Year: 1879

oppression. Ihe secret OF all this movement
is found in an order issued from New York.
and published in the Democratic organ here,
which says that if the election laws be not re-
pealed, there will be enough Democratic mem.
bers elect to the next Congress- who will be
imprisoned for crime before the next Congress
meets, to give majority to this side of the
House, and that, therefore, these laws must be
House, and on that call, on that party bugle
call the caucus has ordered these proceedings
to-day and this Ironically is the party of peace
and good order which does not want trouble
but wants conciliation and lively union of all
elements in the country.


Tor which we are called upon here to vote, we
OF this side are compelled to meet it in the
spirit of the constitution and our rights and
that we propose to do, if it takes one night,
Two nights or ten nights. applause on the Re-
publican 19l side) Not while this Congress lasts
books the monuments for the protection
OF the election franchise. When you do it
you must do it because you have the whole
power to do it, and not by our help, not by our
consent. A hundred criminal prosecutions are
to-day pending before the courts of the United
States to punish crimes against the elective


franchise. Already enough men from the city
OF CINCINNATI have been sentenced to the peni-
tenClary. Tor fraud, to take away the majority


OF one of the members this floor from that
city (applaose on the Republican side), and all
the proceedings in the criminal court are to be
abandoned at the cry of a party order which
demands it for party success.


AT this point Mr. Blackburn, havingsleft the
| CHAIR and came down on the floor, replied to
( the implied reflection in the remarks of Mr..
| Garheld as above In reply to q question of


MIR. Blackburn, Mr. Garfield stated that the
| tull scope intended by his remarks was that


MI. Blackburn and his party we're acting under
| the duress of the caucus, and to that extent


were not free agents.


Answering this explanation, Mr.. Blackburn


SAID: 1t is very evident, and am glad recognizes


the fact that the gentleman from Ohio does not


propose to stand on that now, when I submit to


MN the question as to whether he then intend
ed, or does now propose to be understood as
| telling this committee that T. as it's chairman


received instructions either directly or Indirect


~, or even any instruction from Democratic
| caucus as to how I was to rule, or as to how
| was expected to rule on any question of order
| That was ever to be presented. I am not able
| to reach direct issue with the gentleman.
| 90 not understand it now as he puts it, that he
| even charges that. I wish to add just
| single word,. and am sure


ha1tl tnat am not violating any obligation that


the slightest intimation given me by that eau


Gus or any member of it, either in caucus or
| since, that was expected to rule this way or


that on any question upon which a point of


order should be raised. | never saw the amend


ments offered to this bill by the gentlemen


from Alabama and Ohio, Herbert and South


ard, until they were sent to the clerks desk.


l DID, OF course, know what their general pur-


port was. did not know their scope. l did


not Know their framework. They had never


been explained to me or read to me, nor had


they been seen by me until the point of order


was raised. This statement was due not so


much to myself as it was to my party asso-


c1ates in the House and in the country.


Not SO much due either to them or
| to me as it was to the gentleman from Ohio,
who, according to this report, had made a


charge that could not be sustained, and had
| taken position where he could not stand. 1t
was more on his account than on that of nv
| self or my associates, that came here to right
what conceived to be wrong, and, as I never


Go anything grudgingly Isay now that it ia
| not IN any grudging spirit, but verv freely


and very cheerfully, that accept the expla-


nation and statement given by the gentleman
| from Ohio as to what was his purpose as COM
pletely generating both myself and my party
| associates in the House.


Mr.. Davis-As the gentleman from Ohio
knows what was done in caucus, perhaps he
| Will tell us where any member of the caucus
was bound by its action.


MIR. Blackburn will answer that question
myself and will say that that question was
passed upon and was declared in caucus that
no one was bound in any way by it's action.
The caucus was simply for the purpose of con-
sultation.


Mr. Blackburn's remarks were frequently
applauded.


Without taking any action on the amend
ment, the committee rose and the House ad-
journed.