The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-09-07
The Breckinridge Case.

| Inc breCklnrlOB6 C6Se'
The republicans Of the present House
have done many things which are indefensi-
BILE from any standpo but Of all their
partisan, illegal ard outrageous acts, no one
is more inexcusabie than the unseatIDg OF
Clifton r. BIeckinridge, Of Arkansas They
had made up their minds 10 unseat him.
however, hefore any evidence YVES taken in
his case. The result would not have differ
ent. therefore, even if he had been able to
snow beyond the shadow Of a doubt that
be was just as much entitled to O seat IN the
House as any one of the republican leaders.
His seat was not contested. There was no
one to contest it. John NJ. CLAYTON was
the republican candidate against Mr.. Breck-
inridge, aud he was assassinated shortly
after the election while engaged in hunting
up testimony upon winch to support a con-
test Of which he had given notice.
The republicans held Mr.. Breckenridge
responsible for Mr.. Clayton's death. They
d id not dare 10 assert that he was RESPONSE
Die for it, because they had no evidence
upon which TO base an assertion Of that
kind, but they did what they could TO fasten
that crime upon him by turning him out of
the House
They did not care how great an injury
they did him if they could by any act of
theirs make a point for their party They
purpose in the congressional campaignes
this fall to declare that men are
murdered in the south for their political
opinions, and that in the southern states
there is not free ballot and fair count.
They wanted to point Mr.. BreckinrIdges
district as evidence of the truth of this
declaration, and they could not do that as
long as he was permitted to remain in the
House. They therefore unseated him, and
they did it without evidence sufficient to
justify them in doing so.
Mr.. Breckinridge declared on the floor of
the House that Mr.. Clayton and he we're
friends, and there is no reason to doubt that
they were. Mr.. Breckenridge regretted Mr..
Clayton's death as much as it was possible
for any one to regret it, and had it been in
his power he would have prevented Mr..
Clayton's assassination. The republicans,
however, pretended 10 believe that had Mr..
Clayton lived he would have been able to
show that he was elected. and they tried in
every way, but unsuccessfully, to show that
Mr.. Breckenridge had reason TO think that
Mr. Clayton was elected They openly said
that Mr. Breckenridge ought to have resign
ed as soon as Mr.. Clayton was assassinated.
though they were never able to give any
reason for that opinion
AS matter of fact, the election IN which
Mr.. Breckenridge and Mr.. Clayton were
candidates was fair one. and Mr.. Breckin-
ridge was elected by few hundred major
ity. The ballot-box Of one district-thau
Of Plummerville was stolen. Nobody
whether the majority of them were for Mr..
Breckenridge or Mr.. Clayton OF course,
the republicans asserted that a ma jorlty of
the ballots in the stolen box were for Mr..
Clayton. though they had no evidence that
such was the case. On the assumption that
they we're, they unseated Mr.. Breckenridge.
Was there ever a greater outrage on the
ballot9
The time may come when this Brecl1ln-
ridge-Clayton case will be used as prece-
dent against the republicans. If one party
turns members out of the House on a mere
assumption of wrong-doing, the other party
will not hesitate to do the same thing when
there is political advantage to be gained.
AS for Mr. Breckenridge, he will be re-
elected. The people of his district will send
him back to the House by an increased ma
jority.