The Portland daily press., 1897-02-19
COON QUEERED TICKET.
How Negroes Of Kentucky District
We're Disfranchised.
A POLITICAL STROKE WORTHY OF
A MACHIAVELLI.

Congress, However, Refuses to Counte-
Clerk of Clark County Sees His Diabol-
ical Plot Come to Naught.
Washington, February 18.-Mr. Can
non, Republican of Illinois, chairman
of the committee on appropriation, re-
ported the general deficiency bill in the
House today, stating that he should to-
morrow ask the House to take it up and
hoped to pass it before the week was
over.
Mr.. RoSse, Republican of Indiana,
from the committee oD elections, No. !,
addressed the House on tile contested
election case OF Hopkins. Republican,
vs.. Kendall. Democrat, from the tenth
Kentucky district, opposing the recon-
mendation of the majority of the COM
mittee In favor of confirming in his seat
the sitting member, who was returned
elected by vote of IA, $40 against IA, 592
for the contestant.
He charged that the roll on which tbs
return was based, was fraudulently pre-
pared by the CLERK Of CLARK county, who
violated the law in every particular and
particularly outraged the eolored hepub-
licans voters by placing at the head OF
the ticket without proper authority an
"odorous raccoon,' instead of the. .Ame-
rican eagle, the EN- blsm selected. This
was the reason the averaeesvote fell Off
1t was the sscoon" that stole the vote
of the Repu blioan party, for the average
uolorad voter would rather nave nls
hand cut off than vote under the sign Oh
the coon. daughter and applause.
The clerk who perpetrated this fraud
was rewarded by being made secretary
of the Democratic committee OF CLARE
county, Let the word 90 forth, he said,
that if the clerk violated the law viii
fully and co-rupt!y, as was done In
Clark county, disinfranchisemen would
follow, and hereafter the people OF ken-
tucky would see that the law was en-
forced and would put that man IN the
penltenitary if he tried it again.
Mr.. Dinsmore, Democrat OF Arkansas,
who had Joined in the majority report OF
the committee, said he admitted tne
action of the clerk of the county was IL
legal, but did not admit that this action
was taken with view OF defeating the
contestant.
Mr.. Moody then took the floor to per-
form what he called the ungracious task
OF advocating the majority report. be
prefaoed his remarks bysaylng shat ne was
that the majority of the House had made
mn it's mind the other way, after hearing
only one aspect of the case. he stated
that upon the same ticket of CLARK coun'
ty, which the minority OF the commlttee
proposed to throw out as fraudulent,
every officer of the county had beer. .select-
I'd for four years and no contest had been
fled against any of them IN the count.
1t was no compliment to the under
standing of the House to bring here the
assertion that they dare not take the
cases into the sunlight OF their own
courts
Mr.. gMoody's anticipation that the SEN
timent of the House was against him
seemed verified by an incident which oc-
CURED when tire speaker pro tenn brought
down his gavel and unanimous consent
was asked that Mr.. Moody's time be ex-
tended ten minutes, as the time OF the
opposition had been extended Is minutes.
several objections were at once made,
the sounds proceeding chiefly from be-
hind the screens which conceal the en-
trance to the cloak rooms Cries of dis
sent were raised from all over the House
and REQUESTS were made that Mr.. Moody
should be given the time asked. In the
midst of some confusion, MIR. Hardy,
Republican of Indiana, rasing his head
over the screen, said: Il withdraw my
motion. I think Massachusetts, has been
slobbered over enough in this House."
With much warmth and Indignation,
Mr.. Moody retorted: would much
rather the gentleman had insisted upon
his objection than accompany his with
drawal by an insult to the state of Mas
sachusetts. 's
"But" he added. 'I do not feel that
I am called upon to apologize for either
the state of Massachusetts, or myself. /
have simply asked for conscientious
sense of duty"
This was received with applause and
Mr.. Moody concluded bis speech. A
rising vote showed large majority in
favor OF the contestant, Hopkins call
of the roll was ordered and the ubsti-
tute report, declaring Kendall, Demo-
crat, not elected, and Hopkins, Republi-
can, elected from the tenth district of
Kentucky, was adopted 1877 toi91 Ten
Republicans voted with the Democrats
to sustain the majority report and con-
firm the sitting member in his seat
The Populists supported the majority re-
port.
Mr.. Hopkins, amid applause, was then
escorted to the bar and took the oath
and his scat as member from the tenth
kentucky district.
Leave was given tosboth contestant and
contestee to print in the Record within
ten days the remarks they might desire
to make on the case. The confusion
which prevailed during the day drew
from Speaker Reed rsmonstrance and
an appeal He stated that not only ex-
members but menibers-elect were en-
titled to the privileges of the floor and
they availed themselves to a very consid-
erable extent of these privileges during
the last week of the session. This in
creased the difficulty of preserving order
and he appealed tossthe House to aid the
transaction of public business by maln-
tanning better decorum.
tThe House proceeded with routine
business, taking up bills by unanimous
consent. These were of no public In
terest.
At 4 80 the House adjourned.