The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-01-26
SPEAKER ON EVERY BUSH
ROBERTS SAYS HE'S a MARTYR
TO PREJUDICE.
HIS MORAL OBLIGATIONS BIND HIM
And He viii Go Back Home With Light
Heart Confident of The Future. He
win Not Run For Congress
Again.

Washington, Jan. 25.-Tha case of
Brigham III. Roberts, the Mormon Rep
resentative-elect from Titan which has
occupied 50 much of the attention of the
House since the assembling of Congress
was decided today by the adoption of
a resolution to exclude him by Il vote of
26S to 80
The exact language of the resolution
was as follows:
THAT under the facts and circum-
stances of the case Brigham ii. Roberts,
Ropresentative-elect from the State of
Utah, ought not to have or hold seat
in the House of Representatives, and
that the seat to which he was elected
is hereby declared vacant"
The amendment TO eXpel Mr.. Roberts
without seating him offered by Mr.. Lacey
was ruled out on n point of order, and the
House only voted upon the resolutions of
the majority and minority of the commit
tee. The latter to seat and then eXpel
Mr.. Roberts was defeated 81 to pa.
An analysis of this vote shows that
ITO Republicans. - Democrats and two
populists voted against it and II Demo
SILVER Republicans voted for it.
The majority resolutions-to exclude
Mr. Roberts and declare the seat vacant
were adopted 26S to 80. The affirma-
tive vote was divided as follows: Repub-
lcans 16S, Democrats 96, POpulists 4
and the negative vote: Democrats Al;
Silver Republicans ,, Populists /. There
were score of speakers today. Mr..
Roberts was present throughout the day
and only left the hall after the result of
the last vote had been announced. As
he did so he gave out a statement justi-
fying his retention of his plural wives ON
the, ground that his moral obligation was
more binding upon his conscience than
technical obedience to statutory law and
SAYING that there was little excuse for
the extraordinary efforts TO crush a Sys-
tenn already abandoned and practically
dead.
He says he was Il martyr to ''spasm
of prejudice He would not he said
attempt to run for Congress again al
though he would go back home with I;
light heart confident of the future.
Mr.. Talbert (S. c., said that in Il case
of such abnormal and defiant immortality
technicalities should not weigh. Repre-
senting the constituency he did, .he said,
he should vote against Roberts first, last
and all the time.
Mr.. AdamSon, (Ga.), said violation of
the statute against unlawful cO-habita-
ton entitled the offender to membership
in the penitentiary rather than the House
OF Representatives.
Mr.. Grosvenor. (O), supported the
views of the majority in favor of seclu-
sion.
Mr.. Norris. Mimi, a member of the
special committee which investigated the
Roberts case and who signed the ma
iority report, advocated its adoption In
an hours speech. If the constitutional
qualifications could not be added to, said
NE. the House would be compelled to adj
nit a triyeling idiot base traitor or q
red handed murderer. The Supreme
Court had held that polygamy was not a
religious tenet.
Mr.. DeArmond, (Mo.). closed the de
bate ON behalf of the minority OF the
committee with a forty minutes speech
The argument of the majority that the
method of turning Mr.. Roberts out mat
tered not was the argument OF Judge
Lynch. When he decided that man
should he hanged he also said it was inn
material how he was hanged.
Mr.. DeArmond scored those who had
unnecessarily abused Mr.. Roberts. lie
would scorn as beneath him and beneath
contempt an effort to evoke applause by
denunciation. But let it be not under
stood by some carping critic that he ia
vorede polygamy. Il oppose it; | scOrl
it, said he, "but do not feel it neces-
sary in order to show how good | am
how 1 love motherhood and chastity to
lend myself to cheap abuse which re-
quires neither ability nor courage This
utteraEce drew forth applause.
Mr. Lanham, CTexas), closed the de-