Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1913-01-19
HOUSE MEMBERS
 TO STAND TRIAL Half Dozen Representatives Will Have Opposition
 to Their Seats.
DIFFERENT REASONS
Validity oi "Grandfather" Act q Fac tor in Fight Against Me-
 Guire. Of oklahoma.
fBy RODERICK CLIFFORD


 dozen Representa- ,ives-elect, members of the Sixty third Congress. W Il have to stand trial by their fellow mem bers of the House as to whether they may be allowed 10 sit in that body. The actual effect of the contests that have been filed against them will nc5 bar them from sitting ill the House during the extraordinary session to be called by Presldent-elect Wllson for the coming spring, as the merits of the contest will not be threshed out until the beginning of the fegu- lar session next December and final verdict VIII not be had until next winter.
 All sorts of reasons are advanced why Repre- sentatives who have been declared fairly elected, should be de- prived, of their seats and one of their opponents seated in their stead
 One of the most interesting con- tests for seat in the House will be that led against Representative Bird s. McGuire of l,he First District, of Oklahoma by John J. Davis of Chand- Ter, Okla. This will involve the validity, as far as Congress can de termlne it, of the se-called gran1- father law, which n effect prevents negroes who cannot read, write or interpret any section of the state constitution from exercising the right of suffrage The law was fra1n- ed under the supervision of Senator Thomas P. Gore of Oklahoma, a staunch friend and supporter of Presid ent-elecl w lson.
 If the ,.1it;se agplies the doctrine of state rights as applied to this law, there seems to be little doubt tha Davis, ehe Democrat contestant, will be seated in place of Mcclure, Re publican. Senator Gore is a Demo- erat and the Jaw was put on the sta ute books of Oklahoma under Dsmo crat c ausp.ces.
 The contestant charges that Me Guire and other Republican officials of the state entered into a conspiracy to let negroes voya in defiance of the gran afather clause.
 We charge" sail Davis, That these men entered into conspiracy in which they ntimdated elect on of ficials and prevented the enforce ment of the provisions of the grand father law, advising officials that enforcement of the law would subject them 0 prosecution unaer the Feder- al Constitution.
 The seat of Representatives Mart Il B. Madden of Chicago, a Regublican, will be contested by Andrew Donovan his Democratic opponent, who claims tha; he ob, aimed an indorsement from the Progressive Party ana that A@ was frauaulently deprived by tha election offic als of the votes tat were cast for he head of he Pro- grsssive ticket. Thes4 votes, Donovan charges, totaled about 3,eoo and if counted for Donovan would surely have resulted in his election in place of Madden.
 He also charges that Ma sden spent more han 5000 E mi tsd by the federal law, and that Mad len and .liH supporters directly eX endeli monies to voters to induce chom 10 vote for M dlin."
 Donovan demands that h. be sea,et an5 tha Madden ne unseaed. Dono- van makes number of charges in re- gard to alleged irregularities.
 RepIes ntatlve T. $. Butler Penn syiyania Repcblicaa is anou1er mem ber-elect of the sixty Third Congress who will have to fight to rata hi' sea-. Buffers Democrats opponsn charges that Butler obtained his cleo ton by regularities. The cen tes;all, does net say that he sloult be scared, but merely claims tha Butler should be ;nseatei
 kaIsiOH NiS Cuc II soCS lohhiS' supporters in the elect on was tbs '-ey circulated dccumen in the dis trict yh.ch burported to be a copy Q the oath taken by members of tn crder of the Knights of ColumbV's This document, it is charged, was vicious libel publ shsd for the pur2os of discrediting the contestant wh was himself a member of that ordee The contestant also charges tha Butler secured stia Endorsement 0 the Progressive voters in fraudu lent manner, havinghis name place under the Progressive tcke where's the real Progressive ticks