important Offices; he had dis
charged the duties of citizenship: he
had shed his blood for his country Ap-
plauSel and he (COckran) would not
cast a vote which would make the
wounds he received in honorable serv-
ice, be bled afreSh by reason of the i'll
gratitude of his associates. Applause. ]
1t would rather be his choice to east a
vote to show that he who risked his life
in defense of this land merited a reward
which should protect him like an armOr,
invincible to the shafts of the enemy
when in the course of his career he had
TO defend his character against assault.
ApplauSe. In what he (Cockran) said,
he expressed his own loyalty to the
laws. He did not believe that the polit-
zeal effect of this vote would sway a
single member on the Democratic side,
SO far from a sense of obligation to his
conscience, as to cause HIM to cast q
vote dictated by political reasons. But
if such Il suggestion entered the mind
of any man, let him remember that the
REST WAY TO PREVENT
the vote in this case from having any
effect upon the presidential election Wa.
for Democrats so to comport themselves
in tine discharge of every duty that no
into the House, but that the votes of the
people would decide 1t in favor of that
party, which, he believed, was pledged
to every system of good government
which ought to win the confidence of
the electors. [Applausel. In conclu-
sion he said, ''believing. as l do, while
that flag which Capt. White and his
associates have kept floating aloft in
pride all over every part of this country
floats over my head; while feel deep
ly grateful to the heroes who preserved
and ccmented with their blood this
union, under which we live, l shall not
cast a vote which would be treason to
my constituency and which would pro-
nOuncc soldier of the union guilty of
perjury and unworthy of the association
of honorable men," Applause and cries
of Vote, VOTE" from the Republican
sidel.
Mr.. Wilson, of Minnesota, DemOcrat),
spoke in support of the cOntestee and
declared that men would be moral per-
jurers if they did not vote their honest
convictions irrespective of every party
consideration. Mr.. Outhwaite, of Ohio,
supported the majority resolution, and
the house, without reaching vote.
adjourned