The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-12-19
HEARING GIVEN
TO COWDON' CASE
Committee No. 3 Passes It
Along to No. |.
ARGUMENT BY MR.. JONES
He Contended That the Contest Should
Not Be Regarded at All
Seriously - Contestant
Wa. There.
Especial Dispatch to The rimes.>

u
case of Cowdon against Glass came up at
the Capitol again to-day. This time it
was before Elections Committee No. 5 to
which had been referred the memorial
sent by Cowdon to the speaker in which
he stated that there had been no legal
Lotion held in Virginia and, therefore,
Mr.. Glass was not entitled to his seat
in Congress.
Cowdon himself, however. although he
counts a few votes cast at the same cleo
ton. considers himself immune from the
tIlint of illcgality. with which. accord
ing to him. Mr.. Glass is besmeared. and
fully entitled to represent the Sixth Dis.
trict in Congress.
Mr. Glass was about to leave his hotel
for the train last night. it being his in
tention to go home for the holidays, when
he received notice from Elections Com
mittee No. 3 that this case would come
up this morning at half-past ten o'clock.
This was most unexpected news and hc
went around to see Representative Jones
about it. When the committee met this
morning Mr.. Jones appeared in behalf OF
Mr.. Class.
COWDON WAS THERE.
Cowdon was present with his attorney.
Mr.. Tharin, Of Washington. The two
conducted the case in turn, frequently
together. interrupting each other at al
most every point When one thought
the other was saying the wrong thing Il
was saying too much, he would ask him
to sit down, etc.
CIowdon has never made any regular
notice Of contest nor has he proceeded
against Glass in any formal or really
legal manner. He simply memorialized
the Speaker Of the House against the
legality Of the whole election. The only
statement he made to-day that would In
dictate he has the least idea that if the
election was Illegal he is in the same
boat with Glass, was that he was pre-
pared TO be bound by oath to uphold the
Constitution of the United States. an oath
which Glass could not should not, and
would not take" because he had taken
oath under the invalid Constitution OF
Virginia
He argued that whilst there had been
only three hundred votes cast for him
there would have been enough to have
elected him had it not been for the dis
reimbursement of so many Of those who
wanted to vote for him. He wanted the
committee to take the matter in hand
and to count all those votes for him.
He offered no papers Of any sort IN
substantiation Of the charges he had
made. but relied upon the House 70 throw
G.aSS OUT anu seal Hill eIo d A''ASNSA -
right and juct1ce.
MIR. JONES REPLIES.
After Cowdon and his counsel had had
a full swing, MIR. Jones took the floor. He
first pointed out that oowdon nad peeii
a candidate in several Virginia Districts.
notably the Fourth and Eighth he call
ed attention to the fact that CoWdon
had presented 4 memorial against r pre-
sentative Lassiter charging fraud. and
that nothing had ever come of it. Mr.
Jones then said that the same question
raised in this memorial as to the valid
ity of the Virginia election laws had
been raised by the Tayler resolution IN
troduced the first day of the session
which had been declued upon by Z &C.
tions Committee NO. 1. and that two
committees could not have jurisdiction
cs the same question at the same time
The House had never acted upon this
memorial and that the right place for
it was in Elections Committee No. l.
Mr. Jones then took up the personality
of MIR. Cowdon and had sooo deal Oh
FUN with it. Seeing that the committee
were disposed to take the matter too
seriously he called attention to the me-
mortal .lr. Cowdon had submitted to the
subcommittee and the card ne clrcu-
lated throughout the Sixth District dur
ing the campaign.
Mr.. Jones pointed out that the address
showed Cowdon to be socialist. Both
Cowdon and his attorney defended So
cialistic principles.
Nv this time the committee was be-
ginning to understand Cowdon and at
the close of his reply to Mr.: Jones. an
executive session was called by the
chairman 1T was decided to ask the
Sneaker to hand the matter over to Elec-
lions Committee No. I. 1t is hardly pcs
sible for anything to grow out of the
"a Sc the nroba.-lties being that 1t Will
be dropped.
one of the members of the committee.
a New England Republican. remarked
to Mr.. Glass as they came out. IF we
had such men az lose two in our State
we would nut them in the lunatic asylum
in short order