The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-03-09
FUD N'GNNTSS FA7E.
Why He Failed to Get the Sest
He Was Entitled to.
SACRIFICED FOR THE PARTY.
To Push His Claim woald Have
Made an Extra Session Necessary.
The Splendid Record of tho Re.
publican Administration.
sptetal ptpaLeA 3 lle InleLllamer.

Special DtIpdteh 70 ne InttlltoeReer.
WASHINGTON, D. O., March s.-You
correspondent had a talk to-day Will
Representative Haugen, Of the lat
Elections Committee, in reference to th,
failure OF that committee to seat Nlaiol
McGinnis. Mr.. Haugen confirmed
what has been for some time subject
Of general report, namely, that It became
question at the last whether two men,
McGinnis and Bullock, OF Florida,
should be sacrificed, or whether the
responsibility for an extra session Of
Congress should be assumed by Repub.
licans. The Democrats had deliberately
determined to delay action on the ap,
preparation bills II these cases were
called up, and therefore these two men,
whose cases were as good as any that
had been passed on, were sacrificed for
the party's welfare.
It will be remembered that the Nc
Ginnis.Alderson contest was one Of the
first on the docket, as originally ar.
ranged by the Elections Committee.
Major McGinnis asked for additional
time In which to take testimony as to
illegal votes. This was granted, and OF
course the case went to the end OF the
docket. The arguments were heard dur
ing the latter part OF the summer, and
the decision OF the committee was un-
hesitatingly in McGinnis's favor. It
proved impossible then, with the elec.
ton coming on, to obtain quorum Of
Republicans, and throughout this aes.
sion the same has been true. The result
is that two deserving men were deprived
OF seats In Congress to which they were
rightfully entitled. Every member OF
the majority OF the Elections Committee
is sincerely sorry that this should be so,
but under the circumstances they could
not help 1t.
The committee had eighteen contest
cases TO pass on. In one OF these, the
Phelan case from Memphis, the contes.
tse died before a decision was reached.
As above stated, two more had no prae.
teal result, and in one, tho Clayton.
Breckenridge case, from Arkansas, the
committee simply decided that there
had been no election, owing to the muir.
der OF Clayton. OF the remaining four.
teen eight were decided in favor Of Re.
publicans and ak In favor OF Democratic.
But OF the so.called Republicans one,
Featherstone, was a Farmers' Alliance
man, and LSngston was confessedly an
independent, so that the result was,
strictly speaking, six Of each party seated,
a record for fairness never equalled by
any former Elections Committee, and
one OF which this committee need not
be ashamed.
In no case did q single Democrat vote |
in favor OF Republican contestant, no
matter what the evidence showed; in |
six cases the Republicans voted with the |
Democrats, although in the case Of Par
rott, from the Evansville, Ind, district,
the question as to the legality OF the
votes cast by students in q college was
exactly the same one upon which q
Democratic elections committee had
previously unseated Mr.. Mckinley. The
nearest the Democratic members came
to voting against one of their own party |
was in the case OF WaddiIl Va. Wise, from |
the Richmond district. There the evil
dence showed that at least two hun.
dred legal voters for Waddill had
been kept from voting when the
polls closed. A statute Of the United |
States provides that when legal voter
who desires to cast his ballot is debarred |
from doing so, his vote shall be counted |
as having been cost in accordance with
his deeires. On the face Of this, how.
ever, the Democrats voted that there
had been no election in this instance.
With this one exception, never Dem.
ocrat wavered in his partisanship; and
in the light OF these facts the majority |
of the Elections Committee is entirely |
willing to have its record 60 before the
public,