The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-27
THE CASE OF SENATOR SCOTT.


J VT EFituS bfNiFes a u urfheF inNfs
tiEHtion by II Committee.
The resolution declaring that Nathan B
Scott is entitled 10 his seat as a Senator
/ from the State Of West Virginia. was calei
/ up in the Senate yesterday by Mr.. Pettus
who enqured vi hat had become Of the res
olution. The presiding officer replied that
/ the understanding was that it should he
Z taken up whenever the Senator from Ala
/ bama was ready to proceed with his argu-
ment Cn the minority report Of the Commit
! tee on Privileges and Elections against tie
! resolution which was presented by him
and Of which he was the Cnly gner Mr..
J Pettus said that he was prepared TO pro-
( ceed at that time and he entered into a
! long legal discussion Of the case setti G
forth his arguments in favor of the mi
nority report. He began by referring to
a statement made by Mr.. Chandler in his
discussion of the Quay case. to the effect
that the votes Of some Senators were cast
against Mr. Mantle in 1893 lie ause he
was a silver man, and the votes Of others,
in retaliation, we're cast against Mr.. Cor
bett two years ago because he was a geld
standard advocate.
Il hope" said Mr. Pettus, that that
statement is not true. but if it is t1iS
Senate is in a sad condition to act as
judges. l cannot believe those hard words
Of the Senator from New Hampshire
against other Senators. If Senators voted
on the grounds stated they are unfit TO
act as judges and are unworthy of a seat
in this body. l desire in this case to
speak only to Senators who can and viii
decide the case according TO their best
judgment, and not on mere whim or per-
soual caprice"
Mr.. Pettus then entered upon an argu-
ment in support Of his contention that
Mr.. Scott is not entitled to a seat, fol-
lowing closely the lines of the report he
had presented. He declared that the case
had never been fully or fairly investigated,
and that while the Committee on Privi-
leges and Elections had used many thou
sands of dollars in bringing witnesses
here from the far West to testify in the
Clark case they had not made use of the
opportunities given them for investigating
the case which lay almost at their doors.
Mr. Pettus discussed in detail the doings
Of the West Virginia Legislature, and.
commenting on 1t. exclaimed:
oh, Mr.. President, the debauchery of
such Internal proceedings cannot be too
strongly characterized. II is a horrible
state Of affairs. Here are the vouchers
about as dirty a set as you ever saw in
your life And we are told that the SEN
hAt VI Alt AAAAEA oNdAts Nduubl tAdlIAAG
into a fraud like that. It may be so. 1t
may be that Mr. Scott is neither a silver
Republican nor a gold Republican, and
therefore, you have no ground 10 vote
against him. On the standard set up by
the Senator from New Hampshire (Mr
Chandlerl / do not know whether that is so
or not Oh, l do not believe that Senators
can 90 such things as the Senator from
New Hampshire charges them with
Mr.. Pettus pointed out that at one point
in the proceedings Mr.. Scott needed just
one more vote. There are some very
smart people in West Virginia" he remark
ed "and they went Immediately 10 the bar
gain counter"
Coming to the connection Of the Cover
nor of West Virginia with the question
he sharply criticised him for entering in
TO the case In the interest Of Mr. Scott
He read a letter from the Governor to Mr.
Scott. in which he called attention to the
following words Party interest de-
mands contest in your case. VIII pay
ell expenses"
1T makes me sick" Mr. Pettus ex-
claimed TO see that the Governor Of a
great State should get down into the mud
and dirt OF politics"
How about Alabama" good naturedly
suggested Mr. Elkins.
Il am 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. III get TO you after a while"
In concluding his remarks Mr.. Pettus ]
demanded: Has this case been fairly in |
yestiEated? Il has not been. Here is a /
Governor. an Attorney General, Secretary |
Of state and other high officials agreeing |
together TO do a certain act. and giving |
notice that they will do II II their propo |
g. J., h.
were not complied with. The two State |
Senator's who had resigned their seats |
voted for Scott; and the two Democrats |
we're 'histed' up into the air so high they |
could not vote against him. Senators. un |
IN YOU belong to the class described by |
the Senator from New Hampshire (Nr. |
Chandler men who vote on mere caprice |
and whim. who vote against one man be- /
cause he is a silver Republican, and who I
vote against another man because he IS |
4 gold Republican, until you get into that |
iebauched frame OF mind you Will not |
hesitate to say that this case was never |
fairly investigated. never said that you
we're debauched; and God forbid that |
should ever have cause TO say it,
Mr. pettus closed with the formal mo- /
ion that the case be recommitted 10 the
Committee on Privileges and Elections,
with instructions to investigate il fully by
such legal evidence as may be presented.
Mr Turley. who is also a member Of the
Committee on Privileges and Elections. re-
Piled briefly TO Mr.. Pettus and argued in
support Of the majority report Of the COM
mittee. He maintained that Mr.. Pettus
argument which was in effect that the
Senate had authority to enquire into the
membership Of the State Legislature. was
not sound and declared that If the doc
.rine OF the Senator from Alabama was
correct there would not be a single trans
action OF that Legislature which could not
be entered into by the Senate. This, he
said would be subversive of many Of the
principles OF Democracy and he appealed
% the Senate to stand by the report OF
he committee.
Mr. Chandler, Chairman OF the commit
ZEE submitted an argument OF the same
general purport. He said that he would
lot discuss the Quay case; that was past.
Ie would not discuss the Montana case;
hat was in the future. He would confne
himself TO the West Virginia case. The
act was. he said that there had been two
lets Of contestants facing each other in
he Legislature and that there had been
yreat danger of two Legislatures; and
hat under these circumstances an agree
nent had been entered into for a suspen-
ion 0f bnEtilftias until after the election !