The Portland daily press., 1869-02-12

,o,or When entered the gallery he was re.
,lv,no TO Hendricks, who had challenged the |
inconsistency of the Republican party as ex-
hibited in its Chicago platform and in the
pending proposition. At this point the debate
grew more interesting. The Republicans
were evidently in for a nights work. Many
Senators were in evening costume (having
been to Morgan's partly and all seemed alive
and active. After sharp and interesting col
loquial debate in which Howard, Hendricks
and Sumner participated, the Indianian took
the floor. BE is without doubt the ablest and
most polished Democrat on the floor, and
there was something to be admired in the
dauntless courage with which he went to an
unworthy task. His speech was made for the
yawning ears of the "unwashed," and will sup
ply most of the Demo-pabulum, on which
the canvass out doors against this amend
ment will be conducted. He arraigned the
Republican party for being false to its own
platform and pledges; for destroying the fun
damental balance of power between sovereign
States and nations; declared that there was
limitation to the peoples own power to amend
the form of government, and finally launched
out into bitter and cowardly philippe against
the negro race as unworthy of political privi-
leges because, as he declared, as a race, they
none nothing to prove themselves capable of
progress.
We were all gratifed at Hendricks speech
because of the scathing eloquence it drew in
reply from his colleague-Governor Morton.
Seated in his chair, the Western statesman
Numbered out his powerful sentences, now
shifting like fail-anon cutting like sword.
He de clared the condition of the negro as de-
scribed by Hendricks was the strongest rea-
son why he should have the ballot The strong
did not need it, perhaps; the weak certainly
did. He riddled the denunciation Of the me-
gro race as having invented nothing, &C., by
asking what new test of citizenship the SEN
ator would set up. In replying to sneer Of
Hendricks that Republican Senators had hes
itated about giving the freedmen the ballot,
he said their own conduct had removed the
last objection or fear. His brief eulogy of
the Republican party for having, in spite of
many faults, saved the nation and enabled
even Hendricks himself to sit as Q Senator
under the roof of the capitol, was one Of the
most spirited touches in the speech. But
when he took up the Democracy, logic was
really on fire and forked with sarcastic wit.
He painted it in one sentence as playing the
part Of "Old Mortality" chiselling out the in
scription on the tomb of slavery, ard with
crushing effect, asked and answered as to its
treacheries for the Republic during the last
three decades. He was as forcible and effect
i've in reviewing the doctrines put forth by the
Southern Democrats, especially Salisbury,
Davis and others, declaring that they were
rank with secession poison.
Nomore effective speech has been made for
long time, either as o Senatorial argument
worthy the occasion, or as political effort in
reply to antagonistic attacks. o
His reference to Democracy and the State
Sovereignty heresy brought Doolittle to his
feet in an effective speech defending himself
1t was marked by one of those massive figures
of speech which the Wisconsin Senator some
times strikes out at white heat, and then al
ways contrives to wear threadbare and make
tiresome by repetition. He endeavored to IL
lustrate his views of the Federal and State
systems by bold reference to and comparison
with the centripetal and centrifugal laws
which control the planetary systems; declar-
ing that whoever advocated only the one law
and maintained its supremacy was at war
with the whole and must be put down.
Another most attractive feature of the de-
bate W as the speech of Mr.. Drake. He is by
all odds the most positive member in the
chamber-not excepting even Mr.. Sumner
and as fearless as positive. Passing through a
revolution-seven fold heated-as that in Mis-
souri, has been, he has very definite ideas on
some points; among the most prominent and
probably central of which is his conviction
that in our system the Legislative function is
the highest representative of the Peoples SOW
ereignty. Daii Il * apla d3ii4 ~
The debate I have thus outlined ought to
have been listened to bv crowded galleries, AID
with the attention of the country fixed on it,
1t was notable, and worthy of the occasion
and participators. SPECTATOR. q