Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-02-01
FROM yAsrnTNGroN.

clnuaI Ud<eet6, speaking OIL the passage
of the Virginia bill, says of
BUTLER, BINGHAM AND FARNswoRTH:
The galleries and lobbies were crowded
in anticipation of speech from Butler,
and great things were expected of him.
The morning hour dragged heavily. The
great audience had waited with Impotence
for three hours before any signs of the
fray were visible. At length, upon the
reading of an Executive communication
upon matters in Georgia, Gen. Butler took
it upon himself to defend the administra-
ton against the attack of the Democrats.
He told one or two good stories, andmade
| some good hits, as he always does, but the
| idea of Butler defending President Grant is
ever acomical one to the House, and seldom
carries much strength with it. This time
| he was not as successful as usual in his
argument, and Brooks, Cox, VOORHEES,,
Randall and Morgan were one after an
other shooting arrows which hit. And
before Butler sat down it was evident that
he was suffering from loss of blood.
When thus weakened, the Virginia bill
came up. Among the first to speak was
Bingham. All knew that Buffers princi-
pal interest in the bill was the opportunity
| it would afford him of attacking Bing
ham. And so the eyes of the whole House
followed him as he went over and stood
in the area before the desk and just in
front of Bingham. The latter was warmed
up to the occasion, and spoke in his most
effective style. 1t began to look as if
there would be no opportunity which
would afford even Butler decent excuse
to interrupt him, and so the latter went
waddling up to Fsrnsworth to ask for
time to speak He had Just turned
away from Bingham, when the lat
ter referred to ''his side of the House,
Quick as lightning, and with an eff
frontery which no other member of the
House possesses, or would possess, Butler
squesled out, /" Which side is that, which
side is that ~ and then ran back to his
desk, as if to legislative bomb-proof, so
as to be there in time to answer what
Bingham might say. The latter was flour
ishing the keen blade of his eloquence too
skillfully, however, to have it stop even
with Buffers size in the way, and so it
still went round and round in its sweep,
and every time through Butler The tide
was turning against him, and setting
strong with the winning warriors. He
made lame reply to Bingham, of which
the strongest part was his threadbare al
fusion to the murder of Mrs. Surratt, a
matter that has long since turned every
stomach in the House except Buffers.
When he finished, Farnsworth began.
The House expected little from him be-
yond fair speech. Butler certainly ex-
pected no such attack as came. The House
was all on its feet, and most were around
Bingham's seat, and FarnsWorth's, which
is near Butter was in the center of the
other side, nearly alone, and standing.
Farnsworth began by saying that, having
been Republican for twenty-five years,
he did not intend to allow the gentleman
from Massachusetts to teach him Republi-
canism. This attracted the attention of
Butler, and that of the House. Butler
got his hand up to the back of his head,
and stood looking toward Farnsworth.
The shot then followed so fast, and so I'M
expectedly, that he never changed posi-
ton till Farnsworth had done. In five
minutes he had painted Butler chasing
fugitive slaves all over Massachusetts
while those he was attacking
were stanch Republicans, had de-
scribed him voting in the Charles
ton Convention for jeff. Davis for
President, voting afterward for Breckin-
ridge, and then being so suddenly con-
verted as TO make darkness of the light
which shOne around Saul, and to force
him, like Peter, to begin at once to curse
and Iaot htc no 81,
doubt his sincerity. The House applauded,
the galleries Joined, and before it ended
Butler had lost more prestige than he will
recover again during the session. For
once he was entirely thrown off his guard,
and bowed to the storm without an effort
to face it, Logan followed, and in a quiet,
but most effective way, called further at
tention TO Buffers assuming the post of
teacher. And when the three, Bingham,
Farnsworth and Logan, were done, Butler
was nearer to being demolished than at
any previous moment of bis legislative !
career.
Mr.. DAWES AND Els OPPONENTS. |
The persistent attack of prominent Re
publican members of the House upon |
Mr.. Dawes, because, as Chairman Of the |
Committee of Appropriations, he did his |
duty fearlessly, is not g promising sign. |
1t looks entirely too much as an aclznowl- |
edgement that all the previous talk about |
economy was for buncOmbe. Else whv, |
the moment a member in Dawes position, |
acting in the direct line of his duty, takes |
practical step to secure economy, is he
set upon in the House as if he were a par
ty enemyG The secret Of the whole thing |
is simply this: Members see in it the de-
feat of fat appropriations for their own
localities. And instead Of meeting the
arguments and figures of Mr.. Dawes, they
set about impL gning his motives. in the |
hope that they can make him appear as a
man unworthy of confidence, as too many
in both branches are, and as q disorgan-
izer, and so an enemy of the party.
These slurs, however, 90 for nothing here. |
where every one knows that there is not !
a man in public life whose private char
acter and official integrity are further re-
moved from all reproach. With the Penn
sylvania delegation League Island is the
sore spot. Mr.. Butler may be thinking
of the granite quarries which supply the
Boston Postof1ce, and then there are
Western ship canals, and some question
able railroad schemes, and few Indian
and so on around the circle of
Mr.. Dawes Republican opposers. But
there is deal of honesty on his side here,
and, Judging from the press, the great ar
my Of honest people are with him too.
The correspondent of the Commercial
writes:
THE FOURTEENTH AMENDMENT.
Senator Morton aYows his intention, as
soon as the Senate has disposed of the
financial question, to introduce and press
to its passage bill providing for the pun
shment of those persons holding office
in violation of the Fourteenth Amend
nent. 1t is said by well informed per
SONS that such an act will unseat more
han half the office-holders in Kentucky,
about fifty members of the
present Legislature, among them Mr. Les
lie, the recently elected Speaker of the
Senate, and acting Lieutenat Governor of
he State. It is known here that in 1868 |
ne declined race for Congress in the
Third District, on the ground, as pub
ished by himself at the time, that he
could not take the test oath.
A. p. OORBTE, OF NEW YORK.
The Presidents brother-in-aW was be
ore Gen. Garfield's committee to-day, for
,ver four hours. He was subjected to a
igid examination, and the committee,
the whole subject from the
beginning to the end, began at the first