Litchfield enquirer., 1859-02-03
Whole No. 1757.
THE WAR IN THE SENATE. MIR. DOUGLAS DIsCIPLINED-THE QUARREL, BETWEEN SENATORS DOUGLAS AND FITCH.
 Correspondence of the Evening Postl

BETWEEN SENATORS DOUGLAS AND FITCH. Correspondence of the Evening Post.1
 WASHINGTON, Jan 23, 1859. | The scene in the executive session of the Sen. ate on Friday evening last was che of the most ] extraordinary that ever occurred in any delibe. rative assembly in the civilized world. The teegraphic sketch of the affair, copied into the Evening Post of Saturday from morning pa- per, does not state all the facts nor exhibit the yirus of the words uttered The President sent to the Senate the name of Mir. Potter, ex-mem. Der of Congress from Ohio, as Collector of the Miami district in that State. Mir. Pugh
 rose, and, with good deal of feeling, opposed
 the confirmation of Potter. He said the man
 who had been removed by MT. Buchanan to
 give Mir. Potter the place was his (Pugh's)
 friend that the President knew such to be the l fact aud remored him because sa < aoas the fad. He declared with emphasis, that if the Presi. dent of the United States desired to make personal onslaught upon him he could come on
 the sooner the better ! Mir. Pugh, growing
 more and more excited, appealed to his friends in the Senate to vote with him against the con. ] firmation of Potter This appeal brought up Mir. Douglas, who promised his ycte to the senator from Ohio. Mir. Douglas then con- mented, with an unbridled tongue, upon the nominations made by the President in Illinois. He said all his friends had been removed from place and power, and they had been removed solely because they were his friends He de- 1 nounced all the federal officehoders in Illinois. appointed by Buchanan to fill the places once occupied by his friends, as his btterest person.
 al enemies, who were scoundrels and thieves" This called up Dr. Fitch Gone of the squatter senators from Indiana, whose son ;s United
 States District Attorney of Minoisi. The Doctor, very much excited, and with menac. ing attitude, said Tile senator from Illinois states what is untrue, and aohat hs kmoscs Co bs untrue." The President called to "order." Intense excitement prevailed. Mir. Douglas then modified his rellIark by saying that thers were exceptions to the rule, but that they were scarce. He then plunged into the postmasters of Illinois. He said that whenever mail rob berries were committed in Illinois they never dreamed of going outside of the offices to dis cover the robber. They always knew that the postmasters were the guilty parties. Cries of " Order," order," from several senators, and the President demanded general order and calls the senator from Illinois to order.1 Dr.
 Fitch, who had been standing during the con- fusion, as soon as order was partially restored, repeated that the senator from Illinois had again stated positive falsehood and that he knew it was false. This brought chaos again, amidst which some senators were standing in l their places and others were approaching the seats of Coughs and Fitch, which are. near to- gether. The President called both senators to order Several senators moved an adjourn ment, while others appealed to the Senate to allow Douglas to proceed At last tempo. rary quiet was secured, and Mr. Douglas pro- ceed to pitch-not into MT. Fitcl-but into the postmastcrs of Illinois. He charged that they had stolen and destroyed over five thous- and of his speeches, which had been directed to his constituents that they had broken open, read, and then destroyed his private letters, confusion, which, after some considerable effort on the part of the President, was allayed Elf. forts were made by several senators to obtain the floor. Objection was made to Mr. Doug lass proceeding. Motions were made that hs proceed in order. Mir. Davis, of Miss issippi, objected. Standing about six feet from MT. Douglas, with determined manner, and cast ing upon that senator a steady and piercing glance, with his long, bony finger directed in Q
 meuacing attitude at his object Mir. Davis ad
 dr, ssed the Little Giant" thus "I have sat in my place aud listened with feelings of indiS- nation to language from the senator from Illi- nos which would disgrace the highwayman and the bravo~ The Presidents hammer again fell, accompanied by the emphatic remark that " the senator from Mississippi is out of order."' Here was another chaos, in the midst of which senators were anxious to observe what desper- ate effort the Little Giant" would make against so pointed an attack. Those who ex- pected to see Douglas strike the Mississippian down in his tracks for applying to him such language were disappointed when they beheld his "gant" proportions subside into his chair It is impossible to describe the scene at this sage of procet dings. Before the Senate ad- iourned, MT. Davis, satisfied that he had vio- lated the rules of the body, apologised to the Senate and to the senators from Illinois for language which he had used in moment of excitement
 Dr. Fitch then apologised to the Senate for any offensive or improper language he had ut- tered in debate. but, with a menacing look at Mir Douglas, said that he had no apology to offer to the senator from Illinois. In this state of affairs, if MT. Douglas recognises the Code to settle his affairs of honor. he must challenge Dr. Fitch. am informed that during the ha- rangue of MT. Douglas about the persecution of himself by the President, he exclaimed, am still an unconquered and unsubdued rebel !'
 I understand that some negotiations are go- ing on for settlement of the affair. The gen. tleman whom it is said Mir. Douglas selectedas his friend is well known duellist. Judging from his record in such matters, if Judge Doug las follows his advice, Fitch will have to re- tract his offensive words aud apologize or fight. But the probability is, that others of less combative temperament will be consulted, which, together with the appeals of woman on every side, will cause the matter to be quietly and peaceably settled.