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

ton OF republlcanlsm' No" Will yIel
to question from my colleague.
Mr.. Dawes-What l desire to ask m
colleague is that he will state explicit
what he means by the term trick, whic
he applies to his fellow members upon th
floor. acting under the same responsible
he acts under.
Mr.. Butler-Term what?
Mr.. Dswes-Wbatt the gentleman mean
when he applies the term trick to the &C
ton of his fellow members here upon tn
floor. 1 want to know what my colleagu
means by applying the term trick to fifty
eight of his political associates upon thi
floor, who differed with fifty acting unde
the same sense of responsibility and tn
same sense of duty that my colleague act
under upon the floor of this House.
| Mr.. Butler-I do not understand that
applied the term trick to republicans.
Mr.. Dawes-My colleague will find i
in his circular he has been pleased to plac
upon our desks. .. NV
| Mr.. Butler-Mr. Speaker
Mr.. Dawes-Wait moment.
| Mr.. Butler-Why should wait whel
I do not choose to? Laughter
Mr.. Dawes-In that circular aud in hi
remarks which just fell from his lips b,
says that the resolution was carried by
trick.
Mr.. Butler-No, sir What I did say
was this: That it was sprung upon til,
House by trick, and do not apply it tt
SO men.
Mr.. Dawes-My colleague has forgotten
what he said himself
Mr.. Butler-I have not forgotten.
Mr.. Dawes-The more the pity then
Laughter.
Mr.. sButler-I am not troubled about
all this. say here, that after a repnblic
an caucus was regularly called by the
duly elected members Of the House, a,
which the gentleman was present until hi
found what the action of the caucus wal
to be, had acted upon and had determined
what measure should be put before the
House for consideration then that was 6
legislative trick by which the minority oil
the party sprung the question upon the
House, which compelled the votes of g
portion of the republicans, and gave 6
majority to measure illusory in it's cha.
racter and useless in action, which had nc
majority in fact in it's favor, 80 that the
measure of the majority might be defeat
ed by the aid of democratic votes These
are the gentlemen all around me who did
not feel at liberty to vote against the re-
solution when it was thus sprung upon
them, who felt about just the same as dc
but felt obliged to vote for it lest they
should be compromised. That is what
mean by legislative trick, by which 6
seeming majority was compelled where
there is none in fact. l mean when a mar
stays out of caucus of the republican
party, and that caucus settles q measure
and then comes in and undertakes t.
thwart that party by the aid of the vote
as they di9, by Offering a measure they
can support and he gets them to support
which the republican majority cannot
that [ say is legislative trick, and l say
it With full knowledge of my response.
bility. Fit Is not true in the Judgment Of
the country, l shall fail if it is true,
then on the heads of those who did it be
the responsibility of the loss of life, liber-
ty and property of our friends, the loyal
men OF the South, unprotected and un-
cared for by any aid they receive from
Congress when our hands are tied by this
trick
Mr.. Kelley of Observation-Disclosures
as | am simply replying to an assault on
the protectionist members of the House,
venture to ask the gentleman whether an
examination of the record will not show
that these republicans who voted to re-
peal the duties on articles which Ameri-
can labor produced, but voted against the
repeal of the duties on tea and coffee,
which do not compete with any of our in
dustries, do net make the bulk of the re-
publican vote of which he complains, and
whether he does not saddle upon innocent
shoulders the offences of the revenue re-
formers, who gave the democratic party
the ascsndancy in the House, and have
maintained ii.
Mr.. Butler-The vote upon the late
measures of the gentleman from Maine
T Halel, in reference to coal and salt, tea
and coffee, by no means show the tariff OF
revenue reform strength i'll this House
For one, voted steadily against the re-
peal of the duty on coal, although think
the duty unwise. did not vote on the
salt question, because l did not desire to
take part in legislation shaped by the de.
mooratio party in the House. If a major
ity of all the democratic party want to re.
psal the duty on salt, we will do it in our
own way. We will not follow the lead
of the democracy. If we want to repeal
the duty on coal we will do it in our own
good time and for our own purposes. We
will not do 90 under the lead of the de-
mocraoy as democratic measure. If we
want to repeal the duties on tea and eof-
fee, we will do it we will not follow the
democracy. I voted for the repeal of the
duties on tea and coffee still think it
would be unwise in the present state OF
the Treasury to take off all those duties
That was the feeling under which voted
I did so because I wanted the country to
see where our party would go if we con-
tinued to follow democratic lead and vote
their measure. The difficulty is that l
am ell the time obliged to shape my action
so that the majority of this House may
carry on the legislation of the country for
itself, and not permit the democratic min.
GRITTY, by carefully and fully prepared
resolutions of the republican minority, to
do it as in this instance and defeat the
will of the republican majority.
Mr.. Dawes-Is there any better way
than to aoquiesoe with the majority :
Mr.. Butler-Yes, sir always acquisoe
with the republican majority and never
with the democratic majority. Laughter
That is the way that understand "ac'
quiesce."
Mr. Dawes-How do you cipher So tc
SOP Laughter.
Mr.. Butler-I cipher So to 50 by men
who were compelled to vote for the reso'
lutions or compromise themselves. That
was the reason why this resolution was sc
cunninely prepared.
Mr.. Dawes-There does not seem to be
anybody troubled but you.
Mr.. Butler-I am not troubled in the
slightest. I think somebody else will find
trouble when they reckon with the people
for thua defeating the legislation that
would give peace to the South.
Mr.. Peters said that the resolution pro
posing select committee was written by
his colleague and friend, Mr.. Blaine
The friends of the resolution went abon'
the House and consulted with other gen
tlemen. Many republicans thought the
resolution desirable as compromise and
that it ought to pass. Even if Other
legislation was to come it was not sprung
upon the House, for all the notice was