Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-03-13

Claimants to the Seat.
MR. cLAaErT IN THE CITY LOOKING OUT FOR HIS
| cAsE-wHAr HE SAYS TO A sTAE REroRrER-HE
| Is CONFIDENT THAT HE WILL WIN - THE
| CHARGES OF BRIBERY.
There promises to be a very lively fight be-
tween the two claimants to the seat in the
United States Senate to which the junior Sena-
tor from Idaho ia entitled. Mr.. Dubois and his
friends are very confident but the result ia by
no means certain. Just before Mr.. Dubois left
the city, it is stated. he received . dispatch
from Editor Mcdonald Of the Falls Qdaho)
Post stating that he (McDonald) knew that
King and Emery, two members of the legisla-
ture, had been offered bribes in the interest Of
Mr.. Clagett, the contestant and that it would
be easy to establish that there had been bribery
to secure Mr.. Clagett's election.
Mr.. Clagett is in the city looking out for his
case and seems as confident of success as is Mr.
Dubois. He is evidently determined to make a
hard fight and expresses the opinion that he is
certain TO get the seat. A STAR reporter had q
| talk with him at his apartments this morning
He is a Marylander by birth and is in appear
ance typical southern gentleman. He is tall
| slender. graceful and dignifed in his bearing
| His hair and mustache are perfectly white, ne
wears no whiskers and he has q clear-cut
1
| head is high. his eyes keen and his voice mu-
| sical. He talks fuently and with an easy con-
idence and is not unlike Senator Butler of
South Carolina in appearance, though he can
not be said to positively resemble the South
Carolinian. 1t goes without saying, therefore,
that he is handsome man of impressive ap-
pearance.
WHAT HE THINKS.
| 81 have" he said, ''the Law, the equities and
morals on my side, and l do not
see how I can fail to get the
seat. I have searched carefully for pre-
cedents and can find none which will sustain
| Mr.. Dubois in his claim. The history of the
contest is interesting and explains the matter
| SO that it may be understood here as we all
as nearly in half as may be by the Sal
mon River mountains and the two sides are
| as remote from all business connection as are
| Maine and Texas. There are times during the
year when man might by travelling in bride
paths and chopping his way through fallen
trees, pass across from north to south Idaho
| or the other way, but there no paths Of
| commerce or of travel between the two parts
| of the state. The north and the south are COM
pletelv cut off from each other. When want
to 60 to the capital, in the southern part of the
state, have to travel seven hundred miles, 60
ing outside of the state either through
Wyoming and Montana or through
Washington and Oregon. This gave rise to the
l pIOpOnltiOu, WHICH WAS uuQer QlscusslOn Tor
probably twenty-four years, to annex north
Idaho to Washington. For long while the
| territory or state has been controlled by a
clique in the southern part. For eleven years
not one penny Of the money appropriated by
| Congress for surveys and public improvements
has been spent in the northern part. When
| the question of the admission of the state came
up there was q sentiment in favor of dividing
| the senatorial honors between the two sections,
providing that one should come from the
| ,prfh and h.
similar to that of Maryland years ago, when.
the state being divided by the bay and means
| OF transportation being very imperfect it was
| decided that each section of the state should
have senator, and the custom has held ever
| since.
ONE SENATOR TO EACH SECTION.
| "At our convention the proposition was made
to give one Senator to each section, and after
three or four days debate the resolution was
carried. 1t was then made plank in our plat
form and it was supposed there would be no
difficulty about it. But when the legislature
met Mr.. Dubois and Mr.. Shoup got up a
combination to secure the election of three
Senators instead of two, and they got
Mr.. Mcconnell into it, their plan being
to let Mr.. Shoup and Mr.. Mcconnell
draw for the terms, short or long,
but regardless of the result of their
drawing to insure Mr.. Dubois the full six years
term beginning after the 4th of March. They
| Of Mr.. Mcconnell, but / would not agree to
the violation of the platform and the sacrifice
| Of the interests of my section of the state.
told them that the only proper thing to do
was to elect the two Senators to which the
| new state was entitled, and when they
| had taken their places in the Senate and drawn
| for their terms, if the short term fell to the
southern Senator to elect manfrom that Sec
| ton of the state to succeed him, but il the
short term fell to the northern senator to elect
1 ba fbarp ~ If ,ha a4a
succeed him. In this way each section would
haye a senator. This was what was contem-
plated in our platform, and with that un-
derstanding the northern part of the
state had yielded all the local offices to
the south except that of lieutenant gov
ernor. But Mr.. Dubois wanted the six
years term, regardless of who got the other
| long term, and the combination was fixed to
accomplish what he desired. Mcconnell was
| elected from North Idaho and Snoup from
South Idaho and it was arranged between
them that their election should be followed by
| the election OF Dubois to succeed whichever
one got the term expiring on the 4th of
March.
HOW THE ELECTIONS WE'RE HELD.
'The elections were held under two provisions
of law, one Of the general law admitting the
state and the other under the constitution of
the state. Under the constitution Of the state
| the balloting for the two Senators was begun
within ten days after the first meeting of the
legislature. That being done, the election Of
| Q successor to either of these Senators was reg
ulated by the general law providing for the
election, the bslloting beginning on
the second Tuesday after the meeting Of tae
Legislature. It was proposed by the CONT
| tioHto elect Mr.. Dubois after the second Tues
day, but he discovered that il would be impos-
sible to hold the combination together that
| long, men having been deceived into il and
becoming discontented as they began to appre-
ciate the deception. Therefore Mr. Dubois de-
cided not to wait until the lawful time for hold
ing the election, but to have himself elected i'm
mediately, which he did. The legislature was
composed Of good men, but there were only
two lawyers in the whole body, one in the sem
ate and one IN the houss. 50 that they were
easily deceived as to the law. But when the
second Tuesday after the meeting of the legis-
lature had arrived and the election could le-
| gally be held they had come to an understand
| ing OF the situation. They balloted for Senator
in the lawful manner and was elected TO sue
ceed Mr.. Mcconnell, the Senator from north
ldahos who got the short term"
Cen. Miles Going te MEXICO.
Gen. 4fles has received notice from Wash
ington that thirty days leave Of absepcs has