Wichita eagle., 1889-02-14
SENATE.

w ASHlNGlON, ItD lO.-4hT. I1dlc pre-
sented the conference report on the diplo-
matte and consular appropriation bill
which was agreed to. after statement by
Mr.. Hale Gn reply to question by MIR.
Sherman) that the appropriation of $780,
600 for the protection Of commercial inter
ests in Samoa was retained, and that the
appropriation of 100000 for coaling sta
tion at Pago Pago had been transferred to
the naval appropriation bill, which had
passed the senate yesterday. Otherwise
there were no substantial changes in the
diplomatic bill.
On motion Of Mr.. Hoar it was ordered
that at five minutes of II o'clock the senate
shall leave it's chamber and proceed to the
hall of the house Of representatives, there
to take part in proceedings for the ascer-
tainnent and counting of the electoral
vote.
The presiding officer at five minutes be-
fore noon announced the time had arrived
for execution of the order of the senate
and the senators thereupon, headed by the
officers of the body, proceeded to the hail
of the house of representatives.
The senate returned to its own chamber
at 2:25, when Mr.. Manderson on behalf of
the senate tellers, reported the result OF
the counting and aScertainment of the
electoral votes for president and vice pres
ldent of the United States. The report
was ordered to be entered at length on the
journal.
The resolution reported from the COM
mittee on privileges and elections instruct
ing that committee to revise
the existing law regulating the
election of members of congress, was
taken up and Mr.. Evarts spoke in its sup
port. He reviewed the history of the po-
Iitical troubles in Washington county,
Texas, and read a petition to the congress
from several Republicans of that district
After reading it Mr.. Evarts said that the
grievances which petitioners had suffered
had no other cause than the activity of pc
titioners in that canvass IN support OF
their ticket and of the principles Of the
Republican party. No greater encroaeh-
meut on the dearest rights OF the common
citizens could ever have been practlced
than that practiced on them. The
committee had found that those citizens
could not be accused of any misconduct
such as should place them and had placed
them outside of ordinary relations that
belong to peaceful and quiet citizens. In
the estimate taken by the committee there
had been no aspersion of the character OF
those sufferers except such as belonged to
the excitements of the canvass. AS to the
meetings during the canvass of
1856, he stated that the ex-
ploration of that subject by the
committee had demonstrated such accu-
sations to be vague and mere hearsay, and
that there was no substantial or reasonable
support for such imputations. He read
from the report of the committee the con-
Guiding paragraphs and said it had seemed
to him that there could have been no more
propitious time for investigation than that
when it was begun in March, 1867 Dur
ing its continuance, however, two other
prominent citizens of the county, (Joseph
Hoffman and Mr.. Holt,) had been shot
down in the execution of what
he regarded as systematic
purpose to maintain at whatever cost the
supremacy of the Democratic party in that
county. The great question came at last
TO be whether there Was to be tolerated in
this country an authority and a persist
power that was TO set aside the govern
ment of the constitution and OF the laws.
If there should prove to be an irreconcil-
able conflict between public opinion in
Texas and New York and in the country
at large his opinion was that the opinion
of the whole country must finally prevail.
Mr.. Coke obtained the floor and after
an executive session the senate adjourned.