Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1858-06-14
PERSONAL EXPLANATION.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,, May 81, 1898.
The House being in Committee OF the
Whole on the State of the UaiOn--
Mr.. SMITH said:
Mr.. Chairman: have been here for twelve
hours, under quite feeble health; for until TO-
dag have not tclt tolerabiy we'll for ten day ;
but q purely personal matter was thrown
into the discussion in which ! participated
to-day, of new mattoT cut and ou'; aud | was
denied the comfy, which Is rarely refused,
of responding to that matter at the time.
owe nothing to the gentlemen who objected.
At this late period Of the session, II was Oh
viOusly matter Of great interest to me that
the remarks which | might deem proper to
submit on that question, should 20 out with
the main debate; and Jet they denied me the
floor.
The gentleman, also. who has just ad-
dressed the committee, Mr. Letter, has Ger
tainly entitled himself u some reply from
me. | must confess that the line Of his re-
marks has provoked no little Indignation; for
| consider it politically unjust, and political
ly very abusive, in rs character.
Mr.. Chairman, of course | an obliged T.
be very brief, it being past ten, p. N. Ii Will
Nc lcCOllCCkcu NY tl'oC VI NuC So'L shitNNS W.
were present, that to-day forbOre, as much as
was in my power, TO make any reference to
one Of the members from lllnois-the mem
Der who last spoke, Mr.. Morris avoided
it simply from an indlspositlon TO Introduce
him into this discussion, beyond what was
indispensable. Nevertheless, be came into
it with matter obviously prepared, and with
a view, if possible, to make au issue with me
on question of fact. And, sir, never was
| more astonished than when he introduced
the affidavit of al old solder, Of impaired
hearing, and who can hardly have heard or
understood IN entire sentence of the CONVEX.
satiOn, and
Whose trembling limbs have borne him TO
your door"
with view to secure him pension, not from
the justice, but from the sympnthies of COG
gress. | was aetonished that the member
should have sent home and got the affidavit
of this old man as to a question OF fact be-
tween the member and myself, who were
conversing upon 6n interesting subject
naturally calculated, from its character, to
arouse our liveliest attention. Ii Is deep
wrong, Mr.. Chairman, which the member
has perpetrated on that old man, and l no"
propose to show it. | will read here what the
member himself did say on former occasion
10 this connection. 1t will be recOllected
sir, that charged that certain conversation
had taken place. Now, here is what the NON
Der said:
at | ever had conversation with the gentle
man from Virginia, (and recollect having one.
il was some time in December last, IN my pr
vate room at the United States Hotel, In the pre-
sence of my family. | invited the gentleman L
my room for the purpose, as think the gentle
man will bear me witness. mainly OF IhGOduc
ing him 10 an old friend who formerly lived II
Virginia, and who mad come OF mere Ior the puE
pose OF obtaining pension, and was desiroa'
OF existing the members OF the House IN h'
favor. The conversation 10 which the gentle
man alludes came up incidentally. | entered
into 1t with him with a view OF ascertaluIng 4
this Kansas question could not be settled with
out any serious division IN the Democrats party
In that conversation much was said. | remem
Der remaTkng to the gentleman from Virginia
that he ought to recOllect that IN Illinois We
were differently situated from himself; that we
had different constituency; that the Democra
CIV of Illinois had, before the meeting OF Con
gress, with scarcely an exception, taken Their
position in opposition TO the Lecompton constI'
tuition and that neither Doug las nor any other
man could be returned from that State 10 the
United States Senate, if he favored an instrument
of that character. ! recollect stating 10 him
that southern gentlemen ought to have some
charity and feeling for our position
That is what the gentleman himself al
mitted to have been the character IF the con-
versation, and yet he introduces 10 this House
this bis poor old mans affidavit, backed up
with q certificate signed by number OF per-
sons, which was gotten up for another pur
pose in the year 1867 as to his reliability
old man say as follows:
"Atfidnt further states that said Smith came
to said room about hallp seven o clock, p. m
of said day, and remained there from one half
10 three quarters of an hour. That the only
persons present were the said Smith. Morris and
his wife. and aHiant: and aiiiaut now most posi-
lively states that no such statement as said
smith has attributed 10 said Morris, in a speech
recently delivered by him (SmIth) in the House
Of Representative, ia substance, that the lila.
nois delegation in Congress had had a confer
ence, and determined or agreed that the only
way Tor Judge Douglas TO secure his reelection
10 the United States Senate was by opposing
the admission of Kansas under the LecomPton
constitutions were made by said Morris at the
time, nor was anything said by said MorrIs
which could be so construed as 10 bear any such
meaning
1t it ouly necessary for NE, Nr. Chairman,
to fix attention upon the statement OF the
member himself, which have just read, and
10 contrast it with the affidavit ut the old man.
The truth is, it raises an issue Of fact with
himself, and disproves, if anything, his own
statement, which bave read. But that Is
not all. did not advert TO the statement of
the gentleman Mr.. Burnett who spoke on
this subject on former occasion; but | will
now read sundry extracts from what he said.
He said
"The gentleman from Virginia, some time
ago, in a conversation between Us, when we
were discussing the action OF the Democratic
party upon the Kansas question, or OF those OF
the Democratic party who differed with Us, aud
the reasons for their course, SAID TO me, substan
TALLY, what he has stated here. remarked to
him then that mad he'd conversation with
Mr.. Morris, in which he repeated, Substantially
the same language TO me
Again:
The gentleman from Illinois Mr. Morris
approached me this morning, and SAID that ne
that had stated that had had sub
stantially, the same conversation with him
which the gentleman from Virginia repeated yes-
terday.'
Again:
'Norc SIR, as 10 the facts. The time | cannot
Tx. Some time early in the session, |, in com
many with another gentleman, VINO is d member