The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-02-05
COCKRAN'S FIRST SPEECH
THE HOUSE GREETS HIS EFFORT
WITH GREAT APPLAUSE.

Fence.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 4.-The House to-day
resumed consideration of the Lowry-White
contested election case. Mr.. Moore, of
Texas, member of the majority of the
Committee on Elections, spoke briefly in
support of the majority resolution and con-
tended that the contestee had failed utterly
to make proof of his naturalization.
MIR. O'Ferran, of Virginia, took the same
ground.
Mr.. Rowell, of Illinois, presented the case
Of the contestee and argued that he had
completely proved his citizenship He cited
various decisions of the Supreme Court and
other United States Courts to the effect that
a certificate of naturalization was against
all the world, Judgment of citizenship and
could not be invalidated by the failure of a
clerk to perform a ministerial duty. There
were $4,000 men in Chicago to-day exactly
in the same position as Mr.. White. The
records were burned, their papers were
burned, their witnesses were dead. More
than one member of the House. more than a
hundred men occupying high positions were
In precisely the same position, and yet gem
tlemen SAID it was dangerous to invoke
parOl evidence.
MEN HANGED ON IT.
Why, men were hanged on parol evil
dence. Was it dangerous to invoke it to
etfectuate the popular willl 1t was said
that the cOntestee was unworthy of belief
on account of some utterances upon the
stump. "Why,n said he, IF we all had the
brand liar put upon our browS because we
sometimes make mistake in what we say
on the stump, how many of us, who talk at
all, would so out of the House with the
word liar written all across our foreheadS"
Mr. Cochran (Dem), of New York, was
yielded fifteen minutes by Mr.. Rowell,
and as he rose in the center aisle to speak
for the contestee, he was watched by every
eye and intently listened to. He said that
IN discussing a question of general public
policy, one that involved the sovereignty of
the people, the House was not bound by the
technical rules which were prescribed for
the regulation of disputes between citizens
when compelled to submit their differences
to tribunals organized for the purpose of
settling them.
ON BROADER BASIS.
The House was on a broader basis. 1t 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 the seat to which he
had undoubtedly been elected. He (Mr.
COckranl did not believe that
there was any fair question of
law before the House. He did not regard
the record as anything but proof of a
judgment. A judgment was an act of a
court which stood independent of anything
a 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 had stood before the
House upon his oath declaring that in 1865
he went before the court in Allen county,
Indiana. accompanied by witnesses, and
complied with all the provisions of the law,
and that certificate of naturalization was
issued to him.
A QUESTION OF vERACITY.
Holding the views he (Mr. Cockran) did,
there was nothing left for him to decide but
whether he would believe the sworn state
ment of member of the House. cOrrobor-
ated by character against which not one
word had been uttered in this debate Zap
plauseI The men on the Democratic side
claimed to represent popular sovereignty in
the fuller meaning OF the word.
They claimed that to their
party belonged the mission of extending
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 command that Mr.
w Dllb Slltlill Ilt Niltli IeDItStiuJd JdbINt AD-
plausel Against this command of the peo-
pie the Committee on Elections had adj
vanced a number of circumstances which it
was said, tended to impeach the accuracy of
Mr.. White
CONGRESSMAN OR PERJURER.
He believed either that Mr. White was
naturalized in Indiana or that he had COM
mtted perjury. He was lawful member
of the House of Representatives or his place
was at the bar Of a criminal court on a
charge of perjury. He must look to the
character of the person upon whose state
ment 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 a 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. [Applause
And his (Mr COckran'9 voice would not
cast the vote which would make the wounds
he received in honorable service bleed
afresh, by reason of the ingratitude of his
associates. GApplause.l
AN INvINCIBLE ARMoR.
1t would rather be his pride, as he hoped
it would be in his power. to cast his vote to
show that he who risked his life in defense
of this land, merited reward which served
him like an armor, invincible to the shafts
of the enemy, when III the course of his life
be had to defend his character against as
sault. [Applause. In what he (N1r Cock
ram said he expressed his own loyalty TO
the laws He did not believe that the po-
litical effect of this vote would sway Il single
member on the Democratic side 50 far from
a sense of obligation to his conscience as to
cause him to cast a vote dictated by political
reasons, but if such a suggestion entered the
mind Of any man, let him remember
that the best way to prevent the vote in
this case from having any effect upon the
Presidential election was for the Democrats
to so comport themselves in the discharge
of every duty that no Presidential election
would ever come into the House, but that
the votes of the people would decide it 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
TRUE TO HIS CONSTITUENTS.
In conclusion he said: Believing as
do, while that flag which Capt. White and
his associates have kept floating aloft in
pride over every part Of this country. floats
over my head, while feel deeply grateful
to the heroes who preserved and cemented
with their blood this Union, under which
we live, shall not cast a vote which would
be treason TO my constituency and which
would pronounce soldier OF the Union
guilty Of perjury and unworthy the asso-
ciatlon Of honorable ncn." lApplause, and
cries Of ''yote, ''vote" from the Republican