Sharp County record., 1890-05-01

. WI NhbilNio oboH . i'A''J .
everything is gone through with III
a reckless and unscrupulous manner,
they claim a majority of so,
Now, in order to make this major
| itv Of so, it is argued IN the report
/ that in Phillips county l agreed that
/ that Mr.. Featherston should have
| 1872 votes which were not counted
for him. Nov, | want this House
to understand tnat | am not mere
and do not propose so stand here, as
A Representative and 90 back on any
concession or agreement that nave
ever made. l could not go back
and look my constituency in the lace
though it be an Arkansas consult
uency and Southern constituency
I could not look them in the face al :
ter having retained my seat by dIS'
regarding a solemn admission which
| had made.
| admitted that Mr.. Featherston
had I32 votes in Phillips county; ana
they are given to him in the report
of the majority; they are counted IN
order to make up his majority OF 0O,
But | submit to you, gentlemen, II
Mr.. Featherston could not lawfully
concede to me 224 votes in the cOun'
ty of Lee, how can l concede to HIM
1872 votes in Phillips county? An>
swer that question.
Now, l suppose Mr.. Featherston
is here on this floor; he is entitled to
be. ! have seen him here. In the
name of the constituency that we
both claim to represent, and IN the
presence Of this tribunal l stand
here and say do not ask you to
count for me those 1872 votes IN Phil
lips county that did not receive; l
have agreed through my attorneys
that they shonld be counted for him;
he has agreed by his own solemn act,
over his signature, that l should
have 224 votes IN Lee county.
Now, call upon him to say
whether he is willing to stand before
the people of Arkansas and before
the world and admit that he is bound
bv his agreement as l am bound by
mine. If he is not willing to take
that position, then ask you, gentle
men, which Is worthy to sit on this
floor as your associate? ask the
honest farmers of Arkansas, the
Wheelers, whose especial champion
he assumes to be, if they are proud
OF their Representative, as be claims
to be, here in this august presence
disclaimlng and avoiding his solemn
and deliberate admission, Of record,
and signed with his own hand, tak>
| inc a seat in this House by 224 votes
| he conceded were cast for me-
cannot as q plain, blunt man, |
can not as a lawyer, l cannot as a
citizen, l cannot as Representative
in this honorable body, see how this
point can be evaded. "lt's a poor
rule that won't work both ways"
Now, while "fair play" has been
preached here day after day, | ask
you if it is "fair play" to me and to
the 10000 voters that represent, to
say: eve will tie the conteStee's
hands by an agreement which he has
made, and we will release the con-
testant's hands from a similar agree
ment, because we think that in view
of public policy he could not make
it.
If the rule of "fair play" be adop-
ted--lf the same rule be applied to
the contestant and cOnteStee-that
rule gives me 224 votes in Lee cOun'
tv, and | am elected; the other rule
liz adopted takes from Mr. Feather>
ston 1872 votes in Phillips county
and I am elected. Make the rule
either way and my election is con-
hrmed. Applause, Gentlemen, |
ask you to consider this proposition
as lawyers and as falr>mlnded men.
That is all | ask.
| have but little more to say.
One word as to Crittenden county.
| have no time to 60 into details as
to that county. | have no time to
talk about Scanlan and Cat Island
and Charlottesville; but su5mi
there IS one thing in the situation in
Crttenden county that must make
you pause when you set aside that
election return, and that is this: 1t
has been charged here with pathos.
1t has been charged here in anger, It
has been charged here, l hope, not
in malice, that by the use Of an in
famous baIIot~box, which has been
exhibited here, by the aid of one
hundred armed men bearing Win
chester rifles riding up and down
among the plantations Of Crlttenden
county, by the aid of the governor
of Arkansas, who connived at the
removal of certain officers and the
appointment of others, whereby im>