The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1868-11-21
A sENTER SEsO-.
The Speaker Of the Tennessee
Senate Impeached for
DlsIOyalty.
The War of the GubernatoFfaI
Succession.
From the Nashville Banner.


This hours hour 5 work will breed /. tso,cripaons.
Look to your hearths, my Lords e.
The Senate Chamber yesterday was IN
scene of considerable excitement. no
loud but deep and which burst out after
the adjournment Of that sapient body ii
soWesasettv tall swearing usSz1ha mar
X. - of 10 S -;
with realizing sense Of the great truth
that to the victors belong the spoils, but
where there are SO many victors and
comparatively speaking few spoils, as il
is but natural that some disagreement
should arise Us to the manner of their
distribution. Legislators, however lSyal.
are but human. and it is not y be won
dcred at, that under such circumstances
hard feelings, criminatiops and recrimi
nations should arise
a vacancy is shortly to be made in the
/ Gubernaterial office of Tennessee. and
that vacancy is now the cynosure of loyal
eyes Whoever fills the Office from the
time that Senator Brownlow retires. un
I'll the election next August, if possessed
of the ambition for place and powers
usual among loyal men, will be apt TO
secure a mortgage upon the Office for the
two years next ensuing Aud the Leg
/ isluture have fixed the franchise law in
such manner that no man can be com
/ PEELED to relinguish the Gubernatorial
chair until he gets hold Of something
better
The present Speaker - the Senate and
prospective Governor al interim has
hitherto been regarded as Radical Of
Radicals. His soundness upon every
question, from the franchise law to the
, kuklux bill, has been indubitable. and
yet it has been doubted bv no less a pef-
sou than the Honorable VIM. b. Stokes.
NJ. C. from the Third District. and au
thor of the Duncan letter, and various
other loyal documents too numerous TO
mention. Stokes is desirous of filing
the u ubernatorial chair himself. prelim
mary to accepting Fowlers seat in the
/ United States Senate. but he is fearful
that, IN case Senfer has the power and
patronage from March to August, 1863
he may run the machine in his own inter
est, and leave the loyal William out in
the co!d II Is also said that Browulow
Is desirous that Stokes should be his sue
cessor, as kind of reward for services
rendered in stumping the State for him
against Etheridge we'll as Tor assist.
auee given ia efectinr Browniow 10 the
Senatorship.
Now General W b Stokes has always
throughout the course of his public ca
reer, possessed the faculty OF inducing
others to DO that which he dared not do
himself. aud then, after his purposes are
accomplished, OF quietly leaving hi, tools
to reap the fruits of their own impru-
dence. Thus about the time he wrote
his Duncan letter he induced a good
many young men to join the rebel army.
but shortly afterwards deserted them aud
allowed them to suffer all the pains. and
penalties which he helped TO inilict upon
them In like manner he has procured
tor hts present purpose what he cOnsd
ers 10 be an effective instrument Seda
tor A. NJ. Cate. Of Hamilton county. is
desirous OF attaining to Congressional
honors. He had fallen from grace in
the RadicaI party by his opposition to the
kuklux and Military bills in the last
session of the Legislature, as we'll as by
a somewhat lukewarm faith in the super
rlority of the African to the white race.
and was of course desirouS of resaininc
his lost reputation Accordingly Stokes
selected him rs suitable man to execute
his purpose
The first thing to be done was to get
rid OF Senter, and to do this his loyalty |
must be impugned
Accordingly the necessary arrange
meuts were made, and yesterday the mine
was sprung.
Senator Cate arose and introduced /
resolution, setting forth the fact that the 1
Amendments to the Constitution of the /
United States, commonly known as Arti- i
Gle XIV, had been declared part of that /
instrument by the Fortieth Congress
aud whereas, the Third Sectiousof that /
Amendment, declares ineligible 10 any /
office of profit or trust under the United-,
States or any State, any man who. having +
taken an oath TO support the Constitu-
ton of the United States. afterwards /
took any part in the late rebellion and
whereas. De Witt c. Senter, Speaker .of
the Senate, as member of the rebel
Legislature of 1861 and 1862 of Ten
nessee. took an oath of allegiance 10 the
Confederate States of America and /
" hereaS. rs II member of said Legisla-1
ture. he voted for the bill establishing
provisional army in Tennessee tC.be used
in support of the Confederate States
Government: and whereas, he voted for
for an amendment to said bill providing
that no person be paid for forage or
horses taken for the use OF said army,
except upon taking an oath of allegi
ance to the then rebel Government of
4 -. L.. -
America etc, Cthe preamble going on
to recite sundry other alleged disloyal
votes of Mr. Senter;) and whereas, De
Witt &. Senter is on this account iueligi
bic to hold any Office, therefore
ResoIred, That the Senate proceed to
the election of Speaker.
As the last words of this resolution
fell upon the astonished ears of the Sen
ate there was an awful pause One 10y
alist looked at another in awful silence
aud incipient alarm Had 0the germs OF
been lying unknown for all
these years in that dignitied body2 The
very thought was, 50 to speak, a sumner.
Plainly there was some mistake.
So the resolution laid over under the
rules, aud the regular call OF business
went on until the peristaItie movements
OF senatorial diaphrsgms notified them
of the approach of the hour for dinner,
aud the conscript fathers adjourned till
10 a. IN. to day
After the adjournment, and when the
ante praudal cocktails had unsealed the /
fountains of senatorial eloquence, and