The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-12-02
NO SEAT FOR ROBERTS
UTAH REPRESENTATIVE WILL BE
CHALLENGED WHEN HE APP
PEARS 10 TAKE OATH
PRECEDENTs ARE PLENTIFUL
Action Agreed Upon at Meeting
of Prominent House Republicans
Held In Washington Last Night
Mr.. TayIer, of Ohio, TO Take the
BE Made a Party Issue.

WASHINGTON. Dec. 1.-At a confer
ence Of about twenty-five prominent
house Republicans. held at the capitol
tonight, it was decided that the eligibility
of Representative-elect Roberts, of Titan,
to occupy a seat In the house OF repre-
Sentatives. should be investigated and
determined and that pending the de-
c!sion he should not be permitted to take
the oath of office. This decision was ar
rived at by those present without a dis
senting voice.
Representative Tayler of Ohio, who
will have charge of the matter in the
house, explained after the conference
had been adjourned, that this proceeding
does not involve a prejudice" of the
case. but, irrespective of party, will af-
ford the members an opportunity to vote,
after a thorough investigation and COM
pFete presentation of the case for their
consideration.
Mr. Tayler had made a study of the
allegations and presented them at length
to his colleagues. He offered plan of
procedure, which was agreed to after an
exchange of views The procedure is
to be as follows:
When Mr.. Roberts appears at the bar
of the house to take the oath, objection
is to be made upon the ground that he is
ineligible. He will then step aside. and
after the other members are sworn in the
member making the objection-who will
probably be Mr.. Tayler-wiil recite the
objections, and offer a resolution for their
investigation by a speciaf committee.
This will give the house an opportunity
to vote in the first instance on the ques-
ton Of DOstpOrIng the administration of
the oath uattI after the allegations have
been Investigated.
The resolutions have not been fcrmuiat-
ed yet, but they will include the investi-
cation Of the charges that Mr.. Roberts
alleged conviction of the violation OF the
Edmunds act, in 1889, renders him in
eligible by the terms of that act, whether
the fact that he is an aVowed polygamist
renders him Ineligible and whether the
state of Utah. in eleCting him, has not
Violated the compact by which she OBJ
tanned statehood.
PRECEDENTS PLENTIFUL.
Mr. Tayrer said the precedents of OBJ
jecting TO an elected member being
sworn in are numerous, including the
case of Proctor Knott, Boyd Winchester
and John Meyer, of Kentucky. who were
elected to congress shortly after the war,
and also were charged with ineligibility
On the ground of disloyalty. All these
precedents lead to the conclusion that
objection can be properly made to the
swearing III Of member where charges
appear to exist against aim.
Representative Powers of Vermont.
presided at the conference tonight. Those
present were: Messrs Henderson, of
Iowa: GroSVenOr ShattuC Southland Kerr
and Tayler, of Ohio; Powers, of Yer
mont, Mcpherson, Of Iowa; Dalzell, of
Pennsylvania: Payne and Sherman, of
New York; HilE, of Connecticut; Thomas,
of Iowa; Alexander and Ray, of New
York; Curtis, of Kansas; Warner, of Hi
rois; Morris, of Minnesota; Steele, of
Indiana. and Long Of California
The Roberts case is not to come up for
consideration at the Republican caucus
tomorrow night. The Republican leaders
do not desire to make the question in any
sense a party issue.