The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1897-03-05
IT'S STAYED OFF NOW.
House Will Not Pass Murray's
= Resolution This Session.
THE OUTLOOK IS ,SQUALLY.

| ''S Wv IoSN ~
The Indications Are That the Next
| Congress VIII Give South Carolina
| an Endless Amount of Trouble.
-.-A-->-.-s--.-.. 49, -' -
WASHINGTON, Especial. THE inves-
tisation of the South Carolina electoral
system under the new constitution,
| which Representative Murray, of South
Carolina, has been endeavorihg to havo
the House take up, will not be attempt
| ed by this Congress-. The committee
on election of President, Vice Presi-
dent and Representatives in Congress,
which has Eeen listening to statements
from the Sc eth Carolina politicians, de-
| clded Friday TO leave the Question to
the Fifty-tifth Congress, which will
have to psss upon several election con-
| tests made by south Carolina Republi-
cans. If the temper. of the committee
of the next congress be like that OF the
present committee, an investigation
will be made Several Republican
members of the committee declared
themselves in favor of an investigation,
but were deferred by the lack of time
before this session closes. Consequently
subcommittee, consisting of three
Nepublcans--Atw of Massachu-
setts, Coriss of Michigan, and al
drich Of Alabama, aud two Demo
crats-1ucker, of Virginia, and Stal.
linES, of alabama was instructed to
report to the house the memorials and
the statement made to the committee
with the recommendation that the next
I ongresS consider that m investigation
is adv iSable Mr. atwood is writing
the report, which will arraign the
recent Constitutional Convention of
south Carolina and the Constitution
which it framed. 1t will be asserted
that the conventicii was illegally called,
that it AS not n component body for
the work it did, because its members
took no oath, and that the Constitution
was not submitted to n vote of the
people. he workings of the electora
system will be criticised on the ground
that the registration boards are com
posed wholly of democrats appointed
by the hOvernOr, that the tests are so
manipulated by the registration officers
that illiterate whites are qualified and
illIterate blacks disqualified.
\ minority report may be made by
the bemocl attic members of the sub
committee Sevelal south Carolina
tee today, among them Dr. Sanpson
ope, recently the independent candi-
date for hovel nor, and nobert Smnlls,
the colored eX-member of Congress
There was q rather warm passage be-
tween Dr. ope and Representative
albert when Ar. lalbert said that i,r
| oIe had begun to run for Governor
on the democratic ticket and had run
on every possible ticket since. Mr.
/ albert asserts that no white man has
signed the memorials presented by Mr
V urray.
DR.. Fope characterized ns great
fraud the Constitutional Convention
aud reviewed the circumstances attend
ing it. Uneasy for fear that the on
serva:ivc element of the tate would
Join the Republicans and form o Just
| constitution, the democratic leaders.
' Senator lillman, the Governor, and
others, entered, he declared, into Al
most damnable agreement. The scheme
to which they bound themselves aud
their followers provided, among other
things, tnat no white man should be
lisfranchised except for crime, that bhe
whites should be insured supremacy
and the Constitution, when adopted,
should not be again submitted to
the people. The result was that thous-
ands were debarred from suffrage.
Mr.. Smalls stated that the Democrat
ic State Executive Committee and not
the Legislature had provided that the
Constitution should not be submitted to
vote of the people.
Mr.. Wilson held that the old law did
not declare that new Constitution,
but only amendments to the old Con-
stitution must be submitted to the peo-
pie.
DR.. Pope secured from Mr.. Wilson,
in the course of the hearing, m admiS-
sion that he N'opel has right to con
test the election and then declared that
he had been unable to prevail upon any
members Of the Legislature to present
his contest and when the speaker had
been induced to submit 1t the Assembly
had voted itdown.
Then Mr.. Smnlls complained that the
Republicans were not allowed repre-
sentatiou on the election boards,
, whereupon Mr.. Stokes. of South
| Carolina. contended that this was in
correct and MIR. Smalls argued that
they were not represented on the reg
| istration boards, ut any rate. N!r.
| Stokes said he was not informed on that
! lG.nt
W.. Wilson arGueed at length on the
] right OF Congress to undertake the III
| veStiga.ion proposed. This wnS mere
| ly an attempt by Mr.. Murray to have
| Congress collect evidence for cleo
| tion contests for the South Caro-
| lima Republicans, he said Congress
| had no right on the showing made
| to invade the State and investigate it,
laws.