New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-02-07
CAPTAIN WHITE SEATED.


Forty-ive Democratic members of the House
of Representatives have refused to aid and abct
conspicuous act of injustice. BY vote of
1877 to 1O5 the House yesterday threw out the
majority report of the Elections Committee on
the case of Captain White, and declared that
he was entitled to his seat The 1S7 members
who joined together to accomplish this result
comprised 1879 Republicans, 40 Democrats ana
Independents. That so many Democrats
were on the side of right was no doubt largely
due to the excellent speech the other day by Mr.
BoHke Cochran. 1t was characteristic of Mr.
Cochran that he should desert his party when
his party deserted common dccency and honor,
and that he should champion the cause OF the
gallant Union officer who, elected to Congress
by $500 majority in district overwhelmingly
Democratic found his seat contested on the
pusillanimous ground that no record exists OF
his final naturalization. Mr. COckran's rcputa-
ton as an orator suffered nothing by his warm
hearted speech in favor of Captain White, and
he succeeded in shaming sufficient
number of his party into rebellion against the
party whip to prevent the cOnsummatiOn of
the dSgraceful outrage that had been arranged.
II is hard to imagine a bascr conspiracy than
the one Chairman Crisp and his Democratic
colleagues on the Elections Committee
entered into against tn" rights of sitting
member and the constituents who elected him.
1t was nothing more nor less than a barc-faccd
robbery. deliberate and reckless, and without
even a pretence IF sincerity or honesty to pro-
tcct the hands Of those self respecting Demo
Gratis who were ordered to participate in it and
insure its success.
The Democracy has always made great fuss
about the rights of the naturalized citizen.
It's National platforms have contained many
pretty phrases guaranteeing his protection and
woong his support. But Chairman Crisp did
not hesitate to stultify all these noisy pledges
in order to turn ont Of his scat natmalizcd
citizen who has lived an honOrcd life IN Amer
lea for thirty years, who shed his blood to de-
lend the Gag which Crisp and four
Of his fcllow-DcmocratS on the Elections
Committee fought to destroy, and who is so
highly esteemed by his ncighbors in Indiana
as to be chosen their Representative by 1900
votes Captain White came to America when
n Young man and settled in Fort Wayne. There
he has always lived. In 1853 he took out his
first naturalization papers, solcmnly rcnonc-
ing his allegiance to Great Britain and declar-
inc his intention to be Il citizen Of the United
states The war broke out and he went to the
front and left the battlefield only when dis
ahlcd by wounds. He returned to his home,
bold public Office, discharged every duty OF
citizenship, has lived an hOnorcd and respected
life in every relation for more than quarter
of a century, and yet now and for the first time
it was charged that be is an alien.
Truly nothing more is required to signalize
the reign of the Rebel Brigadcr in the capital
Of the Nation when such men as Crisp can
make "aliens" Of such men as Captain White
There is n satire in the situation that makes
loyal blood fairly Jingle. Captain White de-
clared and proved that he was fully nat
malizcd in 1865. Being about to return TO
England for a short visit. he took the prcCau-
ton to secure his final certificate in the Court
Of Common Pleas of Allen County. One of the
two men who signed the certificate died years
AGO but the other testified in complete support
Of CAPTAIN Whites statements. 80 did the
County Clerk himself Democrat. But the
| court record contains no such entry and Captain
White has lost his certificate. lie proved
that the public records at this time were very
badly kept. and that similar omissions were
often made. He showed, too that he had lost
bis marriage certificate and his commission in
the Army. But Mr.. Crisp answered all this by
simply SAYING "ThcIc is no records you are
an alien still"
Mr. Crisp and his associates were well selected
for the work expected Of them by the Demo
cratic majority in Congress. their nerve Is
ouitc equal to any emergency. With su-
| Gent number Of contests they could be re-
/ Ia ,,,on "a dcuIotc thn HouSo Of its Re-
! publican representation to a man. Their wan
! ton disregard Of prcccdcnts and Of justice in
respect to the CarliSlc-Thobe case was fragrant
! enough. but their cool inSinuatiOn that Captain
White was a pcriurer. subject for the Grand
| Jury and the criminal law, eclipScs the whole
record of Democratic outrage on Congressional
| constituencies Fortunately there were enough
/ Democrats sufficiently independent to follow
! Cochran rather than Crsp. and so defeat the
conspiracy against NIr. White.