Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1862-03-27
Of the United States, at Washington 81;


Of the United States, at Washington. 90,
which Judge Phelps was his oppone,,'
,cou'd rather haze met any other lap,s,
from New England. Judge PAslp, 10.
40 superior there or IN the country"
The Legislature of Vermont, in Oeto
Der 1888, after protracted ballotiny, !. elec,
ed Judge Phelps, United States Senate,
from Vermont, to succeed Benjamin SwiN
for the term of six years, from and aft,
March 4ih, 1889. At the expiration or
which time, he was reelected for tina
further term of six years, which expired
on the 4th of March 1851.
During his Senatorial career he w.,
for many years an efficient member of tina
committee on Claims, on Indian Affairs
on Pensions, on the Militia, on Reyoln.
tionary Claims and others. At one ses.
sion of the Senate, he was Chairman os
two committees and a member of three
others" four of hich are esteemed Ia
horious commit Sc" In the Sumre, Of
1873 he was member of the select com.
m tee, on The at Of the Senate. of wb;.i
Hon, John ", Clay ton Of Delaware was
Chairman, who reported that series Of
measures, which has since been vail
known as the clayton Compromise
| OF these measures, he was an earnest SIM.
porter-ard one OF the able.t speeches in
its favor, was made by him. Althopob
the majority of his constituents, the peo.
pie Of Vermont, were opposed TO the prin.
ciples contained therein, yet he deemed il
his duty to support and vote for hem, In
explanation and vindication of his cour.o
and votes on these measures, he addressed
very able and forcible letter to the Peo.
pie OF Vermont.
MIR. Phelps, during the session of tbs
Senate in the Winter of 1850. pre-
scented to that body the " Resolutions re.
lating to the subject OF slavery" passed
by the Legislature OF Vermont in lS40.
These resolutions were made the subject
of con iderable debate, in the course Of
which, the character of Vermont and Of
her people had been most grossly assailed.
To these assaults Nj. Phelps took occa.
; sion TO reply, and in an able, eloquent and
forcble speech, he defended and Wind.
Gated the people of his State and sustain.
ed the principles enunciated in these resl.
buttons. Among other topics, the righ!
and duty of Congress to legislate for the
Territories--in reply TO the doctrines re-.
Gently laid down by Mr.. Cass-were mar.
tanned in mastery, if not unsnswerabe
u argument, original in character. and IN.
e surpassed in force"
He was also member of the Select
=. Committee of Thirteen, of which Henry
q Clay was Chairman, TO whom was referred
y the question OF the admission of Califor.
mia and everything appertaining to the
question of slavery, and who reported the
/, Fugitive Slave Law and the other meas
ures known as the Compromise of 1850
/. He dissented from the report presente
by the committee, and was opposed t
c many of the measures proposed by them
2 On the death of Senator Cpham. h
s. January 1853, Mr.. Phelps was appoints
a, by Governor Fairbanks, to gil the vacanc
thereby occasioned, and served during III
remainder of that session.
n Samuel s. Phelps died, of introcessio
AZ of rheumatism, at his residence at Mid
- dlebury, Addison County, Vermont, o
Sunday March 25th, 1855, in the 6?
IN year of his age. His funeral was attend
r. ed, at St. Peters Church, Middlebury, b
r. the members of the Rutland and AddsO
~ County bars, in body, an impresSiv
- funeral discourse being preached by th
Ill Rt. Rev. John Henry Hopkins, D. D
H. LII. D., Bishop of Vermont