The union Democrat., 1869-04-17

Lively Passage -at-Arms between Butler
and SchPnck-The LATTER Denounced
ns the Tool of the whisky Wen.

In the House of Representatives, March
18th, lively and rather disgraceful scene
occurred between Butler and Schenck, to
which the telegraph has made reference. We
reproduce the coloquy, which smells strongly
of the tish-market below
Mr. Dawes Rep, Mass, reported joint
resolution to supply omissions in the enroll
ment of some of the general appropriation
bills of last session. One of them requires
the owners of bonded warehouses to reimburse
to the Government the salaries of storeknep-
ers, etc. Another is for lighting the Capital
and the Presidents house.
The question being on the passage of the
joint resolution. Mr.. Beck (Dem, Ky,) ar
gued against the bonded warehouse PROPOSE
ton.
Mr.. Butler (Rep., Mass, explained and
advocated the proposition, which he said had
been unanimously agreed upon by the Com
mittee of Conference at ; o clock on the morn
ing of the 4th of March, and which was at that
hour the law of the land but it being a
matter which took million and half of dol
lars out of the pockets of the whisky dealers,
of course the provision dropped out in the en-
rolment of the BILL He did not know whom
to blame.
Mr.. Washburn rep, Wis. asked Butler
y
tentionally.
Mr. Butler in reply cited the anecdote of
the fool who told the millers' hogs were al
ways fat, but did not know on whose corn
they were iattened. Here was whole sec
tion fairly written out, and yet omitted in the
enrolment of the bill.
Mr.. Washhurn remarked that it was a very
serious matter. If an enrolling clerk was
guilty of that offense, it should be known,
aid he hoped the gentleman from Massachu-
setts would take means to have it made
known.
Mr.. Butler said he did not know who was
responsible for it. He was informed that il
was an accident which had happened over and
over again In former Congresses. He did not
! thlnk-lt proper to discuss the merits of the
question now. 1t had been the law; but
either through an accident or bunder or
something worse the law had been altered.
Mr.. Schenck (Rep.. Ohio) defended the En-
rolling Clerk from any impntation On his in
tegriy. The principal Euroling Clerk,
whom he knew to be most worthy officer,
| had informed him that he and the other clerks 5
/ had been working for 40 consecutive hours
and were completely exhausted when the con-
| ference report on this particular appropria-
ton bill was sent to them from which to
make up the several items in enrolling it,
/ The report presented to them was confused
and difficult to he understood. and hence the
clause in question mad been overlooked
Mr.. Butler held up the manuscript of the
Conference Committee and called attention to
the omitted paragraph, which. he said. was
underscnred with heavy black lines. lie al
so commented upon the fact that opposition
to the resolution came from the Chairman OF
the Committee of Ways and Means; from the
gentleman from Kentucky. (Mr. Beck who
represented one of the largest distillng dis
tricts in the United States, and from The
Chairman of the Committee on Enrolled Bills
Mr.. Holman. who bad made point of or
der on it. and whose duty it was to see tina:
the bill was properly eurniled.
Mr., Schenek explained how easily such a
mistake might have been made without i'm
putting any improper design. and remarked
that so far as he knew of the officers of the
House and the members of the Committee on
Enrolied Bills, they were at least as little
likely to attempt to commit fraud on any
body as the gentleman from Massachusetts.
Mr.. Holman Dem, Ind replied to the
remarks of Mr.. butler affecting him, and
said that the suggestion was entirely un-
worthy of aay gentleman occupying a seat ou
the floor. 1t was the first time in his exper-
ience that any gentleman had thought proper
to couple such a mistake with the insinuation
that by any possibility it might have been
the result of design thus to defeat the will of
Congress by corrupt dealing in the enrolment
of an act.
Mr.. Knott Dem, KY argued that the
proposition to impose additional burdens on