Show given the a of the floor of congress in self defense his answer to congressman taylor elicits great applause but by a vote of to the house refuses to allow the oath of office to be Administered Case goes to a special committee u nine appointed by the speaker washington dec 6 in the house yesterday after congressman taylor made his argument in opposition to the seating of B 11 roberts tha utah representative was given the privilege 0 the floor or fifty minutes sir roberts himself took the floor in his own defense after mr richardson had concluded lie occupied a conspicuous place immediately in front of the clerks desk several legal volumes were plied up in front and a bouquet of carnations lay upon his desk tho most intense interest was manifested as he arose members crowded about but were compelled to return to their seats the galleries were hushed the occupants leaned oven listen eager to let no word escape mr roberts first sent to the clerks and had his naturalization papers read he then began to speak his voice was soft and low but ills was distinct and in the stillness could be heard to the farthest corner of the hall As he got into his argument his voice grew louder until on several occasions it rang out until the fretted ceilings overhead gave back the echo naturalization PAPERS READ mr roberts began by sending to the clerks desk ani having read a copy of his naturalization papers as he said all the documents in this extraordinary case should be before the house ho then read a paragraph from mccreary on elections containing a general caution against hasty procedure 1 in election contests now gentlemen continued mr roberts that is of one whose hook has authority in this country and if the ruly of the house ot representatives in cases that arise to the dignity of a centt how infinitely should that rule when only a mere protest is made against a member who presents himself to tak the oath of office GOES OVER CHARGES 1 I next proceed to the consideration of the charges that to justify what the gentleman from ohio mr taylor himself concedes to ba an unusual proceeding and which my friend on this side mr richardson has demonstrated to be an dent proceeding the gentleman from ohio bases his charges upon a court record that bome twelve years ago in the midst of inthe in the the territory ot utah olef the subject of polygamy that I 1 pleaded guilty to charge of misdemeanor AMNESTY proclamation CITED the gentleman seems to be oblivion i 0 o the fact that since the date of hia court record on this subject we leave had two presidential amnesties amne sties proclaimed that have been applied to men by the edmunds tucker act I 1 understand gentlemen who were lawyers to admit this fact and they will certainly appreciate the cost of it the gentleman from ohio has no court record to show that I 1 was ever arraigned or condemned of crime whatsoever since the promulgation of amnesty proclamation of the president of the united states the gentleman seems also to forget the fact that since the confession of that meanor to which he has referred there was passed by congress an enabling act authorizing the people of the state of utah to form a government that enabling act alo had a provision embodied in it that qualified all citizens within the limits of the territory to become of the united stated and was particularly framed to remove the and disabilities bili ties which had been created by thi th i edmunds tucker law the gentleman beems to forget also eliat the state constitution of utah was satisfactory to the president and his advisers and utah has been ad milled aa a state to the union and has taken upon itself the 1 of a sovereign state declaring under its constitution who of the ale residing in its borders shall exercise the elective franchise ami be quail fled tor offlie as citizens of that great commonwealth tho second charge which Is supposed to go to tho question of eligibility of the member from utah Is made upon affidavit and other papers in his possession the gentleman from ohio bays that ever since 1889 I 1 have been a persistent lawbreaker in the state of utah if that be true let mo ask why was hot I 1 punished tor ing certainly there was no disposition not to execute the law on the part of the people 0 utah its administration was in the hands of of those alio had no sympathy with my religious faith the machinery of the law was in tho hands of federal appointees how la it then that I 1 could be an open and def llant lawbreaker and yet escape the penalty of law the gent lemans objection was has ed then not upon court records but upon affidavits and papers that have een supplied him by the people WAS IN OF THE LAW and now as to the manner in chic these charges aro made it hag been about fifteen months since they began since the representative from utah was heralded throughout this land a defiant lawbreaker and yet I 1 walked the streets of salt lako city in open day within easy reach of the law and my faults lay open to the law it I 1 were guilty of transgressing other men were arrested before tha courts of utah and were fined for tho very offense alleged against me and yet no complaint was made against me mr roberts ridiculed the manner in which tho petition favoring hia expel k sion had been procured in conclusion he denied that the members who voted to seat him would be voting tor polygamy the question of polygamy was settled 1 I hold it as an honor said he that I 1 will bo quoted long in utah as one who helped to settle ithac question on the floor of the constitutional conven alon I 1 am not defending polygamy t la dead mr roberts concluded by th ankina sir taylor and the house tor their ini fulgence dul gence he was given a round of ap clauso as ho took hia seat mr dinsmore dem ark briefly op poked the taylor resolution mr grosvenor Gro evenor rep 0 denounced mr roberts statement concerning tho appointment by the president of po in utah as a miserable subterfuge ter fuge 1 I make the statement majd he and I 1 defy contradiction that the president 0 the united states never knowingly appointed a polygamist to office As well might one charge that the president had plunged hia stainless hands in human blood to charge that he appointed to public office men guilty of the crime alleged against the gentleman from utah great applause on tho republican side 1 I charged and I 1 reiterate it said mr roberts that men appointed