The Jackson headlight., 1900-01-27
THE CASE OF ROBERTS
MAJORITY AND MINORITY COMMIT
TEE REPoRrs SUBMITTED
To tho House---Summary Of Law and Facts
Majority Report Favors Exclusion Of
Mr.. Roberts, The Minority Expulsion by
TwO.Third Vote.

Washington. The reports Of tn
sreciaI committee of Investigation II
the Brigham 81. Roberts case Of Utah
were presented to the house Saturday
The majority report is signed BY. Chair
. man Taylor and six Of his associates. Il
q voluminous document and Is accom-
J panied by summary Of the law and
facts. It gives the details OF the hear
ings, ample opportunities afforded &c
Mr.. Roberts to present his case, his re-
tusal to testify and findings OF facts
heretofore published
It proceeds: "The committee II un-
mistaken in its belief that Mr.. Robert.
ought not to remain O member Of the
house of representatives. A majority
are of the opinion that be ought not to
become member, that the house has
the right to exclude him. A minority
are Of the opinion that the proper
course of procedure Is to permit him
to be sworn in and then expel him by q
two thirds vote under the constitution
al provision providing for expulsion.
"Your committee desires to assert
with the utmost positIveness at this
point that not only is the proposition
of expulsion as applied to this case
against precedent, but that exclusion
is entirely In aocord with prinoIple.
authority and legislative precedent and
not antagonistic to any legislative sc-
tion which tbs house has ever taken.
"For convenience we present here
with in support of the committee 3 res
olution the following summary:
upon the facts stated the majority
Of the committee assert that the claim
ant o1ght not to BE- permitted to take a
scat in the houfe Of representatives and
the seat to whi IN he was elected ought
to be declared vacant
"The minority, on the other hand,
assert that he ought to be sworn in in
order that if, happily. two thirds vots
therefore he may be expelled
Three distinct grounds of disquali-
fcation are asserted against Roberts.
"First-By reason Of his violation
Of the Edmunds law.
"Second-By reason Of his notorious
defiant violation of the law of the land
OF the supreme court and of tbs proc
lamations OF the president, holding
himself above the law and n ot amena-
bic to it.
mo government could possibly exist
in the faos OF such practices. He is In
open war against the laws and institu-
tions of the country, whose congress he
seeks TO enter. Such an idea is intol-
cradle. It Is upon the principle assert
ed in this ground that all cases of ex-
clusion have been passed.
"Third-His election as representa-
tive is an explicit and offensive viola
tion of the law by which Utah was ad-
mitted as state.
The objection Is made to the re-
fusal to admit Roberts that the constii
tuition excludes the idea that any OBJ
Iection can be made to his coming in if
he is % years old. has been seven years
3 citizen Of the United Stat.s and was
an inhabitant Of Utah when elected. no :
matter how odious or treasonable or
criminal may have been his life and
practices. To this we rerly:
"That the language Of the constitu-
horal provision, the history Of It's
framing in the constitutional conveu-
lion and the context clearly show that
It cannot be construed to prevent dis.
lualiticat on for crime
After reciting several reasons WHY
Roberts should not be admitted, the re-
bort concludes as follows:
If there is any fact apparent in .
his case, it is that the constituents Of
dr. Roberts knew all about him before
lis election. Can there bs room TO
Iouot the proper action Of the house ,
it prepared to yield up this salutarv
'ower OF exclusionf VIII it declare
tself defenseless and rid1cuIouP \
Nor are those who assert that ar 2
ulsion is the remedy necessarily barred g.
rom voting for the resolution dec,ar- d
ng the seat vacant. He must indeal a
70 technical and narrow in his CON- T
truot:on, who will not admit that if a q,
ote to declare the seat vacant is sus- u
aimed by a two thirds majority the m
is substantially cou pl,ed a,
nth. He may not agree with the COM .e
littee that mere majority can o., ;,
The Duke Of Marlborough left Lon.
on for South Africa Saturday. az did ii
lSO the gaoOpd n ~