The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-12-24
From Mack, the EnQuirer's correspondent
The Senate and its CaTpct-Bn ggeTs.


Entering the gallery of the Senate
Chamber on Thursday afternoon, after
an absence of six months from its sa
cred precincts, the first fact that forced
itself upon my notice was that the pro-
pbstic utterance of Mr.. Seward as to the
vacant chairs" had been almost fni-
filed. We all remember with what
touching pathos the venerable and va
riable Secretary alluded TO these IVA
cant chairs" at an early stage of the
late sectional GOODNESS" and how haI
hoped the erring brethreR would come
back and fill them. Well, the erring
brethren haven't come back TO any per
ceptible extent, but the vacant chairs
are filled. neverth@iieesS,. .."s wnar IA
"Gll' is there, my cOuntrymenf
There is ne need of any searching in
vestigation into personal histories to
reveal the style of men th"se Garnet
bapgers are. 1t requires no very &SIute
student of human nature 10
pick them out, one by one, as they sl'
in seats to which they have no more
right than George Francis Tram 10 the
British throne, Gaddis TO the kingdom
of heaven, or Ben Butler to the spoons
he stiIs bis coffee with. IOu can tell
them at glance by the look OF out-ot-
placeishness of which they cannot d!s-
possess themselves, let them try never
so hard They are scattered on the
ou'er edges of the chamher-here and
there, wherever a seat could be found,
or room made to put ono in. Toe posi-
ton was to them gift horse, and they
had heard of the injunction against
looking such an animal III the mouth.
So Warner, of Alabama, Squats Goa
tentedly and oOscurely on the eX
IRENE right, and from there ieebly
bellows about "the people of my
State" Directly opposite, and so
near she door that he is apt 10 be mis-
taken for a messenger, one of the "hon-
orable Senators from Arkansas untOlds
himself to public gazs, and every now
and then rises 10 present q petition
from constituency he never saw, aud
in behalf of Stale he never lived in.
And so on To the end of the chapter.
But the carpet-bagGers of the nate
will soon deserve pity instead of con
tempt When the first flush Of recon
structionaTy enthusiasm is over, they
will cease 10 have tho respect even of
the Radicals, whose political offspring
they are. "How do yop like the carpet.
baggers p said l to a Radical Senator
yesterday. "Oh, they have behaved as
well as couid he expected" said lie,
putting into his tone good deal more
than was in his words. and whica
construed into the form of an nppcu-
dix, thus: They must keep their
place, and Tot put ON any
airs. or we will teach them
good manners" 1t is said that
Sumner makes them keep very respect
ful distance from him, and denies them
that freedom of social intercourse which
they were led to expect from the great
apostle of equal rights, aud the mex
tinguishable yelper for universal suf-
frage. The fact is, Sumuar is diSap
pointed and chagrined hat th Y are all
white-aud il must BE- agreed that
slight mixture of black would be = great
Improvement on the class Of men that
have been chosen thus far. Garrett
Davis said, year ago, thaa nothing
would reconcile him 10 negro suffrage
so soon as the election OF frst.class
and intelligent negro 10 succeed Mr..
Sumner, and, on the same principle,
think the substitution of black Senators
Tor white carpet-baggers would he step
IN the right direction.
90 mHe6 for the carpet baggers, bat
what OF the Senate as a body. You will |
search history in vain-through its
peaceful az wen as its rcyolutiopar;
pagss-to ind parallel for tine deem.
eracy of that body, in an tb.nttriin,ns
that fit it TO make laws 10. :, ,.rn.t -,
ton, or that should rommanN fnr :, -,
respect and veneration Of a .rcnt non-
pie. Compare the Senate OF ten yeor,
ago with the Senate of to-day, and TN.
difference is very great indeed; date the
comparison to ten years further back
and there ceases to be any resemblance,
except in the name. A fit inscriptions
for the entrance door of the chamber of
1863 was written long ago TO express
the decay of virtue aud greatness In the
representative of one OF Rome's greatest
men: ".Siat mdgBi HOmiRiS ambra -
II stands the shadow of u mighty
name. There is extaut an engraving
entitled the United States Senate in
1850, which tells the whole story when
viewed in the light of to day. 1t repre-
sents Henry Clay in the delivery of one
of those powerful speeches which Al
ways commanded the attention of the
floor and the rapt admiration of the
galleries. His associates are closely
gathered about him, as if To ca ch every
word that falls from his lips. 1t is easy
TO recognize Calhoun, Webster, Benton,
and Douglas in the group. They are
all gone now, aud who have taken their
placesf For Calhoun we have a car
pet-bagger, around whose name there
is said TO be a halo uneAviable to hon
est men, and not uucOunected with
sheriffS, peniteatlaries and the
like. For the grandeur aud dignity OF
Webster we have the classic idiocy
Of Sumner, OF the inelegant in-
sEity of Wilson; for the culture and
craftsmanship of Benton We have the .
boreous AID sonorous emptiness of
Drake; and for Douglas, the bold cham
pion OF popular right, We have Yates in
. constant vibration between temper