The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-08-19
CHALMERS WANTS A SEAT
HE MAKES LONG SPEECH IN TIE
HOUSE IN HIS OWN BEHALF.

The Report of the Majority in Favor
of the Sitting Observation-Disclosures
Revives tie Old Chestnut About a
Political Conspiracy in the South
An Allusion to Fort Pillow.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 1S.-In the House
this morning, on motion Of Mr. Cummings
of New York, the senate bill was passed
granting leave of absence to per diem ems
ployes OF the customs service.
Mr.. Dalzell of Pennsylvania called up the
Mississippi case of Chalmers against Nor
gan. The majority report finds in favor Of
Mr.. Morgan, the sitting member. Mr..
Chalmers was given permission to adj
dress the House for an hour and half in
his own behalf. After criticising the ma
jority report, he asserted that there was
now, and had for years been, q conspiracy
existing in southern elections for the
benefit of the democratic party. That
party was determined to carry elections
honestly if it could, but forcibly IL it must.
The state Of Mississippi was the leader id
that conspiracy
PRATES ABOUT IMAGINARY PERILs
Men who dared to run on the republican
ticket or to make republican speeches car.
ried their lives in their hands That the
vote in the south was suppressed could not
be successfully denied. 1t was on the sup
preston of this vote that the republicans Of
the House had justified the passage Of the
Lodge bill. II the republicans, after pass
ing that bill, should turn around and adopt
the majority report in this case
they would put themselves in a suspicious
attitude before the country. Before the
meeting Of congress it had been charged
that the republicans intended TO turn out
enough democrats to give them a good
the ma jority, they decided to give him
seat, they would give color to that charge.
WOULD CONTRADICT THEMSELVES.
It would be said that when they were un4
dertaking to pass law to give them
chance for a majority in the next House,
they said that certain testimony was true
which in this case they said was
not sufficient to establish con.
spiracy in Mississippi. He did
not believe that the Republican party could
afford to place itself in that attitude, and
he did not think it would do it. He then
proceeded to examine in detail the evidence
Of fraud and intimidation in the counties Of
his district, in order to substantiate his
charge that conspiracy existed to defeat
him for congress. For the House to sustain
there port was to offer n premium on fraud,
and to say that the stealing of a congress
sional seat was nothing but political purA
chase.
THE FORT PILLOW MASSACRE.
He said that in order to prejudice his case
| the old story of the Fort Pillow massacre
had been revived. In the Forty-sixth con-
gress charges had been made against him in
connection with Fort Pillow. He had
asked for an investigation and 1t had been
denied him. When. the truth of history came
to be written calmly 1t would be seen that
no man had been hurt who had surrendered
In the fort Every man no was killed was
outside the fort. But even If every charge
against him were true, he had not been the
commanding officer IL the charges were
true they brought disgrace on the gallant
Forrest, who stood by his side. The fact that
until the end Of the war he had served with
tnt.s Sticer as second in command was
proof that he S-as RiIilty of no conduct un-
becoming an officer. Nc gentleman on the
democratic side would believe story which
would disgrace the brave Forrest, and the
men who had served under Grant and Sher.
man were too manly to bring disgrace on an
American soldier.
THE GOVERNMENT IN DANGER.
Continuing, Mr.. Chalmers said he felt that
this republican form Of government was In
danger of being overridden and trodden
under foot by the southern oligarchy. For
fifteen years the Republican party had
been fighting northern democrats in the
open field, while exposed to flank fire from
southern democrats entrelched behind
walls erected by fraud and violence.
They should see to it that the
national government was not controlled
by fraud and violence. A southern gov
vernon who had without protest seen out
RACES like the killing Of the negroes at Yazoo
and Carrollton grew frantic with rage over
fair fight between two pugilists.
1t was fair question whether the Dem@
ocratic party was not going to the devil as
fast as it could and taking Mississippi
with it.
KELLY MOVES RECoMMITMENT.
Mr.. Kelly of Kansas offered a resolution
reciting the following paragraph from the
majority report: with respect to the other
seven counties there is a number of boxes
as 10 which no testimony was taken, but it
may safely be affirmed that in most Of these
counties, taken as a whole, the election was
an honest one. Fraud in various forms,
including intimidation of voters, corrupt
manipulation of the registration, stuHing
and stealing of the ballot-boxes
and illegal voting find ample illustration
In all of them,n and moved TO recommit the
case with Instructions to the committee on
elections to count the unexamined ballots.
The motion was lost by vote Of 81 yeas to
1876 nays. The minority substitute was
rejected, aud the majority resolution, declar-
ing Mr.. Morgan entitled to his seat, was
agreed to without division.