Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1900-01-11
LAWMAKERS LOTTERY.
Kentucky Democrats Secure MaJOF-
ity Of Members on the Committees
which Will Hear Contests for State


which VIII Hear Contests for State
Offices.
Frankfort, Ky, Jan. 5.-The joint
Legislative committees which will sit
in the contests for governor and lieu
tenant governor were yesterday
drawn by lot, as provided by law. The
democrats were lucky, as the drawing
gave them ten out of the IL members
of the committee on the governors
contest and nine out of IL on the lieu
tenant governors contest.
The house members of these two
committees were sworn in last night
and it is probable that the joint COM
mittees will organize and begin talk
ing evidence to-day.
In the drawing over the formation
of the Legislative contested election
committees the results We're somewhat
more evenly divided. In the case of
the two senatorial contests the repub-
Leans got only one member out Of
nine on each committee, but in the
house they got majorities on ten out
of the Is committees which try con-
tests.
The house was occupied until late in
the evening with the drawing of the
legislative committees and there was
nothing noteworthy in the proceed
ings until after the governorship
committees had been announced and
just before the drawing of the com
mittee on lieutenant governors con-
test. Representative Haswell, leader
of the republican minority, charged
Chief Clerk Ed o. Leigh with manipu-
lating the ballots so as to give the
democrats the advantage. Haswell
and Representative Berry, represent
ing the republicans, stood at the
clerks desk as the names of the mem
bers We're placed in the box, and when
the last name was placed in it, Haswell
walked to his seat and addressed the
house, charging that Leigh had, in
placing the names in the box, system
atically thrown the names of the dem
ocrat members on the right side of the
box and in like manner had thrown
the names of the republicans to the
left.
He said he did not know how it hap
pened that the democrats got such a
majority on the governors contest
committee, drawn a few minutes be-
fore, but he did know how the ballots
had been put in the box for the draw
ing now on, and he asked that the
clerk be required to at least shake the
box thoroughly, SOFAS to mix the names
as contemplated by law. Speaker
Trimble invited Haswell or any other
publican member to shake the box,
but they declined to do this, saying
this was the duty of the clerk.
Mr. Berry, republican, asked the
speaker to allow members to inspect
the box in order to verify the charge
made by him and Haswell, mention
ing the alleged manner in which the
names had been placed in the box, but
Mr.. Cantrill, democrat, said the
charges made by IIaswell and Berry
were serious and that as long as they
had waited until the drawing was
practically complete, he thought they
should be compelled to file them in
the proper way and not make them
verbally as they were doing. Speaker
Trimble finally ordered the box thor
oughly shaken and this was done, with
the result that six democrat and two
republican names were drawn out.
y
Franklin county grand jury has found
indictments against John II. Whallen
and Charles Ryan, who. it is alleged
attempted to bribe Senator Harrell in
the governorship contest. The indict-
llents are based on conspiracy and will
be similar to those returned against
w, &. Hunter, John II. Wilson, f. T.
Franks and others in the Hunter
alleged bribery cases growing out of
the Hunter Blacllb burn senatorial con-
test in 1897. The safety deposit box
which Harrell designated as holding
the money was turned over to the
grand jury. 1t was found to contain
four $1,000 bills and five 500 bills The
money was sealed up in plain white
envelope without writing. This in
part corroborates HarrelPS story.