New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-08-19
MANY SEATS CONTESTED.
AN UNUSUALLY LARGE NUMBER OF ELEC'
TIoN CASES TO COME BEFORE CONGRESS.
DEMOCRATIC CONFIDENCE BEFORE THE ELEO-
TIoN OF 1888 AND DESPERATION AFTER
WARD THE PRINCIPAL CAUSE OF
THE INCREASE.
1BY TELEGRAPH TO THE TBIBUsE.l


Washington, Aug. 1s.-In addition to Its legislative
duties, the House OF Representatives Of the loI ooh
gress viii be required try unusually large num-
ber of election contests The docket will comprise no
less than eighteen there were twenty cases. Du'
the notices of contest In the Ist Connecticut ana lAh
Georgia Districts withdrawn. The unusuaiS
large number Of contests is to be attributed to TWO
causes:
First-The confidence Of the Democrats, cspecialN
In the South, that Cleveland would DO reelected To-
gether with Democratic majority in the House. ana
that the latter would, it always had DONE piOlec'
such of It's members had been seated on fraudch'
certificates and,
Secondly the desperate attempt Of the DemocraS'
after the defeat Of Cleveland known to reverse
the result as to the House, and seize the organzao"
of that body If that attempt had succeeded no Dill lo
the admission Of the States would have paSsed 'o
last Concrrss It's failure was not determined how
ever until fraudulent certificates had been s'ueu ~
at least two defeated Democratic candidates In "es'
Virginia two I'm Virginia, in Arkansas, one lh
MARYLAND one in Indiana and one I'm Florida, anu
untn one Republican contestant in Arkansas hil W.
removed by the bullet Of Democratic assdss.'
f coe the assassination of Colonel Clayton while no
YVES engaged in taking testimony In support oi Ms 'o"
test takes tho lid Arkansas District out OF the orS
category Of contested election cases but II VIII no
prevent a most thorough and searching inVesusa'lon
nv the House Of Mr. Brcckinndges title TO the seat
Under the law enacted by the XIIXth Congress the
testimony I'm such election contests is TRANSMITTED 10
the clerk of the House. and by him arranged anu
nrinted and IT, together with the printed briefs of
contestant and contcstee, IS ready to be examined Os
tbe Committee On Elections as soon a.
tl,at commitoe 10 organized. The purpose oi
tbis law was to prevent long delay IN the
odird,cation and settlement of election contests, which
had become a grave scandal. by permitting men who
nod no lille save a fraudulent certificate to occupy
seats participate in legislation and draw pay some
times until the expiring days and hours OF congress
while men who rghtfully entitled Vahy cid'Hou
their rights in behalf Of themselves and the coSu'u
ents such was the intent of the law, al'hough II
was successfully nulfed by the Democratic ma
iority Of two-thlrds in the Committee on Eiecuohs
Of the Lth Congress ~
The testimony in seventeen cases pending mas al
b.en received by the Clerk of the House. and about
oneb half Of II has been printed. while the remainder
i I'm the hands of the Public Printer the clerk OF
tbo Elections Committee. All Of Il viii be ready 10y
November l. and .he next Committee on Elections
will have its hands full from the time II Is apPoh"u
until the last case is disposed OF. 1t needs TO De a
strong as well as industrious, committee Tor II
will have some difficult and hagrant matters Win
which TO deal. 1t IS estimated that the testimony
alone in the seventeen cases will fill at least 2oooo
printed pages.
ing tho alleged Democratic majority or plurality In each
case, so far known:
Waddll agt Wise, lid Virginia District, 2ol ;
Lancston agt Venable, IVth Virginia District 642 );
Bowen agt. Buchanan. INfh Virginia District, 47o ;
Chalmers agt. Morgan lid Mississippi District 13161;
Hill agt Catchings, hid Mississippi District, 7O1O
Kernaghan agt. Hooker With Mississippi District
Cblank) Atkinson agt PcndletOn, 1st West Virginia
District. blano McGinnis agt. Anderson, lid West
Virginia District Qbank; Smith agt Jackson, lFth
West Virginia District (blanlO; POsey agt
Parrett, 1st Indiana District. 90; Miller agt
Elliott, With South Carolina District, 1,33o :;
Mudd agt. Compton, Nth Maryland Isl;
Featherstone agt. Cate. Ist Arkansas District 1.34
COOdr ch ag Bullock, I'D Florida District. B. 95 Eaton
agt Phelan, Xth Tennessee District 4l9; Threat agi.
Clarke, Ist Alabama District. 4459; McDuihe agt.
1urpin, INth Alabama District, 1853.
In the threo west Virginia Districts the Democrats
did stop counting for months, and recourse was had
10 the courts The Democratic Governor eventually
upon what alleged puralites II IS impractcable now
to say. The testimony in the case OF Goodrich agt
bullock Of Florida includes two boxes OF tickets which
were sunk in the lake IN the lid District, and which
have been recovered and sent TO this city where they
are now awaiting examination by tho committee. Tho
attempt get rid of them due to the fact that
they contain evidence Of fraud. An interesting
case IS tin box which has rounded
lid; and the opening into which tickets can be
dropped can be surTOm ded by jacket which will
allow the ticket enter the drop fall down its
side unseen by the voter according the Will Of the
person depoSting the tickets