The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-02-16
SENSATION IN THE HOUSE
MR. SHAFRoTH VOLUNTARILY
 RELIN0UISHEs HIS SEAT.
Democratic Representative from Colo Eado Openly confss.ss That on in- ysstigation He Had Found that Fraud Had Entsrsd Iato Hi. EIssslon-Hs Personally Is Exonsrated.

Washington, Feb. 15.-Involunt arfly
 relinquishing his seat as a member of
 the house of representatives, MT. Shaf-
 roth, of the First district of Colorado. furnished a profound sensation during
 the forty minutes session to-day. The
 manly and earnest words of the Colo
 rado member fairly took the breath of
 the house as he proceeded to put the first case on record in that body where
 a member gave up his seat acknowledge ing that his election had been tainted by fraud. For this fraud, Mir. Shafroth declared, he was not in any way re- 1 sponsible, nor was he aware that it had been perpetrated until the evidence had been adduced before the elections com-
 mittee of the house. It was not done, he said further, for the purpose of
 causing his election.
 As he announced the conclusion of eight years service in this manner l most unsatisfactory terms-his voice spoke the emotion he felt The hush which spread over the floor and gall leries when the purport of his remarks was realized became almost painful. But when he sat down with words Of Nest'A4fNf' cat Ai4o t1PO 4ui t44E tltdllIltltL he had received from his colleagues on both sides of the chamber applause burst forth and continued long and heartily. The democratic members arose almost en masse and extended personal expressions of sympathy and encouragement.
 MT. Olmsted, chairman of the com- mittee in charge of the contest, recog- nized the unusual position MT. Shafroth had taken. He said the investigation by his committee exonerated MT Shaf- roth from any connection with the ir- regularities which had been shown. The stand taken, he said, was a most manly and courageous one. The com mittee had taken no action toward formulating it's report to the house on the case, and the surprising initiative taken by MT. Shafroth, as had been ex- plained by him, was based on the show ing made by the handwriting expert employed to examine the ballots.
 Following the suggestion of MT. shaf- roth in his speech to the house, MT. Olmsted hastily drew up the proper res- olution for his unseating and the seat ing of MT. Bonynge and this was agreed to with silent assent whereupon the house adjourned s s. .,, Secretary James Wilson, of the agri cultural department, relinquished seat in the house to a contestant on the order that the bill to make General Grant a full general on the retired list
 might be passed. A report had been
 made from the committee and the case
 was pending on the last day of the
 congress. Samuel J. Randall brought in a bill in behalf of General Grant, but the democrats, who were in the major-
 ity, insisted that there should be vote on the contest against Wilson. The re-
 publicans were t1libustering against such vote being taken, but MT. Will
 son arose and stated that he did not
 want to stand in the way of the Grant
 bill and asked that the contestant, B. T. Frederick, be seated. This was done
 two hours before the congress expired.
 March 4, 1885. The Grant bill was then unanimously passed. While Will son voluntarily retired, it was for g
 special purpose. and not because he felt that his election was void.