Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-04-27


election of Nathan B. Scott as Senator
from West Virginia, was pretty thor
oughly ventilated in the Senate to-day,
Senator Pettus, of Alabama, treating
his hearers to a scathing arraignment
of the methods used to procure Scotts
majority.
His speech was illuminated with
those flashes of wit and humor which
have made the Alabama Senator fa-
nous, and his castigation of West
Virginia Republican political methods
was keenly enjoyed.
At the conclusion of his argument,
Senator Pettus offered an amendment
to the pending resolution which de-
clares Scott entitled to his seat. Mr..
Pettus's amendment is as follows:
THAT the pending resolution be re-
committed to the committee on privi-
leges and elections with instructions
to investigate fully all legal evidence
offered"
This amendment was strongly OPP
posed by Senator McComas and others
and finally went over with the reso-
luton until tomorrow.
There was an evident desire on the
part of Republican Senators to bring
the matter to a vote to-day, but Sena-
tor Pettus declined, objecting to the
undue hocfa of tho other eide on5 COW
ing that he and others desired to de-
bate the subject further.
A proposal on the part of Senator
Chandler to fix the time for a vote at
8 O'Clock tomorrow was emphatically
rejected.
During the course of his speech Sen
ator Pettus repeatedly referred to
SCOTS majority as PRO tempre ct pro
hac vice." a majority procured for the
occasion only.
The agreement by which Kidd was
suspended Mr.. Pettus pronounced
fraudulent on it's face. The debauch-
cry of such proceedings" exclaimed
the Senator, cannot be too strongly
characterized. 1t is a horrible state of
affairs. Here are the vouchers
pointing to copies of the journals of
the West Virginia legislature lying on
his desk-"about as dirty a set as you
ever saw in your life. And we are told
that the Senate of the United States
cannot examine into a fraud like that.
1t may be SO. 1t may be that Mr..
Scott is neither a silver Republican
nor a gold Republican, and, therefore,
you have got no ground to vote against
him"
In concluding his remarks Mr.. Pet
tus asked, passionately:
HAS this case been fairly investi-
gated? 1t has not been. Here is a
governor, an attorney general, secre-
tary of state, and other high officials
agreeing together to do a certain act
and giving notice what they will do if
their propositions are not complied
with; and they were complied with.
The two State Senators who had re-
signed their seats voted for Scott, and
the two Democrats were 'histed' up
into the air so high that they could not
vote against him. Senators, until you
belong to the class described by the
Senator from New Hampshire; men
who vote Oh mere caprice and within,
who vote against one man because he
is a silver Republican, and who vote
against another nan because he is a
gold Republican; until you get into
that debauched frame of mind you will
not hesitate to say that this case was
never fairly investigated"
Mr.. Pettus pointed out that one point
of the proceedings Mr.. Scott needed
just one more vote. There are some
very smart people in West Virginia.
said he, land they went Immediately
to the bargain counter"
Further along Mr.. Pettus sharply
criticised the action of the Governor
Of West Virginia in entering into the
case in the interest of Mr.. Scott. TT
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 l
should think they needed civil service
in Charleston"
How about Alabama" inquired Mr..
Elkins, yves Virginia), facetiously.
I'm not discussing Alabama now
replied Mr.. Pettus. THE Senator's
picture is in this thing, too. Don't get
impatient. I'll get to you after a
while" Laughter).
Mr.. Pettus maintained that the case
had not been fairly investigated by the
privileges and elections committee.
Mr.. Turley, (Tennessee), said as a
member of the committee on privileges
and elections he had investigated the
case thoroughly and he planted him
self squarely on the majority report of
the committee. He maintained that
Mr.. Pettus' contention that the Senate
had authority to inquire into the mem
bership of the legislature was not
sound and would be subyersive of
many of the cherished principles of the
Democratic party.
Mr.. Chandler, chairman of the COM
mittee on privileges and elections, pre-
scented an explanation of the agreement
entered into by the Republicans and
Democratic leaders in the legislature
and in the State of West Virginia, and
declared it was perfectly valid, perfect
ly honest and perfectly fair. He held,
with Mr.. Turley, that the Senate had
no right to investigate the action of
the legislature on election contests.
Mr.. McComas declared that no
charges of a definite character had
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