Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-03-23

I aud he congratulated the House that i
. had been passed BY majority Of all tn
republicans and democrats who voted.
81 Mr.. Butler asked what the Rentlema,
would have thought of him or ten of BIZ
street friends, who having attended should
come into the House and throw the speak
2 ership into the hands of the democrats.
4 Mr.. Peters-I should suppose you had
some develish design.
} Mr.. Butler-We agree fully. Laugh
ter - nd
| Mr.. Blaine, Speaker fMr. Wheeler Of
New York in the chair]-I desire to ask
! the gentleman from Massachusetts, but
lerl whether he denies to me the right te
j have drawn the resolution
u Mr.. Butler-I have made no assertion
on that subject one way or the other.
u Mr.. Blsine-Did not the gentleman
distinctly know I drew it (?
u Mr.. Butler-No, sir.
Mr.. Blaine-Did not take it to the
gentleman and read it to him ?
i Mr.. Butler-Yes, sir.
Mr.. Blaine-In my own handwriting
i Mr.. Butlar-No, sir. -
i Mr.. Blaine-And at his suggestion add
ed these words: "And the expenses OF
the committee shall be paid from the con-
tingent fund of the House of Representa-
tive" Applause.] The fact that the
ways and means committee wanted to pay
the expenses was the only objection he
made to it. -s
Mr.. Butler-What was the answer the
gentleman made? suppose I may ask
that, now that the Speaker has come upon
the floor.
Mr.. Blaine-The answer was, I imme-
diately wrote an amendment providing
for the payment of the expenses of the
committee
Mr.. Butler-What was my answer /?
Was it not-Under no circumstances
would have anything to do with it, be-
ing bound by the action of the caucus
Mr.. Blaine-No, sir. Your answer was,
under no circumstances would you serve
as chairman.
Mr.. Butler-Or have anything to do
with the resolution.
Mr.. Blaine-There are 224 members of
the House of Representatives. A coma
mittee can be formed without the gentle.
man from Massachusetts, being on it. His
services are not essential to the constitu-
| ton of the committee.
Mr.. Butler-Why did you not find such
a committee, then
Mr.. Blaine-Beoause l know very we'll,
| if l omitted the appointment of the gem
man, it would be heralded throughout the
length and breadth of the country by
claquers, who have 80 industrioasly dis
tributed this letter this morning, that the
Speaker had packed the committee as the
gentleman said he would do, with weak
kneed republicans who would not 60 into
the investigation vigorously as he would
That was the reason. Applause. So
that the chair laid the responsibility upon
the gentleman of declining the appoint
ment.
Mr.. Butler-I know that was trick of
the chair.
Mr.. Blaine-Ah! trick [ know now
what the gentleman meant by the word
trick. am very glad the trick was sue
cessful.
Mr.. Butler-No doubt.
Mr.. Blaine-It is this trick which places
the gentleman from Massachusetts, on his
responsibility before the country.
Mr.. Butler-Exaotly.
Mr.. Blaine-Wholly
Mr.. Butler-Wholly.
Mr. Blaine-Now, sir, the gentleman
from Massachusetts, talks about the CO.
ercion by which fifty-eight republicans
were to be made to vote for the resolution
do not know what any one then may
have to say. II there be here to-day a
single gentleman who has given to the
gentleman from Massachusetts an intima-
zion that he felt coeroed, that he was in
any way restrained from free action let
him get up and now speak, or forever af-
ter hold his peace.
Mr.. Butler-Oh, yes.
Mr.. Blaine-The gentleman from Mas
sachusetts says in his letter, Having
been appointed against my wishes, ex-
pressed both publicly and privately, by
the Speaker as chairman of the committee
to investigate the state of affairs in the
South, ordered to-day by the democratic
votes against the most earnest protest of
more than two-thirds of the majority of
the republicans of the House"
Mr.. Butler-Yes, sir.
Mr.. Blaine-This statement is 80 bald
and groundless that I do not know what
reply to make to it. 1t is made in the
face of the fact that on the roll-call SO re-
publicans voted for the resolution, and
forty-nine, besides the gentleman from
Massachusetts,, against it, l deny that
the gentlemen has the right to speak for
any member who voted for it, unless it
may be the gentleman from Tennessee
(Maynard) who voted for it, for the pur-
pose, probably, of moving a reconsidera-
tion,-a very common, very justifable
and very proper course, whenever any
gentleman choose to adopt it. I am not
criticising it at all but if he be any one
of the fifty-eight gentlemen who voted for
the resolution under coercion, | would
like to have the gentleman from Massa-
chusetts designate him.
Mr.. Butler-I am not here to detail
private conversations.
Mr. Blaine-Oh, mol But you will dis
tribute throughout the entire country I'M
founded calumnies purporting to rest
upon an assertion made in private con-
versation, which, when called for, cannot
be verified.
Mr.. Butler-Pardon me, sir. 1 said it
was in the caucus.
Mr.. Blaine-I hope God will pardon
you; but you ought not to ask me to do
it. Laughter.
Mr.. Butler-I will ask God and not
you.
Mr. Blaine--I am glad the gentleman
will.
Mr. Butler-I have no favor to ask of
the devil; and let me say that the eau
Gus agreed upon definite mode of action.
Mr.. Blaine-Caucus Now, let me say
here and now that the chairman of that
caucus. sitting on my right, a chevalier
in legislation, sans pea'' ct sans rel7oche,
the gentlemen from Michigan (Blair)
states as man of honor, as he is bound
to say officially from the chair, that it
was not to be considered and could not
be considered binding upon gentlemen
and more than that the talk about
tricks. Why the very infamy of politi-
cal trickery never comprised designs so
foolish and so wicked as to bring to-
gether caucus and attempt to pledge
them to support measures which might
violate not only their political principles
but the religious faith of men; to the
support of the bill drawn by the gentle
man from Massachusetts, Butler, which