The Portland daily press., 1890-03-05
SHOT GUNS AND BOWIE KNIVES.
Frontier Arguments as Used In an
Arkansas Election.

WASHINGTON, March AIN the House to-
election case of Featherstone VS.. Cate was
resumed, and Mr.. Dalzell of Pennsylvania
in supporting the claims Of the contestant,
said that in the election in the first district
of Arkansas Winchester rifles, revolvers and
bowie knives played an important part. The
contestee, in his brief, himself admitted that
the chivalry of Crittenden county were arm
ed with Winchester rifles and found it neces-
sary to drive out 20 or 80 unarmed black mem
After the title of the contestee had been Sc
cured by crime, the contestant, in the at
tempted exercise of his rights under the law,
was prevented by force and violence from
taking testimony. His life was put in
jeopardy; his counsel abused; his witnesses
maltreated, and such reign of terror insti-
tuted that the contestant was obliged to cross
the Mississippi river to Memphis before he
could take any testimony. Gentlemen ON the
other side said the contestant and his wit
nesSes would have been perfectly safe in the
district. So had John M. Clayton been safe
in his district prior to the time he was assas-
sinated.
Mr.. Crisp of Georgia submitted an argu-
ment in favor of the claims of the contestee,
MIR. Cate. He said the counsel for the con-
testant was W. W. Dudley. better known
perhaps as BLOCKS of Five" Dudley. 1t
was interesting to hear that that notorious
gentleman was discussing before the com
mittee on elections the Importance of
of purity of the ballot and the necessity of
sIsmggo,od giving the voter tasa his. his un
a gentleman from Massachusetts, Mr. Green
halgel when he [Mr. Crispl heard Dudley's
statement, he thought he would say "This
is the devil quoting scripture" but it occur
red to him that while the notorious Indiani-
an might not be, as his distinguished friend
from Massachusetts was, a civil service re-
former, he was not the devil, and he knew
what he was quoting to the committee was
not scripture. Laughter.
Mr.. Cheadle Of Indiana entered his pro-
test against attacking the character of a man
who, on the field of battle spent his blood in
defence of his country, and whose life he
Mr.. Cheadlel challenged any human being
to attack, [Applause on the Republican
sidel. Nobody on the other side was able to
prove single charge against the Republi-
cans of Indiana. IRenewed applausel.
Mr.. Crisp was unaware that he had said
anything to provoke this outburst by his
friend from Indiana. Mr.. Crisp took up the
evidence in the case, and argued that in its
report the majority of the committee had
not obeyed the law of fair play, law dear
| to the American people.
| Mr.. Rowell of Illinois charged that the ap-
| parent majority, through which the contes-
tee obtained title to his seat was procured
| by crime of the highest character, which if
not perpetrated, would have turned his ap-
| parent majority into minority. Did the
| hundred bandits armed with Winchester
| rifles who exiled the officers and people of
Crittehden county, under pain of death. be-
loved fair play? [Applause on Republican
side.l Did the member of that bandit band,
who was attorney for the contestee in Crit.
| tenden county, who stood by when he saw
the contestant getting out Of the county in
order to save his life, did he belong to that
| portion of the American people who loved
! fair play. [Appause.l He criticised the
Governor of Arkansas for allowing 100
| armed men to expel from their position the
| legal officers of the county, without raising
| hand to vindicate the law. The time had
come to put an end to murder, the shifting
| of ballot boxes, false returns and rebel
| lion against the power of the United States,
| In order to overturn the rights Of the black
| man. The wheel of progress was rolling
and the man who stood in the may OF main
taining the constitution would be crushed to
earth.
| Mr.. Moore of Texas asserted that all the
testimony taken by the contestant In Men,
| phis, involving the question OF conspiracy
and the fraudulent ballot box. was bold,
bald and unpretended forgery In all particu-
lars.
Mr.. Buckalew of Pennsylvania impressed
| upon the members of the House that they
We're sitting in a judicial capacity and should
iest the case upon its merits, without being
influenced by personal or a party bias. On
the merit of the case, he argued the sitting
member was entitled to retain his seat.
MI. brecklnridge OF Arkansas said that
gentlemen, In discussing the question, had
wandered lar from the evidence in the case
now under consideration. Nobody had ad-
duced syllable of testimony to Show any
| wrongs committed in Crittenden county had
not been reprobated by the great mass of the
people Of the country. He referred to the
peacefql condltion of affairs in Kansas,
Which brought Mr.. Kelly of Kansas to his
feet, with a question as to what had become
of the colored detective who had gone to the
gentleman's district to find out who murdered
the man in whose bloody SHOES the gentle.
man stood today.
Mr.. Breckinrlde replied that the negro, in
trying to look up the murderers of Col. Clay
ton had got into difficulty with Republican
boy, whose father was Republican. The
negro was drunk and applying opprobrious
epithets to the boy struck him with stone.