Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-06-12

EX-Congressman A. c. Thompson of Ohio
the attorney in charge Of the Mckinley side
Of the contests, thus expressed himself to
The Star correspondent, when asked this
morning what he had to say on the action
OF the national committee in disposing OF
the contests.
There is no ground for complaint he
continued, except from the Mckinley side.
The national committee has given all the
cases fair hearing, but, of course, 1t
could not go into each case in extreme.
Its function is to settle the prima facie
facts and make up the temporary roll. The
committee on credentials does the rest:
that is what that committee is for. The
rational committee is like a grand jury
1t presents the case On prima facie evidence:
and the committee on credentials is like a
petit jury-hears the entire evidence and
gives the verdict, which is often different
from the decision Of the grand jury: but
even with the limited time the national
committee has there has been no disposi-
ton to curtail the hearings to shut out
the opposition: on the other hand, there
has been the greatest freedom ever shown
In the way Of hearing those who opposed
Us.
'In many ins ia noes contestants or con-
ties tees in opposition 20 Mckinley have
been permitted to speak fully they
wished, and to be heard through their
attorneys also. If there is any bitter
disappointment on the part Of men who
contests and who were rejected by the
national committee it Is their misfortune
and not our fault, for nothing has been
done by the Mckinley management to
influence the committee or gain any ad-
vantage whatever. The committee had
proceeded but a short way into the Ala
hama cases before it discovered that most
of the contests were brough: with the
same sort of idea. that a majority Of the
national committee or the committee en-
credentials would he opposed to Mckinley
L.
tisan feelings i'm the consideration of these
cases. They discovered that most of the
contests in opposition to the Mckinley
delegates We're brought along the same
contests have been so uniformly decided
in favor of Mckinley delegates,
Little Complaint by Contestants.
1.-The latter simply had the law and JUS
tee upon their side. There has been very
little complaint before the committee by
anti-Mckinley contestants, or contestees,
on account of decisions of the committee.
The complaints have been heard mostly on
the outside of the committee room, and
have been in the way Of inveighng against
the anti-Mckinley managers, who encour-
aged contests and the coming to st. Louis
Of men who hoped to get anti-Mckinley
seats through some feat Of leger1emain
No one would have thought Of alleging that
the national committee would be solidly in
IdNoT III uecul1G LOT MChluley OeltSdles
from a partisan personal point of view.
A large majority of these contests have
been decided by an almost unanimous vote
of the committee and, therefore, any insin-
uation that the committee is not absolutely
judicial and fair is a charge against the
anti-Mckinley well the Mckinley
members of the national committee. The
Mckinley managers have only looked after
their rights now and then; they have
sought no undue advantage.
Il do know that in many instances the
Mckinley managers have hoped to find
some good ground upon which to ex-
tend the magnanimous hand toward their
opponents, some ground of which would
warrant division of votes. so that an.ago-
nists as well as their friends could get seats
upon the floor and participate in the pro-
ceedings. The fact that this disposition has
failed to find anything to hang upon is the
clearest kind of evidence that the McKin-
ley men were, almost without exceptG 1n
entitled to the seats in question
j. P. NJ