Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1853-04-05

Mr.. DOUGLAS said no should vote for the com>
mittee of conference. He desired to adopt every
suggestion-to try every plan of accommodating
the differences between the two houses. until
all had been exhausted. He should do this al
though he thought the action of she majority in
another part of this Capitol had been tyran-
nical and unjust the minority, and grossly dis
courteous to this house. They Ind inflicted n
wrong upon the minority through the operation
Of an odious gag, and had followed it up by a
contemptuous refusal to consider the
amendment of the Senate. In spite of all this,
however, he should, whilst upholding the consti-
tutioual rights and privileges of the Senate, put
himself right before the country, by continued
display of the same spirit of Justice snd concia-
tion which he had endeavored to make his guide
from the beginning of the discussion on the ap-
portionment bill. He would call particular at
tentiou to the course pursued by himself and his
friends on the floor. They had sought no undue
advantage of their adversaries in a hasty and il
liberal resort to parliamentary trick or strategy.
On the contrary, when they found themselves,
unexpectedly, in a decided majority in this
branch of the legislature, they brought forward
scheme of their own, but made effort to force
it upon Senators without affordng opportu-
nifty for discussion amendment. They had
invited the closest scrutiny. 10 this spirit had
they dealt with their opponents from early in
the morning until gas light in the evening.
But the Senator from Rockingham has risen
to vindicate the majority in the other House, and
performs his task by assailing the majority in
this. He undertakes to settle accounts between
them On the score Of justice and magnnnimity-
He charges that the majority here, had, them
selves, followed the example they complain of
elsewhere, of calling the previous question, and
then he makes furious defence of his friends
against some imaginary charge of corruption-
Mr.. D. had never heard such charge and should
therefore take no notice of that portion of the
Senator remarks. As to the complaint of the
previous question: let facts speak for themselves
He appealed to facts, and left candid world to
judge between them. When and by whom was
the previous question called on this floor? By a
Senator who acted with the Senator from Rock
ingham-and its application was first made when
the judgm ent of the Senate on the House bill
hung in doubt and uncertainty. No doubt the
Senator thought he was gaining point. and we
to save time, thought it as good time any to
test our relative strength. The Senator from
Rockingham does not, however, complain of this
call. He complains that the Senate came to a
vote on the amendment of the Senator from Mar
shall, under its operation. Small CAUSE, indeed
has he for such complaint. Tine Senator from
Marshall three times offered his amendment, and
three times withdrew the same. and when he
had offered it for the fourth time, and it had
vious question was called by the Senator from
Fairfax. At this point the Senator from Rock
ingham, not him of Marshall raised clamor
because some amendment to the amendment, so
otter offered and withdrawn, had not been con-
sidered, and he insisted that the question should
not then be taken.
Sir, this rate of proceeding, the Senator from
Marshall would not have got his amendment to
suit him till doomsday. He would remind the
fI,otn
ment of the Senator from MARSHALL but an alte-
ration, made after the proposition placed in
the hands of the President, and stated to the Sc
nate, and had never been announced to the Sc
nate until the previous question was demanded
In fact, sir, this sly little amendment was never
offered according to any parliamentary law or
usage, and was not for that reason before the Sc
nate. Yet in this is the weighty cause of con-
domination so suddenly discovered by the Senator
from Rockingham. That Senator too (said Mr..
d. had the ampest opportunity to suggest amend
ments In the morning he had indicated a de-
sire to do, and to that end moved to lay the bill
on the table, and he Mr.. DoUGLAs) voted with
the Senator. But the morning session expired,
the evening waxed late, the lamps were lighted,
and no sound came from the Senator, until YEA
ried out with five or six hours of aborious appli-
cation to the subject under consideration the pre-
vious question was called upon the thrice with
and then the Senator from Rockingham raised his
voice of wailing. He now attempts an injurious
comparison between the majority here and that
with which he cooperates elsewhere. Mr.. DoUG
LAS did not shrink from the rather courted it.
and wanted the country to see and judge for it.
| SELF
But. said Mr.. DOUGLAS, the section of Demo-
ocrats with which he acted, was to be brought
under the party lash. A coalition with the
Wings to carry Wing measures had been plain
ly intima ed if not directly charged on them
He repealed the insinuation with scorn He was
| neither to be read out nor whipped in by that
| course of proceeding. 1t was in vain to try to
| beautify the ugly proportions of the House bill.
or to make it acceptable to him or those demo-
Gratis who acted with him. by representing it as
the caucus scheme. He had not learned his
democracy in a caucus, and should not put him
sell 10 its keeping, unless it became indispensable
to the preservation or success ofdemocratic prin-
cples. He did not think such was the now.
Democratic principles are not involved nor
democratic success endangered if it were per-
mitted to him and his friends to rely upon the
very same data relied on by the authors of the
House bill. He would say here for the informa-
ton of the country, that the election returns
formed the data upon which both the House
bill and the Senate's amendment were framed
By that test they are both Democratic and he
would further say. and the amendment he had
supported was in its origin and inception, Demo
cratic. 1t was devised in a Democratic commit
tee, introduced by Democrat, and so far as he
knew. Ieyer seen by or submitted to Wing
previous to its presentation to the Senate. The
advantage it possessed over the House bill, he
thought, consisted in its conforming more near
" to the constitutional requirement, and being
more just in its grouping OF the several counties
and towns into districts. The Wings had volun-
taaYad tn mid him, for ron opo cafisfantorv m
themselves. He ventured to say that when the
minority on this floor found they were beaten
they would not have declined Wing aid if it
had been offered. They did not decline WING
votes in another place. Mr.. D. never refused
them here or elsewhere. bus was always glad to