Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1860-01-11
Washington C)rres0,ai9l,s.
NAs.iyaTox Do. u IsGf

MrSsrs Filter As this is the frs.
tiiac this yearthat have written 1850. and
as to-day is de factn New Years day. wish
you ami your readers = happy new scar
This day Is the occasion of mu;h happi-
ness to some and Il season Of great hilarity
to many-but to others it is Il day Of sad
ness, bringing to mind the dear ones who
one year ago were as happy and merry as
the blue birds Of Spring. but who to-day
are tenants Of that home from which no
one returns, but to which all are hasten
ing.
In my last letter 1 referred to the speech
of Mr.. Grow of Pa, which made some hut-
terin5 in the Democratic cage. A day or
two after this. Mr. Branch of North Caro-
lima, obtained the floor, and undertook. in
a speech Of much bitterness. to charge up
on Mr.. Grow and the Republicans. the de-
feat of the Post Office appropriation bill of
last session, for the purpose of compelling
the President to call an extra session. so
that the Republicans could get a party adj
vantage in the organization of the House
for this Congress. This was impeaching
the motives Of Mr.. Grow and others.
Mr.. Grow, on Thursday of last week, got
the floor and replied to this charge, by
showing in the first place. that the last
House was Democratic by about % major
ity-and that the Republicans could not
be held responsible for the defeat of the
Bill; and in the second place, that the bill
was defeated in the Senate. by Senator
TOOmbs, as he admitted at the tima, and as
the record showed:-that the Senate de-
featcd the Bill. because the House would
not consent to increase the rate of postage
from ,. to ) and 10 cents.
The following extract from the debate as
it appears, in the Globe. the official paper
of the House. explains the cause of the
difficulty between Mr.. Branch and Mr..
Grow. After reading the authority upon
parliamentary law and presidents, and the
action of the last House and Senate on the
Post Oaice bill, Ir. Grow said. Il could
read re authorities on this point. but
will t take up the time of the House
by doing so. Such, Mr.. Clerk, is the
history of the proceedings of the two
Houses of Congress on the Post Office
bill, to which the Senate attached their
Amendment increasing postage. Such
are the authorities and decisions on
which We relied to restrain the action
Of the majority Of the House in rela-
ton to it. And had the gentleman from
North Carolina (Mr. Branch.) been as IA
miliar with constitutional and parliamentary
prccedcnts as his long practice in legiSla-
ton would have led us to suppose he
could have found sufficient and abundant
reasons to justify my conduct and that of
4 majority of the House, without violating
all parliamentary and gentlemanly courte-
sizes that are recognized in all deliberative
bodies, by impugning tile motives of his
peer, and charging sordid and selfish con-
siderations as the moving motive and
cause Of our action
Mr.. BRANCH. | desire to ask the gen
tleman from Pennsylvania whether l am
to understand his language as imputing to
me any conduct that was not gentlcmanly.
Mr.. GROW. l said that the gentleman
violated all parliamentary and gentleman
" courtesies that are recognized in all de-
assemblies. 1t needs no refer
ence to parliamentary law to know that.
The first ruie of parliamentary law is that
no gentleman has 4 right to impugn the
motives Of another.
Mr.. BRANCH. / desire to ask the gen
whether he means. by that language,
to impute to me any conduct that is ungen-
.tlemauly?
Mr. Grow. 1 ask the gentleman to re-
fer to his " language, and see what he
THU ks.
Mr.. BRANCH. I demand of the gentle
man from Pennsylvania to know whether
he means by that language to impute to
me any conduct that is ungentlemanly or
unbecOming?
Mr.. GROW. The gentleman charged,
the other day, that had defeated the Post
Office appropriation, in order to compel the
President of the United States to call an
session of Congress. l say that such
IN imputat,on oil my motives was not
gentlcmanly under parliamentary law.
Mr.. BRANCH. / repeat the question
Which have already asked the gentleman
rom Observation-Disclosures he designs. in
hose remar s, to imputc to me any con-
luct unbccoming a gentleman? A failure
o respond | shall assume to be an afirna-
i've answer.
Mr.. Grow. Mr.. Clerk, 1 take the Ian
5uage of the gentleman. What l have
aid on it is plain English, and there it
tands. The gentleman, the other day. i'm
,ugrel my motives OF action on the Post
'dite bill. The ~impugnment of motives in
legislative body is every where regarded,
lot only as unTarliameutary, but as ungen- .
under parliamentary practice and !
Iw. t
Mr.. BEAycH. l repeat that the gentle
ian has not responded to my inquiry, and '
hat l shall take his failure to respond as .
: affirmative 8 y,
Mr.. Grow. The gentleman can take q
list what he pleases.
Mr.. BEAXCH. l will do so. Y
Mr.. Grow. Twill read the gcntleman's t
En language from the Globe of Monday II
Now l think l am ~justiGable. in i
lc face of these facts, in saying that the Il
which the gentleman had in view VI
as to kill the bill. and that the motive d
I'd object that lie had was to compel tie Il
to call Congress together shortly Il
ter the 18th of March" That is the Ian o.
lage to which l apply the parliamentary
W and l take back nothing that l have
il. p
There was no backing out by Mr.. Grow. i
Saturday last Mr.. Branch, according to il
e code of honor. as the Southern Chivalry V
Il it. but according to the code of diShon- :.
as it should be called by our Christian Il
vilization, sent Mr.. Grow a note by the b'
nd Of a friend, to know when and where b
would be convenient, to meet him out st
lc of this District, and take 4 shoot at .,
III other, to ascertain, nat which was the
,st of i gentleman, but which was the y
marksman-which in the vocabulary tn
the DacHo l suppose would be called j
lllenge. Mr.. Grow, as report now is, ho
d tie moral courage to reply, that he did
t acknowledge the code as imposing
Y Obligation upon him, to meet him for