Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-02-18


g some time about O'Clock on Saturday morn
Ing, during the night session on the reference Of |
the Kansas message, Gen. Qutman proposed |
resolution to withdraw the dilatory motions and |
to adjourn to Monday, with the understanding |
taken on the question. While he was addressing |
the Chair, Mr.. Grow, who was on the Democratic
side OF the House, and near Mr. keitt's seat, 90.
told him. if he wished object, to 90 to his own
side Of the House. His reply being considered
by Mr.. Ke tt offensive, the latter seized MN oy
the collar but Immediately ,e.ng s, Ss, n
offensive remark Of Mr. Grow induced MI. heitt
to seize him by the throat. A struggle ensoed,
me nsrti.. % and pressing Mr. Keitt back
the foot of the latter became enangled in chair,
and he partially fell. At this time MIR. Grow
struck at him, but is supposed not to have reached
him. Several persons now rushed to the scene Of
conflict, some with the view Of separating the
combatants and restoring order, and others per-
Mississippi, (who happened to be sitting near the
point where the difficulty occurred,) among the
first, undoubtedly, his conduct in the CON-
mencement shows. with the intention Of sePara-
ting the parties In making these efforts he re-
ceivsd from some person a blow, and, finding
himself attacked, he turned upon bis assailan,s
and dealt back some hard blows. In few mo-
ments the Sergeant-at-Arms and a large Number
Of members interfered, separated the CONTESTANTS,
and order was restored.'
The New York Herald of the 10th says, con-
corning the same affair:
" Hon. VIM. Montgomery, Of Pa, and Hon.
Thos 9. Bocock, Of Va say that the account Of
the row in the House Of Representatives on the
night of the 5th instant, representing that these
| two gentlemen came in personal collision, is
grossly false. No insulting language passed be
tween them; on the contrary, they were Jointly
engaged in queiling the disturbance"
This statement was made, we learn, on the
authority of the gentlemen it names. While
it is intended to correct misrepresentation, it
also embraces a striking illustration of the
manner in which the affair of Friday night,
the 9Th instant, has been grossly falsi6ed by
some Of the Republican newspapers and their
correspondents.
Most of the journals and writers to whom we
| allude seem to have labored, ludicrously, il
deed, to make various of the Republican party
pseudO-combatants of the occasion appear to
the world in the light of valorous heroes strug
Cling (scratching) for great principle in hand
to hand combat with desperate rufians-their
political opponents. We are very sure that
the gentlemen thus sought to be so ridicul0usly
paraded as heroes before the eyes Of the dear
people, do not thank those who would mould
them into valiant knights of fsticuffing on
| such slender grounds as the writers have for
their Misrepresentation Otherwise, in the
face Of the facts of the affair as they are
well known to all who witnessed the fracas,
would be to credit them-the Republican
members who were SO unfortunate as to get
involved in the muss-wth seeking to achieve
fsticufing heroic regulations on sheer false
pretences. We know well that they repudi-
ate the idea of having displayed any "hero-
ism" whatever on the occasion, and there
| fore, if but in sheer justice to them, we men.
| ton the fact and thus save them from the
effect of the disreputable pufery of their over
Jealous braggadOcio-loving friends.
The truth is, no one on either side contem-
plated becoming involved in "the muss' an
instant before it occurred. 1t covered but
minute or so Of time. No blame for it is Justly
chargeable on any particular gentleman, nor
has any one of the many who were involved in
it the slightest reason to be proud of his con-
nection with it.
The House SPECIAL KANSAS COMMITTEE
The following is the general newspaper dis
patch agents account of last nights proceed
ing's of the committee named above:
WAsHINGroN, Feb. 1.-THE House Kansas
committee met to- night, when Mr. Morrill, offered
resolution summoning Messrs Walker Cal
houn, Stanton and Henderson for examination.
and requiring them to bring all the documents in
their possession bearing upon the subject matter
OF investigation. To this il was objected that as
otfcial documents were being obtained from the
Executive Departments, oral testimony might not
The resolution, together with four or Eve others.
looking to the exami of all matters covered
by the resolution under which the committee
was appointed, was tabled by a vote of 8 against
- and the committee then passed Mr. Adrain's
resolution, tnstructing the chairman to procure
from The State Department the registry and CEN
in x...sl
offered by Mr.. Stephens, Sin accordance with
law" The committee adjourned to Wednesday
next, In order meantime to procure the docu-
In the main this is doubtless correct, though
We reject the authors opinion concerning the
entire propriety and applicability of the four
or FIVE rejected resolutions on the common sense
hypothesis that the majority of the committee
were quite as competent to determine that fact
as the minority, from one of whom the writer's
views of the character of the aforesaid resolu-
tons were doubtless obtained.
The truth is, Mr.. Harris and the rest of the
antl-Democratic party members of the commit.
tee are evidently bent upon using their extraor-
binary powers to justify their opposition to the
admission Of Kansas into the Union on the
Lecompton Constitution while the majority
Will permit no illegal testimony to be taken.
and no partizan efforts on the part of the pro-
posed abolition witnesses to get such state
ments for facts before the public, through the
committees report, as may be more convent
entIy cuiled from the Kansas correspondence
oil the New York Tribune and st. Louis Dem
ocTat such not being the purpose for which
the House raised the committee in question.
POST OFFICE AFFAIRs.-The continual in
crease OF the duties Of the Postmaster General
having reached an extent which made it al.
most impossible for one person to attend to
them arrangements have recently been made
for dividing the labor among the Assistants so
as to relieve the Postmaster General partially
from the details Of the Department business. |
With this view, and in pursuance of the au.
thority vested in him by the ninth section of |
the act of July 1888 cbonn;r. Al -.