The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1868-12-09
.5i;sss SUBSTANCES Of THE 81
, Remarks Of Senator Blythe

I'm the MOTION to reconsider the cote by actscit
~ the resOlution declaring The seat of MI.
Are'y racant had been postponed till the
10Th Of December. - s,sfe's.. sd,,ss -,ro
3. MR.. PRESIDENT :--I feel it my duty as
Senator for the State of North Carolina to
vote for the motion to reconsidepthe) action
yesterday taken by this body on the Iesolu-;
ton declaring the seat, claimed by the Sena.
tor elect from the 41st District, to he vacant.
On yesterday, the Senate decided to post
pnne the consideration of said resolution.
until, the 10TH day of December. This
decision believe to be wrong and ask the
privilege of stating my reasons in brief
way! HAagho7iei hiai - loaasd ~ 13Y
I. Iknow, Mr.. President, from the refusal of
this body to allow the gentleman fn,m
Burke to he sworn in as Senator, that it
was satisfied that he is not noio entitled to N
seat here's but that lic is banned by the
Constitutional Amendment, community call
ed the Howard Amendment. If the Senate
had not been satisfied of that fact, lit wouhl
either have postponed action hathe mo-
tion to ALLOW him to qualify andstake his
seat, or it would have admitted him tn
qualifyaswasi done in the cases of tho Sem.
ator from Caswel and the Senator from
Orange. But being satisfied of the gcntle-
Observation-Disclosures under the Constitu-
ton of the United States, the Senate has al
ready decided that he shall } not in his
present status have the oath OF office adj
ministered to him. Gentlemen ON the other
side. now admit that in his present cons
1ditiOn he has no right to- a seat on this
floor; but suggest that if time be given
him until the 10th of December it is possible
that the obstacles in the way Of his taking a
/ seat may perchance he removed = and. they
therefore ask that the seat be; not declared
gyacapt ut the present time, but that the
desired opportunity beirgranted him to re-
move the cloud which now covers his title.
Iwould willingly oblige the gentleman ifsI
could do so consistently with the duty I
owe to the State at large and to my con-
stituents. You will remember, Mr.. PRESS
! dent and Senators, that at our last session
!. this same district which the gentleman from
Burke now seeks to represent, was unrepre-
sentetl on this floor, by reasoned .eIecting a
member who was bannedD by the Howard
Amendment Time was then given him to
have his impeachment removed but he failed
in his effurts to accomplish his purpose, and
: the result was, that the Senate, near the end
, eff the session, did what should have been
done in the beginning-tlccared vacancy
(. to exist iit5was then, too late to hold an
election in time for a new member to take
J, his seat before the adjournment. The re-
suit was that three Counties composing the
. 41st District were without a. voice in this
body during, the entire session. And be-
sides a gentleman who knew, or ought to
have known, when ghe became candidate,
!, that he was ineligible and would not be al
lowed to take a seat here drew mileage and
Z per diem out of the treasury for services
which he did not render, and knew lie could
not render when he became candidate.
This gentleman too, up, etoi the. time that
d North Carolina attempted to secede from
the United State, had always. as Idhave
q been informed, opposed secession and strove
J to prevent the rupture; but afterwards be-
came "a Jealous Confederate. 10 He, felt that
: he could go before Congress ando make a
showing which would induce them to
pardon his sins. He made his plea before
Congress, but failed to obtain pardon.
h Now Mr.. President, desire to know how it
is, that Mr.. Avery with his, records, before
btlC " 81, etUf Grey tuO ais aHI otCC lliC w al
ecen up to the present moment can hope to
=, have his disabilities removedb by Congress,
when his predecessor, who.was so much
more moderate in his views, so utterly tailed
to get Congress to relieve him. Does he
suppose that his course toward the Repub-
/. lican party, denouncing them as scallawags,
mean white men and with other opprobrious
epithets will commend him to the favor of
a Republican Congress Does he believe
that denouncing General Grant as military
tyrant and as unfit for the presidential
chair on account of his habits, will be a
passport. for him to President Grants
peculiar friends Has the gentleman who
asks indulgence at the hands of this Re-
3 publican Senate, given us any evidence that
he has repented of his former course, OF
Z that he now regrets what he has heretofore
done Does he offer US any assurance that
if the indulgence he asks shall he granted
that he will not when set free, do AS some
others with whom he has been cooperating
assail his bcnefactors with a teniold fury
of bitterness. / think, Mr. President, that
it behoovcs the gentleman to show us
fruits meet for repentance y before he asks
personal favors at our hands. u9.s IN %
Again Mr. President, suppose we. grant
the favor now asked of US, and the gentle
B. man fails to get pardon, as every member
on this floor must gbelieve.hc " i'll fail. how
long ask are the people of the District to
be kept Without a Senator to represent
their interest 1t is three weeks now til
the 10th of December-ail that time there
will be no Senator here from the 41st Dis
70 ;trict. Ii he is not pardoned at that time
then this body declares his seat vacant and
the shortest possible time IN which an cleo
ton can be held in so large district in
point of territory so as to give the voters
fair notice Willie at least three weeks more;
q it will then require ut least an additional
week to get tile returns and ascertain who
: is elected, making altogether seven weeks OF
I 40 days only a few days less than the entire
session held in July and August. How
ask Mr. President and Senators can We
= Justify ourselves before our Constituents il
~ we pursue this policy merely to obiige &
y gentleman who has SO littie1 claims to soul
sIfagors. 3 bsig0hs ssH sj3fi5sdus slFt
But I learn that the gentleman has boast
!. ed that IF he be not allowed to take lii
seattin this Senate, that he will go home
, and have elected one of the bitterest Ku
q Kluxs in the whole District. &c That and al
such threats should not make us 'swery'
from What we conceived to sbe the path o
sduty--they should neither make US NOR
exacting NOR more lenient. towards the gen
ID tleman. From all have been able tol earr
of his coursesrecently Ijcannot well conceive
ahowa change could possiblyinfict uponth'
Republican .party9as more determined OPP
I poncnt, and itlmay lie tlatwhcn the people
d of the 41st District see that this body il
determined tn preserve itsaloyalty and mp
: ihold the Constitution of the United States
and to hold sacred the oath which each ont
o rnf Ms has taken ITO siIuport and maintaiI