The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-03-22


Joint assembly Or Otherwise.
Sixth, All RESOLUTIONS now pending ~
either house, looking % ungeRtng any
member thereof. o. Quee tiOniBg the seat
Of any sitting member, shan 10 as
missed.
Seventh, each q the aigneFs Of this
proposition pledges himself 70 vote ana
use an honorable means 10 have the
Gtipulations herein contained faithfully
carried out ana observed.
o. s. WKINNEY.
ISAIAH BEE.
". Z. lIAlFgFTEIiD
JOHN " DAVIS.
r.. W. MORROW.
We, the undersigned Republican san
atOrs, concur IN the foregoing proposi-
r. E. FAST.
o. s. MARSHALL.
ALONZo GARRETT.
8. Z. BAKER.
8. W. MATTHEW'S.
It's hrsk sentence declares itR purpose
to bring about a peaceful and orderly
settlement Of the differences now exist
Ing between the two houses. Il q to
be noted that those who are alleged %
have acted under durel9 lrat signed
and submitted the pFopoaal. then those
WIZ ~ - GAAAN|tAa III HA4eaAA94 sAA@AA 49,
scented to accept the proposal.
This proposal stipulated that the case
OF Brohard. Republican. IN the house.
and the case Of Kidd. Democrat. IN the
senate, shah be heard and tried upon
their merits and finally voted on Feb
ruary Z, 1899; that pending the detialon
OF these cases, neither Dent, Democrat.
nor Norris. Republican. IN the senate,
shall vote. In joint ASSEMBLY or other
wise, and that all contests and Feoolu-
lions hooking 70 unsaatiRg Of members
shall cease In each house.
The signars pledge themselves lnqi-
vidually to so vote and to use all hon
orabIn means to have those stipulations
carried out. Five Democrats In the
house and 1--WE Republicans IN the sem
ate were numerically Sufficient to
change the partisan majority In either
house. AS these men included the pre-.
siding officers Of each house and the
door leaders OF the majority In each
house, their statement Of the spirit
and purpose Of the proposal q these
Democrats. accepted By these Repuhli-
cans In the paper they signed, should
be accepted as true.
In the senate, as result OF this COM
ference. Senator Garrett the next morn
ing offered the resolution postponing
the Kidd W. Morris contest, 90 before
stated, and forbidding further parttci-
patton OF Norris IN the voting for SEN
ator Of the United States. Il was adopt
ed unanimously.
In the house Mr.. Davis offered like
resolution, postponing the discussion Of
the Dent Vi BFohard contest, ~ before
stated It was adopted unanimously.
Mr.. John w. Davis. conceded by both
sides to be man Of ability ana high
- 80
majority In the house, also introduced
the resolution, In q printed deposition
FUSED by both sides In argument before
the committee. and 80 used herel gives
his own reasons for siBning t1ia paper
and declares that the statement he
mRkes for himself was IN accord with
conversations he had with other Demo-
cratic sfgners at or before the time the
agreement was presented to him for
signature. Mr.. DaviB's statement may
therefore, be taken as the statement Of
all the Democrats who signed this pro-
posal.
standing OF the purpose Of that agree
ment upon the part Of the Democrats?
Answer-Tlat agreement. as un-
derstood It, was entered into for the
purpose Of avoiding further trouble be-
tween the two houses and in each
house in regard to contests then pend
ing, the situation having become very
acute. rumors being cuFront upon al
hands Of an intention upon the part Of
the Republican minority IN the house
to withdraw and organize Separate
house and upon the part Of the Repub-
lican majority In the senate to unseat
various Democratic senators, and Il
being believed that the best interests Of
the people OF West Virginia and the
proper conduct Of the bultnaSs Of the
legislature demanded an early and final
settlement Of these questions.
In the senate Kidd had been unseated
by the Republican majority. In the
house Via had been unseated and BrO-
hard was about to be unseated by the
Democrats. Other contests were presl-
ed from partisan motives. The pacltic
understanding OF these ten men ended
this strife and enabled the legislature to
proceed with itB business.
II may be that wrong and injustice to
members and contestants was done and
intended to be done upon one side or the
other or on both sides. There q no evil
dence Of force or fraud IN these trans
actions In the documents or facts be-
fore US. The unanimous vote IN both
houses upon resolutions pOStpOning
pending contests for seats dlaprovO8
0ufsl8 II Tue MuEu uuEe11 nll meaning
In this remembrance.
we can not say that such an agree
ment as this between ten men, and fav-
ored afterwards by all members, u
''Vold as against public policy" We
cannot declare void the unanimous act
OF the senate OF the unanimous act OF
the house, OF like pacific purpose. Nor
can we perceive how It 'vitlated said
election" Its immediate result was not
ito diEGranchiBe one Democratic seha-
tor and one Democratic member" Its
immediate result, II any was pacific
and the subsequent action OF both
houses had az Its immediate result the
ilsfranchisement OF Morris, the sitting
Republican senator.
The sitting Republican delegate from
Taylor county had eight days before
been excluded from participation IN the
proceedings. The federal statute re-
dulred this legislature to proceed to
elect the senator Of the United States
on the second Tuesday after organlEa-
ton Of the legislature and TO meet next
day at noon In Joint assembly, and
pending this Joint meeting both houses
thus disposed OF contested cases. Asst
was unanimous IN both houses, the
members appear TO have considered Il a
fair and reasonable plan, as Il feclilta-
ted the meeting in Joint assembly--to
have considered It to be in the public
interest
II Is true that speedily thereafter
Morris was unseated md Kidd seated
again, and that BrohRrd was unseRted
and Dent seated in his place. Tine
merits OF these contests were to be de-
eIded by the two legislative bodies
having original and exclusive jurlsdlc-
ton. As wo have said, their public and
solemn adjudicntions Of the election Of
these members can not be reviewed. or
,.o,,orood ar affirmed harp sTbnrae,,..