Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-12-23
Case Of Senator Thomas of MARY
land.

United States Senator THOMAS, of Mary
land, fairly and constitutionally elected to
the United States Senate from Maryland,
has been kept out of his seat during the
whole of the present Congress in order as
it was said to give the Judiciary Commit
tee chance to enquire into his antecedents.
The committee has finally reported that
they find nothing sufficient in the opinion
of the committee to debar said Thomas
from taking his seat, unless i. be found in
the fact of the son of said Thomas having
entered the military service of the Con-
federacy. and in the circums stances con-
nected with that TACT or relating to it,
they withhold 1.-THE expression Of an opin-
ion 10 regard to this point" and report
the whole evidence TO the Senate"
The circumstances relating to it, and on
which the law committee of the Senate de-
clined to give an opinion, is that THOMAS
did bis best to prevent his son from joining
the Confederate ARMY. The Baltimore San,
in its notice of the attempt to hold the pa
rent responsible for the acts of his son,
says:
1t thus appears that judiciary commit
tee of the Senate of the. United States is
| not prepared to say whether father
snould or should not be held responsible for
what his sun does. even when the sou acts i'm
opposition To the counsel of the father.
and, on the strength of this doubt. which
they solemnly profess to entertain on this
| most perpleXing and my sterious question,
they keep Senator elect from MARYLAND
from taking his seat until the combined
wisdom OF the Senate shall be prepared to
fk, xt>t< 4 g
the Senate will he quail To the difficult task k
OF ascertaining whether the political in
| iquities of the children should be visited
| upon the fathers, and in order to assist
them 10 coming to decision, they might
fad a case in point in eX-Gov. Bradford,
who was Governor of Maryland during the
war, and VINO had a SON in the Conteder-
| ate army during the most, if not the whole,
| OF that contest. If Mr.. Thomas was guilty
| on account of the conduct of his son, Gov.
Bradford must have been, also, but no one
| has questioned the Governors 10y atty on
that account. The sensible and logical
conclusion of the ecommittee's report should
have been the rrsolution off. red by Mr..
johnson that MIR. Thomas be per-
mitted TO take his seat upon subscribing
| the usual oath. -It-wOuld really seem
that the committee, as sach, had not the
moral courage to do that which would
| have been a rebuke to themselves. Their
report is virtual CONCESSION of the out
| Iage Inflicted upon the State OF Maryland
| by the prOscrlptive and. partisan spirit
which has SO long deprived her OF repre-
Sentatiun by one of her Senators, ON pre-
| texts which the cnmmi tee evidently see to
be false and unfoundcd. and are ashamed OF
th.l own connection with, though their
contritiun does not give them stamina and
frapkuess enough TO make a direc acknowl-
eisment of theIr fault. aud SO they report
aud make r, stitutiun through Mr.. Johnson.
who mercifuiiy relieves them by Offering IA
resolution which is tile logical RESULT OF
tn If own inquiries.
The refusal, or neglect, OF the committee
which thus deprived Il State of Its equal
Suffrage in the Senate" upon pretense so
frivolous, is but upon par with other acts
ofsthe Radical leaders which should sink
them 50 low that even contempt should ia.l
TO reach them. z--e