The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-02-27

Washngton Feb. 26.-The committee
on elections of President. ,Vice-President
and members of Congress to. day heard
further argument in the alleged South
Carolina election frauds, Dr. Sampson
Pope, independent candidate for gov
ernor, taking the stand.
DIR. Pope characterized as Il fraud the
constitutional convention and reviewed
at length the circumstances attending it.
Uneasy for fear that the conservative
element of the State would join the lie.
publicans and form II just constitution,
he said the Democratic leaders, Senator
Tillnian and others, entered into most
damnable agreement. The scheme to
which they bound the hselves anil their
followers proved among other things that
no white man should be DISTINGUISHED eX.
cept for crime, that the whites should be
insured supremacy and ssthat the consti.
tuition should not again he submitted to
the people. He had gone into the courts
and endeavored to stop the election of del
eGates TO the convention. but had been
unsuccessful.
South Carolina, he held, was out in the
cold as far "a representation in Congre IS
was concerned. 1t was admitted to the
union provided that it did not change
the constitution of 1865 which was ap.
proved by Congress. The legislature of
the State has broken faith long ago and
AS matter of fact no Senator or repre-
sentative. Democrat or Republican. had
Il right TO sit in the national legislature
Further. when the present constitution
WAS adopted, it was submitted to the pub
lie tor ratification: those framing it never
took the OATH and IL number of them held
other offices under the State Cover nment
The provisions of the constitution were
violated in each instance. The result
WAS that thousands were dcbarred from
suffrage.
These were facts, and if the committee
would 90 to South Carolina and take ties.
timony, or send or persons and papers,
it could easily get the facts Ir was in
important matter and one which Congress
should look into.
Mr.. Gorliss, of Michigan, said that the
memorials, presented by Mr.. Murray, and
which were subject of the hearing, were
addressed TO the Congress of the Uni
ted States, y and asked Mr. Pope if he
thought, under these circumstances the
inquiry should not be joint, the Senate
participating.
Mr.. Pope replied that he thought Il
joint inquiry would have been better
Mr. Curtis, of New York, chairman OF
the committee said that this was IAN inn
pOrtant question and he would like Mr.
Pope to submit his views on it fully
Replying Mr.. Pope said that Ell: I'll honsc
was the Judge of the election OF it's own
members. The constitution guaranteed
Il republican form of government to each
State. If South Carolina did not have
such form of government it had no
right to representation. The House com
mittee, he thought, could act independ.
emily, but individually he favored II Joint
investigation. The question, as far rs he
knew, had never been advanced before.
The committee should not look for pre-
cedents but should blaze the way for il.
self.
Reference was made TO the fact that
Massachusetts had an educational prOvis
lou regarding the right of suffrage in its
constitution.
Mir Pope sad that this was so, but il
applied to those coming of age and those
entering the State and not to those enti-
tied to vote when it was enacted.
The right TO suffrage, once given, be-
came vested right, and II citizen could
not he Invested ot such II right, except for
crime. This in itself was an important
matter 70 be considered in connection
with the new constitution of South Caro-
lima.
Replying to Il question by Mr. Talbert.
OF south Carolina, as To the part he took
in certain legislation in the Senate he
st''i tnht ~ was cHacIeu before he became
n member of TIE legislature He added
that the scales had fallen from his ewes;
he was now II protectionist and IN out
spoken Repubian, and he only regretted
that he had not joined this party twelve
years ago lie was in it now to stay and
would work tc convert the people of his
State. He even hoped to convert his
friend, Mr. Talbert.
Mr. Smalls said that the Democratic
governor and not the legislature had de-
cided that the constitution should not he
submitted to the people.
Mr.. Wilson replied that the old law did
not declare that II new constitution
should be submitted to the people. 1t
only provided that the amendments to
the constitution should he submitted
DR. Pope, in the course of the hearing,
secured from Mr.. Wilson an admission
that he Pope had right to contest Che