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1876.] OF THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES. 1327
"full, fair and free investigation," interposed by the respon-
dents by public officials who have refused or delayed to pro-
duce documentary evidence, or copies thereof, and more
especially by the majority of this Committee, who have not
only directly and entirely excluded the most important and
conclusive evidence, viz., the books of registration, lists of
qualified voters, ballots, poll books and election returns, but
have also rendered unavailable for all practicable purposes of
general information, by refusing to permit it, the evidence
returned by the several Commissioners, and which is sup-
posed to have been read and considered by the members of
this House, entitled to vote on this question.
Until this evidence is actually read and weighed, no one
will contend that any proper consideration can be given to
the subject. That it has not, and could not, have been read
by the members generally, whatever may have been accom-
plished by extraordinary efforts on the part of individual
members of the Committee, is manifest from the fact that
from the hour of its return to the Speaker, the evidence in
this case has "slept the sleep that knows no waking, in the
darkest corner of the Committee Room," and wrapped in the
thousands of manuscript folios, in which it was originally
returned.
Now, as it unfortunately so happens, that this Committee
and House, by very large majorities, hold the same political
faith as the respondents; it this contest be decided in favor
of the respondents, will not an unprejudiced public refer the
decision to partizanship, rather than to an honest desire to
give the citizens of Baltimore their true representation ? It
is a well known rule of law, as well as common sense, that
the suppression of evidence is taken strongly against the
party guilty of it, for law and common sense both teach that
upon the trial of any issue favorable facts will never be con-
cealed.
Let us turn to the record and see how stands this matter.
At the very threshold of the Session, the contestants, by
their memorials presented to this House, asked this Com-
mittee to sit in the City of Baltimore, and there take evi-
dence which, from its character, (being the election and
registration records above referred to,) was manifestly unat-
tainable in any other way.
This fair and reasonable request was again preferred to the
House on the 18th day of Jan. last, by an order directing the
Committee to send for persons and papers, employ a stenogra-
pher and take testimony in the City of Baltimore, and waa
refused, on the ground that the Committee had not asked
for such powers as was its province to do. On the 26th of
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