Providence Morning Star

OUR WASHINGTON SPECIAL

The Commission For Counting the

Votes.

How the Congressional Portion of it Will

be Made Up—A Bitter Feeling Among

the Republican Wings in Congress—Ventilating the Louisiana Frauds—Charges

of Mutilating the Returns—All of the

Original Papers to be Demanded by the

Tribunal—Both Houses Likely to Pass

the Police Bill Over the President's Veto.

WASHINGTON, D. C., Jan. 28.

The House Democrats are hoping to

make a good deal out of the testimony of

the Clerk of the Louisiana Returning Board.

He is here, and will be put on the stand, to-

morrow morning, by Dudley Field, who is

in his element in the examination of wit-

nesses. It is reported that the Democrats

have bought up the Clerk, and that he will

reveal the dangerous secrets of the Board.

On the other hand, some of the Republicans

say that like the Florida operators

he is going to lie for the benefit of the Dem-

ocrats. One thing seems to be certain that the

Commission, if it decides to go behind the

electoral votes, will not accept as conclusive

the investigations of any committee, but

will call for the original returns and will

examine the Returning Board for them-

themselves. The House is urging very hard to

get hold of the returns so as to refer them

to the Commission. The Republicans say

that the great anxiety of their opponents is

to torture the returns to suit them-

themselves,

but

the

steady

determi-

nation

of

the

board

to

conceal

the reports and returns look like fraud, and

a good many Republicans here are afraid of

it. The quarrel between the two wings of

Republicans in Congress, the conservatives

and extremists, broke out fiercely in the

House Republican caucus, yesterday, but

after a sharp struggle Mr. Hoar was nomi-

nated to the commission. If the present

State of feeling continues, it will lead to

serious trouble in the party and there are

many who think that it will destroy it. The

Chandler-Cameron clique have no sympathy

whatever, with men like Edmunds and

Hoar, and they hold the Bristow wing of

the party. Still worse, an attempt will be

made to-morrow to pass the police board

bill over the veto. There is much indigna-

tion at the course of the President in this

matter, for it looks as if he were determined

that Murtaugh shall be sustained as against

the House of Representatives. If the bill

fails, the House will put a provision on one

of the appropriation bills wiping out the new

police board.

It is generally thought that the Congressional part of the commission will finally

stand as follows: Senators Edmunds.

Conkling, Morton, Thurman and Bayard:

Representatives Payne, Field, Tucker.

Hoar and Garfield. The Supreme Court

will not be able to hold its sessions while the

Court is going on. The fifth Judge will be

promptly selected on Tuesday, that is, if the

President signs the bill, to-morrow, as he is

expected to do.

There is to be a vigorous attempt to get

up the Texas Pacific bill in the House, to-

morrow. Mr. Lamar has it in charge and

has strong hopes that it may pass both

Houses before the session ends.