St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1861-04-11
Two Nights in the Senate.

The editor Of Harper's Weekly gives his
experience of two nights in the reporters'
gallery Of the United States Senate, at the
close Of tie Thirty-sixth Congress. He
sketches the speeches Of Joe Lane and the
reply Of Senator johnson, as follows:
JOE LANE AND ANDY soHNscN. T..
When think of that speech, and when
I remember that General Lane was at one
time probable candidate for the Prcsiden-
cy, can not find words to express my
thanks to divine providence for our escape.
True, the speech, had ita advantage It
gave u rest to the weafiedrepo for the
press, and enabled Senators to write their
letters undisturbed. When it was done,
Andrew johnson, of Tennessee, rose to re-
ply. Mr.. johnson is self made man.
In his youth he was a tailor's apprentice,
and he learned his letters from his wife,
He is natural orator, and as brave man
as lives. The author Of General Lanes
speech attacked, with sarcasm and sneer,
tho homestead bill, with which Senator
JohDson's name. is connected. Johnson's
reply was one Of the most eloquent bursts
ever heard in the Senate. I remember,
he said in substance, when, after years of
painful struggles, with the young wife I
had brought with me from North Carolina
and the little family which had grown up
around us, l was enabled to purchase a
small plot Of ground in Tennessee and
build cabin upon it which / could call
my own. remember the feeling Of tri-
umph and exultation with which we look
ed upon the poor little shed, and knew that
at last we had HOME OF OUR OWN; And
then, long years ago, I made: up my mind
that, if ever I had the power, every poor
man, struggling as I was, should be ena-
bled to obtain home-should have one
spot Of earth, however small, ono cabin,
however rude and scanty, which, in the
light Of heaven and the face of man, he
should be able to call his own.
THREE CHEERS FOR THE UNION.
An omincus rustic in the galleries fol-
lowed this outburst, but subsided into a
growl from Senator Mason. Senator John
son continued, laying stripe after stripe
scientifically on the back of poor General
Lane, and finally closing with magnif-
cent eulogium on the Union. On this the
pent up feeling of the spectators could no
longer be restrained. A tremendous cheer
arose. Senator Mason instantly moved
that the galleries be cleared. A few hiss
es were heard; then a stentorian voice
shouted, "THREE CHEERS FOR THE UN-
1oNv They were given with a will
Not only did the mems gallery shout, but
the ladies screamed and waved their hand
kerchiefs. Never, since the first meeting
Of the Senate, did that body endure such
an insult. For some moments the din was
overpowering.
The sergeant at arms will clear the GAL
leries - commanded the Chair fercely.
1t was easier said than done. There were
at least fifteen hundred excited men in the
galleries. For some moments it was a
question whether the Senate would clear
tho galleries, or the galleries the Senate
The fight was on the. Seward Corwin
amendment to the Constitution which had
already passed the House. -,
Mi ght had fallen, and the; Senate, after
some opposition from Senator Mason, re-
sumed the debate on the resolution. Sen
ator Pugh moved to strike out the words
"authorize, or" on the ground that they
were bad grammar.
PUGH's PART.
lam enough Of a grammarian to perceive
by Senator Pugh's speeches that he is
himself no friend to Lindlev Murr"v-
W.T.
=, Aesne5 his Amendment ~nr,j I-