New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-03-17

| as chairman OF committee 10 lnvcSClSat0
the state OF affairs in the South, ordered to-
day by Democratic votes against the most
earnest protest of more than two-thirds
majority of the Republicans Of the House"
/. Mr.. Butler: Yes, sir.
MIR. Blaine: This statement is so bold and.
groundless that do not know what reply
to make to it. 1t is made in the face of the
fact that ON the roll call fifty-eight Repub-
| lcans voted for the resolution and forty
nine, besides the gentleman from Massa-
chusetts, against it. / deny that the gen.
tleman has the right to speak for any men,
ber who voted for it, unless it may be the
gentleman from Tennessee Mr.. MaynardI,
who voted for it for the purpose, probably,
| OF moving a reconsideration, a very COM
| mon, very .justitiable and proper course,
wheuever any gentleman chooses to adopt
it; am not criticizing it at all; but if there
be any one of the fifty gentlemen
who voted for the resolution under
coercion, would like the gentleman from
| Massachusetts to designate him.
| Mr.. Butler: I am not here to detail private,
conversation.
Mr.. Blaine: Oh, no. but you will distri-
butte throughout the country unfOunded
calumnies purpOrting to rest on assertions.
made in private conversations, which,
when called for, can not be verified.
MIR. Butler: Pardon me, sir, l said there
was a caucus.
Mr.. Blaine: hope God will pardon you,
but you ought not to ask Inc tO do it.
Laughter.
Mr.. Butler: l will ask God, and not you.
Mr.. Blaine: am glad the gentleman will.
Mr.. Butler: l have no favors to ask of the
devil: and let me say, the caucus agreed
upon definite mode Of action
Mr.. Blaine: The caucus! Now. let me
say here and now that the chairman of
that caucus, sitting on my right, a chevalier
Intv Ia Of
gentleman from Michigan, Mr.. Blair-stated
as a man OF honor that he was bound to
say officially, from the chair, that it was.
not considered, and could not be considered
binding upon gentlemen. And, moro
than that. talk about tricks Why,
cry never yet compassed design
SO foolish and so wicked as to bring to
gether a caucus, and attempt to pledge
them to support measures which might
violate not only the political principles but
the religious faith OF men to the support of
bill drawn up by the gentleman from
Massachusetts, Mr.. Butler] which might
violate the conscientious scruples of men;
and yet, forsooth, he comes in here and
declares that whatever caucus may de-
termine upon, however hastily, you must
| support it, however wrongfully. Why,
even in the worst days of the Democracy,
when the gentleman himself was in the
was it ever attempted to say that majority
| of party caucus could bind men upon
measures that involved questions
of constitutional law, of personal
honor, of religious scruple! The
gentleman asked what would have been
done, he asked my colleague Mr.. Peters1
| what would have been done in the case Of
members OF party voting against the eau
Gus nominee for Speaker. l understand
that was intended as thrust at myself.
Caucus nominations of officers have always
been held as binding, but just here let
me say that if a minority did
not vote against the decision Of the caucus
that nominated me for Speaker, in nv
judgment it was not the fault Of the gentle
man from Massachusetts. [Applause.] If
the requisite number could have been
found to have gone over to the "despised
NaZarenes on the opposite side," that gen.
tleman would have led them as gallantly
as he did the forces in the Charleston Con-
ventiOn. Renewed applause and laughter.1
Mr.. Butler: Mr.. Speaker
Mr.. Blaine: ! have the floor; do not
very often ask it.
Mr.. Butler: Let not your conscience
accuse you.
Mr.. Blaine: Mr.. Speaker, in old times it
was the ordinary habit Of the Speaker of
the House of Representatives to take part
in debate. The custom has fallen into
disuse; for one am very glad that it has;
for one approve Of the conclusion that for
bids it. The Speaker should, with constant
fidelity to his own party, be the impartial
administrator of the rules of the House, and
a constant participation in the dis
cussion OF members would take from
him that appearance of impartiality
which is SO important to maintain in the
chair. But at the same time I despise and
denOunce the insOlence of the gentleman.
from Massachusetts, who attempts to say
that the Representative from the third
district of the State of Maine has no right
to frame resolution; has no right to seek,
under the rules, that the resolution shall be
adopted; has no right to ask the Judgment
OF the House upon that resolution. Why.
even the insolence of that gentleman
himself never reached that sublime height
before. [Applause.l And that is the whole
extent of my offending, that wrote reso-
Sution, that took it to various gentlemen
Oh the floor of this House, that T. said to
the gentlemen on the other side of the
House, this is a resolution on which YOU
can not afford to tilibuster; it is resolution
demanding a fair, impartial investiga-
ton, and under the rules, 1 de-
sire that this resolution may be Of.
will offer it; and then the gentleman.
from Massachusetts [Mr. Butler] telegraphs
he knows to how many papers throughout
the whole United States, for doubtless his
letter will be found in extensO wherever he.
could get it inserted in this mornings Jour
mails, that this was ga legislative trick"
Mr.. Butler: And repeat it now
Mr. Blaine: There are certain repetitions
which do not amount to slander, and the
gentleman may repeat everything in that
connection, as his colleague [Mr. Dawesl
very well says, except the truth.
Mr.. Butler lin his seat: did not hear
my colleague say that.
MIR. Blaine: The gentleman from Massa-
chusetts, in his remarkable letter, uses this
language: because the very resolution
which authorized the committee was 60
framed, and in my belief purposely in the
interests Of the Democratic party, that such
committee can not report, under the rules,
OF the House, in the face of the Democratic
opposition, and by their permission in more
than year from this time, the usual power
not being inserted in it to report at any Time"
The gentleman from Massa chusetts ia
is very astute lawyer, and it has fallen.
under my observation that he is extremely
ignorant of the rules of this House, Had.
the resolution contained those words. it
would have been an amount to suspending
the rules, and one objection would have
prevented its coming in. What does tho
resolution say? That that committee
should be appointed with power to
report III December; report from
the meeting of Congress during
the entire month Of December shall be in
order at any time the committee may wish
to make report. Eight and half months
intervene between now and December for
the cOmmittoe'S 1ahOrS and thew havo