The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-02-10

Great Flood OF Oratery in the Sitting
Hoase-Audftor Kefner's Fine work.

] Of DEBATE united with the Eupsrhezted ST
/ rnosphere. o: which Representative Webb
/ formally complained. 20 make the hall of
/ the house a suI.ry place today.
! The orators found the Gaskeli-Edwards
/ contest case IA irresistible temptation 20
/ speechmzking. II vas taken up after the
! reading Of the journal and the flow
/ OF language became 80 copious that
| IL was after O'Clock before i.
could be checked and even then
| food seemed TO be in reserve. The fight
/ was made over the proposition 20 count
| the votes cast IN the Thirty-.hird district
! az the November election. Those who
opposed the counting did 80 upon
the ground that there was no
certainty that the ballots offered
| in evidence were the ones actually cast. 1t
| was contended that the ballots had been
| treated with great earelessness, especially
| By Auditor Ketner. Of Pierce county.
| His course in tearing open come
| of the packages 10 ascertain
| which contained the ballots, wanted, the
| Endorsements on them being defective: IN
/ placing the Thlrty-third district packages
/ in trunk that ne did not lock, but tied
| up with rope; in allowing the
| sight, and in otherwise deal
| ing negligeutiy with important evil
| dence. was made much OF by the Demo
| Gratis and Popalists, and Dy the Republican
| speakers who agreed with them. 1t was
| plain that If Mr.. Ketner had Planned
/ furnish an argument TO the opponents
| OF Gaske.i against the identity Of bailo.s
| he could not have arranged it better than
| by acting as he did with reference 70 the
| custody Of the votes. The temptation vas
| strong 10 assert that Mr. Ketner purposely
| neglected his duty, and one or two Of
| those who favored counting the votes were
/ disposed TO charge that ne had, but the
| general impression vas that he had 'teen
/ simply guilty Of gross careasssness.
Ludden opened the debate vigorously.
urging the house 10 make the investiga-
/ ton complete. lie stirred up the opposi-
| ton 50 actively that Anderson Of Pierce
| biindiy called him 10 order, but the point
vas not considered and Judson called
| TO Anderson. "Oh, let him 60 on. SIT
| DOWN. Ludden then reviewed the testi-
niOny as TO the care OF the ballots and in
| sisted that they had been sufficiently
| identified. Tucker took al opposite
view. He said that the Republicans
Of the district had neglected
their duty in not putting up a candidate
st the special election. II they were hon.
est, he said. they would have nominated
man. Mentzer made a legal argu-
ment against the recount, quoting
from authorities on election laws.
Sallee called attention to the
fact that the men no We're now seeking
TO cast doubt on the ballots, because Of
the manner in which they had been
brought here, were the very members who
fought the request Of the committee for
authority to go to Tacoma TO make the
recount.
Roth declared that there seemed 10 have
been method in this Democratic auditors
madness. Mays understood him to say
democratic orator's," and felt that
he had been personally attacked. He
rose to question of privilege,
but the laughter over his mistake abrevi-
ated his speech. Roth continued: II
want to see the color of the hair Of
| a Republican who will he duped
sufficiently 10 vote for the seating
of Populist simply because the bal
, lots have been discredited, when ali
! the doubt has been cast upon them by
| Democratic officers. Wheeler wanted the
| information that the counting would
furnish. SO as to know just how to
| justly vote. Mcmillan contended that there
| had been a failure to identify the ballots.
| White followed IN a speech that created a
vast amusement. He insisted that as a
| committee had been appointed to investi-
gate the matter its report should be sus-
| tanned. He declared that the house had
been ''monkeying along here for six
| weeks" and he was tired OF it. Though I'm
Republican" he said, land although
| have had insinuations thrown against me
| for voting with Popuists and Democrats
| on this question, l want 10 say that if every
| Republican should turn against me for
| so voting, / would vote for Edwards, be-
| cause | believe he was elected. 1t costs
| the state about 500 an hour to listen to
| these orators. | do not believe the
| state can afford il, needing a state
| house and other improvements as it does.
| Let these men who want to talk go down
| on the tide fats at night and shout" His
| peroration conyuised the house. 1t was
You may hang Puget sound on a fir
tree to dry, stand Mount Rainier on a
nail keg, try TO unbuckie the belly band of
| eternity. but you will never find me voting
fer Il man who is not entitled to a seat"
| Rinehart wanted the case put over until
tomorrow. but Judson protested. saying:
1T you do not decide it today. all these
| speeches will have to be made over again. I"
| Judson himself WAS the first to
| talk at the afternoon session. He declared
that ate. being forty years Democrat
it was n novel experience for him to
defend Republicans. but he felt called
unon TO uphold the action of the
Republican precinct officers, the county
canyassins board that declared a ie
and the Republican governor that
ordered new election. Leo commenced
with a lawyer-like argument. but became
ratified TO the extent of charging those in
favor of n recount with cowardice and
/ finally applying the name coward" to
them. He also described them as hav-
ing monumental cheek. SalIee replied
To Leo. and insisted that the Democrats
| had damned their own auditor. Ludden
also resented the imputa;ion Of Leo that
the Republicans were cracking the party
whip, and declared it was the Democrats
who were doing that. Hurd made strong
speech IN favor of recount IS matter of
justice 10 Gaskel, who had been accused
ot perjury in swearing 10 MS piead;ngs
Bush Of Cheha..s concluded the debate
for the minority, urging a full in
vestigation. Mays rose 20 offer certi-
hcate Of naturalization in behalf of
Edwards, his citizenship having been de-
! med but the fairfield man surruruhsi