Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1903-03-13
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were easily within reach Instead of that
ne appealed to partisan tribunal 1900
miles distant and invoked not a compe-
tent and informed verdict, but the ire
sponsible tyranny of mere force. The
manner in which Mr.. Buffers case has
been robbed of all it's claims to righteous
consideration; the fact that he was I'M
seated without a quorum and in defiance
OF the constitution: the notorious circum-
stances of arrogance under which he was
thrown out of court. denied hearing and
dragged ignominiously at the chariot
wheels of the conQueror-these things re-
call the days and practices of the Goths.
the Vandals and the Huns far more than
they suggest the regime Of modern civ
ilization.
We take no special interest In Mr.. But
Ter personally. In our philosophy his case
constitutes merely an abstract proposition
in morals; but the fact that he has been
deprived of his rights without the SMALL
est reference to law and honorable OBJ
Bervance is a fact with which men. with
out regard to party feeling or alignment.
may well concern themselves. The house
has been made to declare that he was
defeated at the polls not as the result of
proof or of judicial and dispassionate in
Quiry, but by force of partisan rulings by
the chair and In the absence of the quo
rum required for the legitimate disposal
Of such questions That the Democratic
minority resent this action with bitter
ness is quite ineligible. That they should
let their resentment take the shape of in
discriminate obstruction is at least hui
man. A fragrant wrong has been COM
mitted. and the Republicans cannot rea-
sonably object to harvest of their own
sowing and cultivation.
De Almonds Sarcasm.
Judge David A. De Almond Of Mis-
souri, voiced the sentiments of the mi
nority In the following bitter words:
The contestee was returned by nearly
$500 majority. In order to seat the con-
testant the committee recommends the
throwing out of precincts which gave him
over 5000 votes and gave the contestant
something like 1000 votes. The reason
given. so far as there is any reason given
for this action Is that 1t is not possible to
ascertain what in these forty-one pre-
cincts was the honest and what the dis
honest vote If that be true, 1t is strange
that the committee has not recommended
being unable to ascertain how many hon.
est votes We're cast for one candidate or
the other-it is strange that the committee
has not recommended that there be de-
clared no election. Instead of that, mas
much as the majority of Butler In these
precincts Is greater than $500 majority
returned for him, 1t is found convenient
to throw them all out and figure up 700
majority for Wagner.
I submit. upon the theory Of their own
contention, that nothing can be done hon.
estly in a case where you cannot deter
mine what are the honest votes beyond
declaring that there is no election, but
what reason is there for concluding that
you cannot determine the honest votes in
this case? There Is no offer to show that
fraudulent votes were cast or that dis
honest voters were denied an opportunity
to vote. Discrepancies are found in these
VA
alleged to have been cast and the number
OF votes returned for this candidate or
that candidate, sometimes considerable
discrepancies sometimes very small dis
crepancies and in some instances few
votes. Then instead Of assuming or in
dulging in the humane supposition that
errors may have occurred through the
lack OF skill or inadvertence or lack of
care OF the clerks in any one OF the thou
sand ways that might have occurred and
frequently do occur honestly. the whole
precinct is disfranchised. Hundreds OF
men, Of whose honesty there Is no ques-
ton, are DISTINGUISHED. and the seat Is
given to man who comes here over 5000
votes short of his competitor.
This is very simple proceeding If gen.
tlemen have any regard for the honesty
and decency in the matter. OF course If
the only object is to take the seat and
throw the incumbent out because 1t is
supposed there are votes enough to throw
him out the proceeding is very well un-
derStood, but why should the committee,
II that be the case go through the trav-
esty of an argument or talk about legal
principles or talk about the sacredness of
the ballot, about the committee trying to
ascertain who is elected, when every man
who knows very little about the case
must know to certainty that Wagner Is
not elected? Wagner came on the Re-
publican ballot. and defy any gentleman
to contradict It, when he had no right up
on it at ALL He had no right anywhere in
that election except upon ticket by
himself with not another candidate on
the ballot, but he is put on the Repub-
Ncan ballot.
Mr.. Olmsted-Will the gentleman yield?
Mr. De Armond-No; Of course cannot
yield unless the gentleman gives me time.
The impertinence and assumption and as
surance and gall, the want of sense of
justice in man trying to run roughshod
over gentlemen on this side and yet by
frivolous and childish questions taking the
time Of man who has only nine minutes
Is utterly beyond the comprehension of
the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Of
course. Many things much palmer are
much beyond his intellect.
Now, here Is man who was not nom
mated, here is a man whose party did not
put him forward. here is a man who had
no place rightfully upon his party's tick
ct. and yet in a spirit Of fairness and JUS
decorous. he is put upon the Republican
ballot, where he gets the benefit OF the
votes Of the Republican party which cast
him out and repudiated him when they
came to the matter Of nomination.
And now we have here the farce the
shameful spectacle. OF an attempt to put
that man into the house, to draw $780,
salary. to draw two mileages. to draw
two allowances for stationery. In all the
proceedings-not only in the United States
congress. but the wide world over-in the
history of election contests no other case
80 base. 80 low. &c mean, showing such
utter want of decency and all pretense of
right. 80 thoroughly colorless Of anything
except iniquity and wrong, can be found;
nothing in baseness and hypocrisy. Moth
ing in meanness and deceit, nothing in
bitter partisanship and cant, to match or
to be compared to this case.
Take the seat II you choose to take 1T;
steal It II you choose to steal It: rob the
man who was elected II you choose to rob
nm. Throw upon the people Of that dis
tr1ct who twice have returned Mr. Butte
to congress the representation Of ma
whom they have repudiated. Bring thl
man in here; associate with him upo,
terms OF equality for the remaining day
OF this session. Welcome him to you
oosoms as man not at all entitled to tn
! seat. but man fully entitled to politica
fellowship with those who would steal
for him. the recipient Of stolen good
placed upon precise par with those VIII
stole the goods.
| The gentleman on the other side sug
gests that time has been frittered away
Aye. the time has been we'll employees
the preparation. the completion, of Thu
iniquity. and let gentlemen understand
that until the 4th day of March, until tn,
\ speaker from the chair declares this hous,