Los Angeles herald., 1890-04-03
The Senate Takes Up the
Montana Contest.
The House Considers The Idaho
Admission Bill.
Republican Chicanery Denounced in
Both Houses.
The Antitrust Bill Revised-The Pan
American Conference Decides on
Monetary Union.
Associated Press Dispatches. |


WASHINGTON, April 2.-In the Senate
today, Edmunds, from the Judiciary
committee, reported back the Anti
Trust bill in the form of substitute,
and said that as soon as the Montana
election case is disposed of the bill would
botaken up.
The conference report on the Urgent
Deficiency bill was presented and agreed
to. The House recedes from it's dis
agreement to the Senate amendment as
to irrigation surveys, with the proviso
that no part of the amount shall be ex-
pended in sinking wells or the construc-
ton of irrigation works, and that the
Government shall not be committed to
any plan of irrigation.
The Montana Case.
The Senate then proceeded to con-
sideration of the Montana election case,
the majority report being in favor of
Wilbur f. Sanders and Thomas G.
Power, the minority report in favor of
William A. Clark and Martin Maginnis,
Hoar stated the case on the part of the
committee, holding that the whole mat
ter 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
twenty-four Democrats for Clark and
Maginnis, were legally elected deputies.
Gray, representing the minority of the
committee, made a statement in support
of the claim that Clark and Maginnis
were entitled to the seats. He COM
mented upon the official canvass board
of Montana, which declared that no alb
stract of votes had been received from
Silver Bow county; that they had Eek
hausted the authority" given to them
by the statute in endeavoring to obtain
it, and that it therefore became their
duty to assert and declare it from the
best sources of information obtainable,
and he argued that the canvassers had
no authority to act on any information
obtained from any source other than
the election officers of the county, de-
claring that he had never known such
bold and fragrant act of usurpation, and
that the members of the canvassing
board of Montana, the Governor, Chief
Justice and Secretary of the Territory
should have been whipped at the cart
tail in every country town in the Terri
tory.
George-Is there any evidence on rec
ord that the Legislature which this Iron
hall House (the Republican House)
claimed to be part OF, ever performed
any legislative act or passed any law?
Gray-None whatever. The Governor
never recognized this Iron hall House,
but recognized the House which met at
the court house (the Democratic House,
as the lawful and rightful House.
Teller interrupted Gray to say that
various communications had passed be-
tween the Iron hall House and the Sen
ate.
Hoar-There is no other lawful evil
dence of the title of the Governor or any
other State officer of Montana, except
this very canvass which the Senator from
Delaware says has no validity whatever.
Gray then went on to denounce the
Indecent haste" with which the Terri
torial canvassing board made its report
and adjourned, with the full knowledge
of the fact that court of competent
jurisdiction had issued peremptory
mandamus ordering that an abstract
of the votes in Silver Bow county be
made and furnished. The members of
that Territorial canvassing board stand
convicted of participation in those sharp
practices in which the majority of the
committee on privileges and elections
would have the Senate also become
participator.
Gray went on to speak OF the evil
dences of haste with which the Presi-
dents proclamation for the admission
of Montana had been issued. He did not
accuse the President of being partici
pator in the conspiracy, but alleged that
the President had been persuaded by the
conspirators to make himself an instru-
ment in consummating their design.
The minority of the committee, he said,
accepted the findings of the county
board of Silver Bow county, and they
held that Clark and Maginnis held law
full credentials.
Gray yielded the floor without con-
Guiding his argument, and the death of
Representative WILDER being announced,
the Senate adjourned.