Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1903-03-06
WASHINGTON Letter

(FrOm our REGULAR COTroSpOnQ6nL.l
Washington, March 2.-That demo
cratic representatives designate as the
most fragrant outrage ever perpetrated
on the rights of the minority occurred
last week in the House when the ma
jority voted. amid a scene of wild dis
order to unseat Representative James
j. Butler of the 18th district of Mis-
souri,, and seated ID hi, place Mr.. G. G.
r. Wagner. Mr.. Butler was elected
by majority or over 5000 but because
some frauds we're found in the cleo
ton returns, forty one precincts were
thrown out and Mr.. Wagner accord
ed the seat. Representative DeArmond
of Missouri, made a scathiDg speech,
saying, in part, And now We have
here the farce, the shameful spectacle
of an attempt to put that man into the
House, to draw $40. 900 salary, to draw
two mileages, to draw two allowances
for stationary. In all the proceedings,
not only in the United, States Con-
gress. but in the wide world over, in
the history of election contests, no
other case so low, SO base, so mean,
showing such utter want of decency
and all pretense of right, so thorough
ly colorless of anything except iniq uity
and wrong can be found; nothing in
baseness and Hypocrisy, nothing in
meanness and deceit, nothing in bitter
craftsmanship, and can't to match or to
be compared with this case, can be
found. Welcome this man to your
bosoms as man not at all entitled to
the seat but as man fully entitled to
political fellowship with those who
would steal it for him-the recipient
of stolen goods placed on precise par
with those who stole the goods
AS result of the unseating of But
Ter tie democrats pledged themselves
to filibuster on every motion made IN
til the end of the session and have
made their pledge thus far. Only by
the adoption of rules clearly beyond
the spirit of the Constitution and rul-
ings which are more tyrannical than
those of the late Speaker Reed, have
the republicans accomplished any bust
ness whatever.
Republican members of the Senate
took occasion when the Sundry Civil
Bill was under consideration to criJi-
else the President for his appointment
of Senators Lodge and Turner on the
Alaskan boundary commission. AS
these appointments do not require the
confirmation of the Senate no further
action can be taken but Senators bale
and HOar were bitter in their denun-
citation of the practice of appointing
senators on special commissions al
though they protested that their OBJ
lection in no way involved the person.
atty of the senators appointed.
The republican members of the Sem
ate, forced to commit themselves by
Senator Blackburn's systematic pres.
entation of the question, voted not to
consider the LitJlefeld bill. Senator
Hoar has said that this measure con-
tanned the only effective provisions
against the trusts and it was known
that the President and the Attorney
General approved the bill but the trust
influence in the Senate prevented even
it's consideration. The claim is
made that there remains no time for
the consideration of SO important a
measure but on the other hand there is
an organized attempt to enact the
Aldrich financial bill. capable of far
reaching effects, and infinitely more
difficult to understand. According to
the program arranged by Mr.. Aldrich
and Representative Payne this meas
ure was to pass both houses without
debate, but it is. now believed it will
suffer defeat in the House.