Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-04-23
FIRE AT THE FINISH
Hot Conclusion to a Rather
Spiritless Debate.
VFERRALI LETS HIMSELF LOOSE.


Being Thereunto Incited by Some Caustic
Remarks of the Eloquent Cochran
The Senate Takes Another Pull at All
Sin and Davis Introduces a Subject
That Seems to Have Nothing to do
With the Case"-Clef Gland and the
Indiana Democracy-Omcial Notes.
WASHINGTON, April 23.-The Noyes-Rock
well contested election case from the
Elmira, New York, district, after being
under consideration for three days, was
brought to vote yesterday and decided in
favor of the sitting member, Rockwell, the
Democrat. This case was given more i'm
portance from the fact that Elmira is Sem
ator HIPS home, that he was strong par
tisan of the Democratic contestee, and had
even, it was stated, gone so far as to call
upon the members of the house committee
on privileges and elections and demand
Rockwells retention as a measure of party
policy. 1t was also looked upon by some
as test of HilIs popularity in the house,
which may or may not be true
BOurke Cockran's Appeal
The closing speeches yesterday were
made by Bourke Cochran and O'Ferrall
OF Virginia Chairman of the election COM
mittee which by majority of Democrats
as well as Republicans had reported in IA
vor of Noyes, the'Republican contestant).
Cochran, being Hill man, of course ad-
yocated the cause of Rockwell His speech
was eloquent and impassioned with fire.
quent references to Colonel w. W. Dudley
and "blocks of five" charges by implica-
ion that the president had sold a cabinet
office in return for corruption fund to
buy Indiana voters, and allusions to the
number OF Democrats unseated by the Re
publicans last session.
Takes Poke at O'FerralI.
He deplored the fact that the gentleman
from Virginia (O'FerralI) was to be found
in bad company. When the Republican
party comes here with plea for fair cleo
tions it Was only fair and right that it
should be compelled to bear at the bar
where it pleads the proper odium of char
cter acquired in every congress where it
has had control of the committee on con-
tested elections. Applause on Demo
cratic side. He made no attempt to
prove by the figures presented to the COM
mittee that Rockwell was elected, devot-
for party harmony of action and claiming
that such action would be entirely right
as between Noyes and Rockwell.
O'Ferrall Begins His Reply.
There was loud applause at the close of
Cockran's speech, and it was punctuated
frequently with the same. O'Ferrall then
took the floor to close the debate. Out
side of his reply to Cochran the speech was
careful review of the figures of the cleo
ton. He said that if sixteen Noyes votes
were rejected, then twenty-eight Demo-
cratic ballots should be rejected. The Demo
cratic party could not afford to place itself
in the position of throwing out sixteen
Republican ballots and retaining twen-
ty-eight Democratic ballots just as fraud
ulent as the sixteen ballots. The Demo
cratic party could never affard to do
wrong, but it could always afford to do
right. Loud applause.]
Reminds Him of an Anecdote.
But he began his speech by paying his
attention to Cochran. He opened by cit
ing an anecdote (apropos of Cockran's for
ensic effort) to the effect that negro being
out in a hurricane at night, and not relish
ing the surroundings, said (appealing to
heaven): "Oh, Lawd, if it's all the same to
you, give me less noise and little more
klSnl. llTtiutuuOus applause, OTuer NOT
being restored for five minutes ] He hoped
there would be a calm on the floor after
the equinoctial storm which had just
swept over it. Referring to Cochran, he
said that the gentleman had undertaken
to lecture him as to his duty as a Demo-
crat, but he would be false to the princi-
piles of his party if he did not dare TO do
right, and this he was doing in the report
presented for Noyes.
Cites Some of Cockran's Votes.
The gentleman from New York Cock
RAM had voted in but two contested election
cases in this house In the Fiftieth con-
gress there was a report against White, a
Republican. Cochran voted for White.
If he (O'FerralD was in bad company
now, as stated by the gentleman from
New York, where was the latter at that
time? O'Ferrall also referred to Cock
rams vote against free silver, and said he
understood that Cochran did not reside in
his district, upon which Cochran said the
gentleman's statements regarding him
(Cockran) were untrue. O'Ferall retorted
that the gentleman from New York always
desired to be independent, and was always
wrong when he was independent. [Con-
fusion in the house-speaker with diff
ficulty restoring order.