Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-03-03
JFrom the New York Tribune.l
LAND FOR THE LANDLESS VS. NIGGERS
FOR THE NIGGERLESSn

of the intellectual feast in the Senate last
night. But it was so "spicy" that it will bear
serving up the second time, and in diluted
form.
AT the close of a weary day with John Doe
and Richard Roe / learned about o'clock that
the Senate were still in session on the Cuba
bill. | entered the gallery just in time to hear
the close of Mr.. Kennedys speech, when Mr..
Wade got the floor and moved an adjourn
ment so that he could speak tomorrow. But
the Democrats, having determined in caucus
that they would take the final vote ON the bill
at that sitting though it extended into Satur-
day night, refused to adjourn.
Mr.. Doolittle now moved to lay aside Cuba,
and take up the Homestead bill The few Gu
bans who favor this latter, implored Doolitte
not to injure the Homestead, by antagonizing
it with "this great measure of foreign policy"
He warned them that the country would re-
gard this as test vote. They WINGED, and the
skirmish went on.
The debate on the relative merits of the two
measures, intermingIed with question of or
der, now became general. Trumbull struck
the admirable point, that it was wiser to take
up and pass a bill that disposed Of portion of
the surplus land we now had, than to waste
time on one which proposed to buy more
Seward pronounced the Cuba foray a mere par
tizan scheme, whose friends knew it could not
by any possibility pass the lower house; while
the homestead could become law, by the ac-
ton of the Senate, in ten minutes He briefly
contrasted the two polcies-one to enlarge the
domain of the slave power, and restore and
maintain the supremacy of compulsory labor
in the tropics-the other to give land to the
landless, and furnish homes to free laborers in
our own country: He was emphatic, but en-
tirely parliamentary and respectful in tone and
language.
After a little brush on points of order,
Toombs got the floor. To unders and the
scene that followed you must know that Sew
ard and Wilson sit on the rear row of chairs,
and Toombs, Wade and Benjamin Immediately
in front of them i'll the next row-Wade hay
ing Toombs on his right and Benjamin on his
lett-and all five being in close proximity to
each other A little further off to the left of
Benjamin sits Fessenden. Toombs directed
his speech entirely to Seward. Always i'm
FASHIONED and furious, he was now extraord-
narily vehement in his tone, violent i'll gesticu-
lation, and abusive in language. He called
Seward a demagogue-a small demagogue-
said he despsed all demagogues, detested small
demagogues in particular, but more especially
piGed and dispised those who could be driven
by small demagogues, bringing his fist in the
vicinity of Wade's desk as he uttered the last
clause. He accused the Republicans in a body
of cowardice, personal and political--of skulk-
i'll the the issue of Cuba, and shiyering in
their shoes at its mere name.
He rung the changes ON Stewards term,
Gland for the landless," and sneered at the
"ackanders," as he called them, of whom the
Republicans were afraid, &c. He smote his
own desk violently, occasionally reached over
and struck Stewards, kept his back toward the
chair that he might turn his face toward Sew
ard, ever and anon tlIrusting his hand almost
in his face, and pushing inadvertently against
Wade's chair all this time his face glowing
with passion, and his air, and mien, and tone,
suggesting the terocity of Danton, combined
with the malignity of Marat. During his
short speech portion Of the galleries kept up
running accompaniment Of feeble gusts of
laughter.
Nearly all eyes had been fixed on Toombs
and Seward-the latter calm and pale and
looking steadily at his assailant. But the few
who knew Wade well, had not failed to notice
his hands firmly clenched on the arms of his
chair, his compressed lips, and the indescrib-
able air of defiance that sat upon his counten-
ance. Ere Toombs was fairly in his seat,
Seward Wilson, Fessenden, and Wade sprang
to their feet. 1t was impossible for the Chair
to assign the floor to anybody but ''the Sena-
tor from Ohio" for the tone in which he pro-
nounced the formula, "Mr. President!' and
the eye he fixed on Breckenridge, said as plain
as words could have uttered it, Il must and
will speak"
Wade, who don't fear the devil, turned
square upon Toombs, who knows that Wade
don't fear the devil, and, bringing his fist down
within about an inch Of Toombss nose and
heavily upon his desk, said, his eye riyeting
him, aRd the hot words kissing through his
teeth, "Skulk, all SILVER, do we 2"
Wade went on, leaping almost from the
floor at every sentence, showing plainly that
though he was able to reply effectively to the
taunts and abuse that fell from Toombs' lips,
he would rather drive them forcbly down his
throat-all of which Toombs knew, because.
once on time, they being neighbors in the
Senate then as now, Toombs was abusing all
Republicans in the most vituperative style.
when Wade, his hands on the arms of his
chair, ready to leap to his feet demanded to
know, 'Does the Senator include me in what
he is now saying?" Upon which the Georgi-
an responded, 81 except the Senator from
Ohio" Since that occurrence, everybody
thinks Toombs desires to give Wade wide
berth
But to the speech. The first sentence went
straight to the core of the subject, and all the
rest followed it. "You sheer at the Home
stead bill, because it gives land to the landless,
do you? "What is your pet measure Steal
ing niggerS for the niqgerieSS We go to the
country upon it-"Land for the landess, rer-
Sus niggers for the niggerless !"
That was enough. The galleries had SEEM
ingly held their breath. Now, some feet came
down with one determined stamp upon the
foor-a few hands smote together-but the
mass, in gallery and in Senate, shouted with
mingled roar of laughter and cheers-the
President throwing down the gave in despair
Having, in this phrase, compressed the
whose argument into the smallest possible
compass, Wade went on roasting the Democ-
racy about their "nigger bill, and satisfying
Toombs that he (Wade) was not much fright
ened, however it might be with him (Toombs)
and then he handed over the fight to Fessen-
den.
Mr. Fessenden was more deliberate. In
deed he was persistently calm and provoking
ly cool. He told Toombs that Republicans
did not skulk nor shiver on the Cuba ques-
ton, but only meant by this course to take
their time and teach gentlemen that the SEN
ate was to be governed by its own rules, and
not by the degrees Of a party caucus, and that
they should permit the vote to be taken on
the bill when they had said all they wished
to on the subject and not one moment sooner
All this time Seward sat quietly in his chair
Those accustomed to read his thoughts on his
face knew he was biding his opportunity to
reply Finally, he took the floor. He never
spoke Of the Senator from Georgia. lie turn
ed his back somewhat toward him. with min
gled air Of dignity and contempt. He drew
lis own chair aside, pushed Wilson's out of
the way, stepped back pace or so, shook off
all trammels forgot Blair's rhetoric, calmly de-
fined the different kinds of courage, said he
hoped he had enough to serve his purpose rs
n Senator and man, and then rose with his
theme, contrasting in few glowing words the
benefcent objects of the Homestead bill with
the perncous scheme Of acquiring Cuba, and,
abiding to the Presidents efforts TO clutch the
purse and the sword, denounced him in severe