The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-04-27
HE WANTS SCOTT UNSEATED.
PErTUS OF ALABAMA MAKES A Ls-
GAL ARGUMENT.

Held That the Case Had Not Been
Fairly Investigated by the Com
mittee-CharEed the Legislature
That Elected Scott With Debauch-
cry and Bribery-MOrgan Upheld
His COIIenEue-ChnndIer UphOIds
Committees Action
Washington, April 26.-Almost the entire
| session of the Senate to-day was devoted
to consideration of the right of Nathan B.
Scott of West Virginia to retain his seat
in the Senate
Mr.. Pettus of Alabama, who alone of
the members of the Committee on Privi-
leges and ELECTIONS, is opposed to the
claim of Mr.. Scott to a seat, made an
elaborate argument to sustain his views
Mr.. Morgan of Alabama spoke in favor of
| his colleagues contention.
Mr.. McComas of Maryland, Mr.. Turley
of Tennessee. Mr. Chandler of New Hamp-
shire, Mr.. Teller of Colorado and Mr.. AL
len of Nebraska, addressed the Senate in
support of the resolution, declaring Mr..
Scott entitled to his seat. The case went
over without action.
Mr.. Pettus presented the minority report
!
tions in the Scott case, being the only
member of the committee who declined to
! sign the majority report.
Il desire" said he. ito speak to sena-
tors who can decide fairly, upon their own
Judgment and not upon caprice and
Whim." He begged senators, therefore,
TO lay aside any personal considerations
in this case and decided it upon its merits
| as proposition of law. Mr. Pettus then
made an argument in support of his posi-
tion. After having been Interrupted by
Mr.. McComas to correct a statement of
! fact, Mr.. Pettus refused with some heat
to permit an interruption by Mr.. Spooner,
I of Wisconsin, who desired to ask a ques-
ton.
would Not Be Interrupted.
81 shall not yield for debate Of this
/ question: said the Alabama senator. 1T
is not fair and it is not just for senator
TO interrupt an argument for the purpose
of seeing whether he can debate the ques-
ton better than the man on the floor
II think, 2~said Mr.. Spooner, lit would
| have been courteous in the Senator to have
assumed that 1 desired simply to ask a
question:
ooh! no." returned Mr.. Pettus, sit would
not be; 1 have heard the Senator debate
positions after asking a question. l took
a necessary precaution. I do not approve
of this practice of interrupting in argu-
ments. This way of just buging into the
middle of argument is excessively bad
manners, even if it does so often occur
| in the United States Senate" (Applause.)
Mr.. Pettus analyzed the work in the
| Legislature declaring Of 1t:
I 1.-THE debauchery Of such internal pro-
| ceedings cannot be too strongly charac-
! terzed. 1t is a horrible state of affairs.
! And yet we are told that the United
| States Senate cannot examine into fraud
| like that"
| Later, he pointed out that at one point
| of the proceedings Mr.. Scott needed just
| one more vote.
"'There are some very smart people in
| West Virginia." said he, "and they went
| Immediately 10 the bargain counter"
| In Need of Civil Service.
Further along Mr.. Pettus sharply criti-
| cised the action of the Governor of West
! Virginia in entering into the case in the
| interest of Mr.. Scott.
"It makes me sick" said he, "that the
Governor of a state should get down into
| the mud and dirt of a vile case like this.
| And from his actions 1 should think they
needed civil service in Charleston"
How about Alabama?" inquired Mr..
Elkins of West Virginia, facetiously
I'm not discussing Alabama now" re-
piled Mr.. Pettus. but the Senator's pic
ture is in this thing, too. Don't get i'm
patient I'll get to you after a while"
Naughter.)
Mr. Pettus maintained that the case had
not been fairly investigated by the Priv
ileges and Elections Committee.
Senators" said he, until you belong
TO that debauched class described by the
Senator from New Hampshire (Chandler)
who vote on cases of this kind from whim
and caprice you must vote on the law
and the evidence"
ton of the case.
Mr.. Turley of Tennessee followed with
an argument in support of Mr. Scott's
right to retain his seat
Chandler supports Scott.
Mr.. Chandler chairman of the Commit
tee on Privileges and Elections, present.
ed an explanation of the agreement en-
tered into by the Republican and Demo-
cratic leaders in the Legislature and in
the state of West Virginia, and declared
il was perfectly valid, perfectly honest
and perfectly fair.
He held, with Mr.. Turley, that the Sem
ate had no right to enter into an invesi-
cation of the action of the Legislature In
respect to the seating or unseating of any
of its members. He believed the contest
made against Mr.. Scott had been made
wrongfully and uujustihably.
Mr.. Morgan made an extended argument
in support of the motion of his colleague,
Mr.. Pettus to recommit the case to the
committee with instructions to make a
thorough investigation of 1t.
Mr.. Teller maintained that the United
States Senate could not pass upon the
action of the West Virginia Legislature as
1t was a constitutional body, and fully
qualified to determine all matters for
itself
An effort was made to fix time for a
vote upon the case, but Mr.. Pettus OBJ
jected TO denounclng the effort as "inde-
cent haste"
The case went over until tomorrow.