The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-04-03
Senator Gray Properly Character
ICES the Men Who Acted as the
Montana Returning Board.
They Should Have Been Tied to
the Tail of a Cart and Pub
licly Whipped.
The Senate spends the Day on the Sena-
torial Contest, without the Discus
sion Being Ended.

WASHINGTON. April 2.-ln the senate to-
day Edmunds, from the Judiciary commit
tee, reported back the antitrust bill in the
form of n substitute, and said that as soon
as the Montana election case is disposed of,
the bill would be taken up. The conference
report on tho urgent deficiency bill was pre-
sented and agreed to. The house recedes
from its disagreement to the senate amend
ment as TO irrigation surveys, with pro-
Viso that no part of the amount be expended
i'll sinking wells or the construction of lrri-
CATION works, that the government he not
committed TO any plan of rrigation.
The senate then proceeded to the consid-
Grafton of the Montana election case, the
majority report being in favor of Wilbur L.
Sanders and Thomas II. Power; the minori-
w report in favor of William A. Clark and
Martin Maginnis. Hoar stated the case on
the part of the majority of the committee.
The whole matter turned upon the question
whether one set Of delegates who voted with
the twenty-five republican delegates for
Sanders and Power were legally elected
from the county of Silver Bow, or whether
the other set who voted with the twenty
four democrats for Clark and Maginnis
were legally elected
GRAY. representing the minority of the
committee made statement in support
of the claim that Clark and Maginnis were
entitled to seats. He commented pom the
finding of the canyassing board of Mon
tana. which declares that no abstract of
votes had been received from Silver Bow
county: that they had exhausted the au-
thority given 10 them by the statute in en-
deayoring TO obtain it, and that it therefore
became their duty to assert and declare IL
from the best sources of information OBJ
tainahe.' and he argued that the canvass
ers had no authority 10 act on any informa-
tion obtained from any source other than
the election officers of the county declaring
that he had never known such bold and
fragrant act of usurpation, and that the
members Of the canyassing board of Mon
tam, the governor chief justice and secre-
tary of tie territory should have been
whipped at the tail of cart in every
country town in the territory.
George-ls there any evidence on record
that this Iron hall house. republican
house." as it is claimed 10 be, ever per
formed any legislative act or passed any
law2
Gray-None whatever. The governor
never recognized this Iron hall house, but
recognized the house which met at the
court house, ths democratic houss, as the
lawful and Tightful house.
| Teller interrupted GraY To say tnat var
ious communications had passed between
the Iron hall house and the senai
| Hoar-There ia 40 other lawful evidence
of title of the governor and other officers of
Montana except this very canvass which the
senator from Delaware says has no validity
whatever.
! Gray then went on denouncing the indie
cent haste with which the territorial can
vassing board made its report and adjourned
with full knowledge of the fact that court
of competent jurisdiction had issued per
emptory mRndamus ordering that an alb
siract of the votes in Silver Bow county be
made and furnished the members. That
the territorial canvassing board stands con-
victed of participation in those sharp prac-
tices in which majority of the committee
ON privileges and elections would have the
senate become participants. Gray went on
TO speak of the evidences of haste with
which the presidents proclamation for the
admission of Montana had been issued. lie
did not accuse the president of being
a participant in the conspiracy, but alleged
the president had been persuaded by the
conspirators TO make himself an instrument
in consunmating their designs. Minority
of the committee, he said, accepted the find
ings Of the county board of Silver Bow
county. and they held that Clark and Ma
ginnis held lawful credentials.
Gray yielded the floor without concluding
his argument, and the death of Representa-
tive Wilber being announced, the senate
adjourned.