The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-11-16
Ex-Speaker Reed and Others Opposed
to a Large Number Of Contests for
Seats I'm the Next House.
QUESTIONS FOR CLEVELAND
STORER WANTS AN INQUIRY INTO
THE MEDIATION PROPOSITION.
The President VIII BE Asked why He
Is MeddIing in Asiatic Affairs
Reports of Various officials.
pecial to the indianapolis Journal

Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 15.--Clerk of the
House Kerr has not yet returned to Wash
ington, and in his absence it is impossible
to state officially how many notices of con-
tested elections have been filed with the
Clerk of the House. 1t is, however, safe to
assume that there will be more than a
score. Just after the day of election there
was every indication that the Fifty-fourth
Congress might be called on to settle some
fifty or more such cases. But the number
is decreasing daily. Thus it is believed that
in Maryland, where 1t was thought last
week there would be three contests, no at
tempt will be made by the Republican can
didates to unseat the Democrats to whom
the certificate of election will be given by
the Governor. SO il is in number of 9TH
er Southern States, often in cases where
there is no reasonable doubt that the DEM
ocrats availed themselves of the absence
of federal supervision to practice the most
glaring frauds.
The truth is that the Republican congress
sional committee is not encouraging in
tending Contestants. Early in the evening
of election day when Murray, the colored
Republican candidate in South Carolina.
and soon after Cheatam, the colored candi-
date in North Carolina, wired Chairman
Babcock that they had been elected, but
that efforts were being made to count them
out after the ancient and approved meth
DDS of the two Carolinas, kilograms were
Immediately sent back ordering them to
prepare to contest the elections. The same
policy was pursued in several succeeding
instances. But on Wednesday and on
Thursday following the election. when the
Republican majority had already become
undesirably large. the committee realized
that to encourage every willing contestant
would be TO provide the Fifty-fourth Con-
gress with sufficient work in settling cleo
ton contests alone TO keep the Congress
busy in both sessions. Besides, the major
ity is already so unwieldy that every con-
test decided in favor of Republican would
simply add to the present embarrassment
of the situation. Hence, the committee is
now dscouraging contests wherever it can
be done with propriety.
Election contests ordinarily are the most
unpopular work before Congress. 1t will
be remembered that during the last session
the House was dead-locked nearly two
weeks over the O'Neill-Joy contest, and
n naf only % tM9 nse saen were of
was made to bring up the Williams-S Settle
case. but it had. 10 be abaadoned; this. too,
dred majority. There is no reason to look
for any greater enthusiasm in the next
$50 1noEgh aoTtv tns eeean
almost invariably boomerang. In nearly
every instance the man who is unseated by
the opposition majority in the House is re-
turned by the people of his district by an
xhelming majority. Messrs. Joy and
English, the two Republicans unseated by
the present House, have come back with
maiorities almost double those by which
they were first elected: So have all the
seats are being contested, but have not yet
been decided. Hence, Ii is argued that to
unseat a large number of Democrats in the
Fifty-fourth House would be the almost
certain means of making those districts
Democratic in the presidential campaign of
1885, and possibly endangering the success
of the presidential ticket, as we'll as the
Republican majority in the Fifty-ffth
House-two dangers that are by means
counterbalanced by the addition of few
more totally unnecessary Republicans in
the Fifty-fourth House. 1t is understood
that the committee, in discouraging con-
tests, is acting in complete accordance with
the views of Mr.. Reed.