to in utah were charged before the president and the senate with th same misdemeanor of which it is charged I 1 am guilty were they guilty inquired mr dalzell it does not appear whether they were guilty answered mr roberts raising hia voice and looking around the hall they were only charged as I 1 am charged applause on the democratic side in which many people in the gallery joined no it did not suit the purpose 01 those who had this present agitation in hand to vindicate the law quietly and by the usual methods they desired particularly to have this case upon which apparently to arouse the sentiment of the country not until my business called me cast did they undertake to make any charges against me but the moment or shortly after my departure they began this agitation resulting in the present sentiment of the country now aroused against me I 1 call your attention next to the taci that the only charge against me even by the present opponents of the resolution is that of a misdemeanor they donot charge a felony privileges DENIED HIM 1 I understand that the members of congress are granted certain while in attendance upon this house it would be impossible to arrest aar one of the members upon the charge of a misdemeanor and yet you would deny me the being sworn as a member of ibis house upon tho allegation of the existence ot some charge or other that 1 was guilty of a misdemeanor for a tiling for which the law ll 11 self could not lay a hand on me while in attendance upon this house you propose I 1 speak of the little coterie of men who have entered into this con crowd this question to the front at this particular time and for the reason that they are fearful that it the matter should go ito a alon under a resolution to expel the member from utah they could not marshal the necessary two thirds vote to accomplish their purpose to pass the present resolution 1 I understand sir that these immunities are not given for the benefit of the individual member sc they are given rather as a protection to his constituency who are entitled to his services as their representative DEMANDS HIS RIGHTS and therefore I 1 invoke the protection that Is given to the constituency of a sovereign state against the proceedings ce they are instituting ceroi to deprive me of the privilege of being sworn in as a member of this house privilege did I 1 say sir I 1 am not asking any privileges of this house i am not asking any favors of the members of this house under the shadow of the constitution of the united stales I 1 merely demand both tor myself and tor the people of my state the protection that Is duo us and it la a demand and it la asking no favors great applause on the democratic side and in the galleries mr roberts called attention to the precedent in the forty third congress in the case ot mr cannon adding 1 I can add nothing to the force of that gent lemans remarks except this that in the case of mr cannon the bouse wag dealing with a delegate from a territory not a representative of of the people of a sovereign state they aeto dealing with a delegate who was created by a statute passed oy the congress 0 the states and throughout the discussion U waa alleged as reason tor taking exceptions to him that they could do so ha was unprotected by the provisions ot the constitution THE CASE OF CANNON and yet air notwithstanding hf was but a creation of law still they admitted him as a member upon th floor 0 this house it Is to be ed in this connection that strange to say the course of nature waa not disturbed an al legel was by a ate of a republican a to remain upon the floor of this house it did not trans spire sa ill la said it did transpire in ancient rome a mile the mighty juliua tell the grave stood not tenantless the sheeted dea dead d dad not stand and gibber in the streets of rome why sir the sun waa not darkened nor did the moon turn to blood actually sir the rain continue to fall upon the just and the unjust alike laughter and applause gentlemen of the democratic party some few of whom may perhaps tremble a little at tho thunderous ob that haa been presented pretending to voice tho sentiment of the country upon tills subject I 1 want to call your attention to another thine and that Is that notwithstanding a republican congress seated this man yet the republican party really octlona I why it 1 h re lodah and I 1 boileve bri leve 0 taft majority that it could if continued on rage ight B H ROBERTS continued from first page it should seat the present representative from the state of utah appointments OF PRESIDENT proceeding mr roberts took up the charge that utah bad broken her compact with the united states by tho election of an alleged polygamous representative it that was true then utah bad simply followed the illustrious example of tho present national administration 1 I affirm said ho that there la abundant evidence that objections similar to those in the present case were made to the president and the senate against the appointment of certain federal officials in utah but the object alons were waived aside do you mean to say that mists were appointed to federal offices in utah by the present executive queried mr hopkins rep 1 with tha knowledge 0 the president added sir grosvenor rep 0 i quickly amid some laughter on the democratic side I 1 when men were applicants for federal offices in utah reiterated mr roberts objections were made and at were filed both with the dent and the senate but nevertheless the appointments were made that does not answer my question observed mr hopkins SHOULD GO TO THE JUDICIARY mr roberts urged that the case ought to go to the judiciary committee where it could ba investigated he warned the republican side that this was a serious question if tha people of utah were guilty of violating the compact with the union what of the president who had appointed to positions in utah men chargeable with the same offense the vote was then taken first on the substitute which was defeated 59 bat the vote was then recurred upon the adoption of air taylors resolution the roll being called upon the demand of the republicans TAYLOR resolution ADOPTED the resolution was adopted 30 the speaker then appointed the following members of the special committee under the resolution republicans taylor of ohio chairman landals ind morris glnn Ml nn freer W va littlefield me mcpherson la democrats dearmond mo lanham tex and meyers ind |