The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1871-12-28
THE GREAT DEBATE IN THE
u -. SENATE TO INvESTH-
GATE THE ROBBERRES
OF THE GRANT AID
3IINHSTRA
Significant Speeches of Wilson,
Sehurx. TrumbuII. and Tip
tOn-A Terrible Indictment
-Tammany OutdOne.
Mutterings Of the Storm.

| I. s SENATE. December 1.-The Senate
then resumed the consideration of Mr.. An
thongs resolution 10 create Committee on
Retrenchment, with Mr.. Trumbull's amend
| ment, authorizing il to sit during the recess
and send for persons and papers.
Mr. w flson warned his Republican friends
lkhAkdhey were placing their party in a false
OPPOSITION before the country Already there
t~ere millions throughout the country who
fhekeYed that an attempt had been made
in ne Senate of the United States to shield
the administration. lie hoped there would
be Unanimous vote for Mr.. Trumbull's
resolution, 50 az TO bet the people see that
ths republicans were determined 10 keep
decentralization pure in all its depart
1nelfs. He had no sympathy with the
fsplAa OF covering our shortcomings BY talk
kll2fof gigantic swindles in New York
TIC were Republican thieves as well as
#f4nocratic thieves and Republican thief
YES 10 him far more hateful of the two
because zhelbrOught disgrace upoa the
Republican party. Notwithstanding the
defecSs OF the p-eSeht Administration.
it w4s far purer aDd more efficient than
administration had ever been so prompt in
punEhing de'iSquency among its own ofil-
Mn, Blair-The. Senator is very boastful
aboNt the purity and rigor of the Admins
trattbn. / wish to call his attention TO a
cass in Arkansas where District Attorney
and Marshal were both removed from office
for procuring an Indictment against man
for Tfolatng law OF the United States
Nc Wilson, don't know whether that
WAS - ornot.
Nj Blair reiterated the statement.
Nj Wilson said he was not boastful of
the administration. He simply desired to
be #t. and therefore he said that the Ad-
min Ftration was seeking to progress in the
riglA direction, although a good deal more
Of Il
thOsk Republicans who thought the Demo-
crat fparty dead. lie expected TO encoun-
ter WfsR in full force next year, and he
waT@bwAis friends against relaxing their
effWT in 4hy degree in the vain hope that
tEeg would meet no vigorous opposition in
NJ Nye opposed Mr. Trumbulrs resolu-
tiOr t~t&rtain gentlemen in the Republican
parsNFH Mo thought the President was be-
com Xstoo popular devised the scheme of
iyikSefyice reform, aud under that cry they
AfBrE now attempting to revive the OLD com
'5Aitee. with all the extraordinary powers
of sendihg for persons and papers.
Mr.. Thurman-The Senator objects to
sending for persons and papers. Where was
his voice on the memorable occasion when
a committee of the House of Representa-
tives was examining into the conduct and
affairs of Senator's 10 discover whether they
had not been bribed to acquit Andrew John
son. and were ransacking telegraph offices
those Senators?
Mr. Nye-Just where it is now. Give me
another such set of circumstances and will
vote for it again. But there is no such oc-
casion now. There is peace in the ranks
now, save with one here and there who
would be greater than his master. Laugh
teri
Mr.. SchurZ replied to Mr. Nye, and in the
course of his remarks said: The legitimate
sphere of comedian is generally within
the walls of the theater. but if the Senator
is satisfied with the role lie PLAYS here no
body else has reason To be dissatisfied.
Those who defend a bad capse always resort
to certain line of defense. They attem pit
to throw suspicion on the motives of those
who attack. So with the Senator from Ne
vada (Nye.) Like other Senators here. he
makes no attempt to disprove any of the
facts that ] stated Yesterday i'm regard to the
New York customhouse, but simply throws
aspersiOns upon my motives, and accuses
me of insinuatIng that Mr.. Leet's service in
the army should prevent him from obtain
ing employment in the civil service of the
Government and that the President had
something to do with the carriage of bust
ness in New York. l wish to say a few
words in reply to the Senator from New
York (Mr. Conkling). He said yesterday
that the investigation of the New York
customhOuse was closed up by the Commit
tee on Retrenchment last year.
The committee did undoubtedly believe
that the case was closed, for it had reason to
believe that, when such scandals as it eX
posed was laid bare, the Administration
would jump at the chance to put an en1 TO
the disgrace, but il turns out that they were
vastly mistaken, for the same scandalOus
system of robbery exists down to this day, |
in spite of the exposures made by that COM
mIttee. The Senators asked also why we
have proposed in legislation to remove
these abuses. because no legislation was
necessary. The abuses were created by eX-
ecutive action in the administration of the
custom-house. and they could be done away
with by executive action. The Senator |
objected TO what | said of the power which
sustans this system. | did say, having laid
the evidence before the Senate. that when
the IN st respectable merchants of New
\ ork had protested against this system
of robbery hen the Secretary of the Treas |
ury had time and again pronounced against
it when the Committee on Retrenchment
had pronounced against it; when still il Is
sustained aud kept alive down to this very
day. L did say. in view of this evidence. that
there must be some mysterious power sus-
tanning that system stronger than decent
regard for public opinion, and stronger
than the Secretary OF the Treasury himself. |
Mr.. Patterson here interpOsed TO make
an explanation, and, in reply to remark
by Mr.. Trumbull, said: 81 do say that |
there are inspectors IN the custom-house in
New York who stated before the committee
under oath that, i'm violation of their official
oaths &nd in violation of the laws of the
land, they had taken brides and that they
took brides every time they discharged a
vessel, and | say further that agents of a
steamship company told me that they could
not get their vessels discharged without
bribing Officials
Mr.. SUMNER should like to know
whether these men are continued in office.
Mr.. Patterson-I have no knowledge of
their having been removed. / know moth
ing about it.
Mr.. Schurz-The Senator from Indiana
(Mr. MOrton) says that my remarks yester-
day cast reflection on the Republican carty.
How so? Do not we all profess to be in ia
vor of reform! And yet, when member
of this body attempts TO lsy bare gross
abuse. the cry is raised that he is trying TO
injure the Republican party. My motives
have been reflected upon. and l. and those
with whom l act, have been asked what OBJ
iect we pursue. L am ready to tell the SEN
ate my object is to uncover and to denounce
and TO try to have corrected any aud every
abuse, whenever can lay my hands upon
it. without regard to how it will affect the
interest or advantages OF party, and with
out regard to whether this or that person
NAV like it or not. l am in favor of reform.
and am in dead earnest. do not mean
TO denounce abuses on the other side and TO
shield abuses among my own frlends- L
want to put the iron to the very Bottom OF
the sore, and unless we do that we do no.
thing.
Mr.. Upton followed in support of Mr..
TrumbulI's proposition. He cited Mr..
MortOn's statement yesterday that the OBJ
ject of those who befriended that PROPOSE
ton was to show that great corruption ex-
lists under the present administration. and
said that that was exactly what he wished
the people to understand. As to the other
branch of Mr.. Morton's charge that this
movement was an attack on the Repub lIcan
party, it was not tue. he cTipton) made
no attack on the Republican party. On
the contrary, he desired TO redeem that party
from the curse that had come upon il
through the mistakes Of the Administration
and corruption of its officials. He believed
that there was corruption deep, damni0g
and fostering all through this Administers
ton. The motives of those who sought to