Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-03-29
Mr.. SUMNERS SPEECH.-SCENE IN
THE SENATE-MR.M ORTONS RE.
Ply.
W ashington, March 81.


Washington, March p.
The Senate chamber has been filled to-day
by one of the most remarkable assemblies
ever gathered since Washington became the
seat of government. The oldest memories
can recall nothing in the way of crowd with
which it may be compared. The great days
of the impeachment trial furnish no parallel,
because then spectators were admitted by the
ticket system, which, while bringing together
more brilliant and less democratic gather
ing than that of to-day, enforced restriction
of numbers. The occasion of Webster's reply
to Hayne is cited by those who can remember
| it as crush very like that of this afternoon
| but that toook place in the old Senate cham
| Der, very much smaller than the present one,
| and the aggregate number of people who
listened to the Massachusetts orator of tina,
period was nothing like that within reach Of
Mr.. Summers voice to-day
Those who appreciated the pressure likely
to take place came long before the usual hour
and so secured good seats in the galleries
| Soon the multitude poured in and filled every
| place and choked the aisles. Ladies occupied
all the section of the gallery assigned them
and many benches on the other side, where
they were sanwiched between long rows of
respectful ana attentive negroes. Still the
| crowd beseiged the entrances, and the door
keepers had no enviable task to keep in order
| the fifty or sixty men and women who stood
| iammed together outside each doorway, block
ing the corridor and straining with all their
might fer an occasional glimpse of the scene
within. Other hundreds paced up and down
the passageways, unable to get any other
satisfaction than that of saying that they had
tried their best. All this result was reached
before the hour of opening the session, and
ot nt the Cantoi ppli1a tLa m no
of those who left the building disappointed
was as large as those who penetrated the
Senate wing. The diplomatic gallery was as
| closely packed as therest, only with throng
| a little mere select.
| The floor of the chamber was only less
| densely packed Nearly every Senator was
in his seat. Between their desks were chairs
for their friends. Brilliantly dressed ladies
occupied both cloak rooms and the side door
ways. Enough prominent members of the
| House were present from the first to fill the
sofas and leaning places about the walls, and
| at one o'clock the House adjourned and al
| the rest of the members flocked in to fill al
the standing room in the little area in the
rear. Thus no vacant foot of space could BIZ
| discovered anywhere. Here and there tn,
| eye rested upon the face of man of mark il
| addition to those whose countenances arr
| always familiar at the Capitol. Genera
| Sherman in citizens dress was in an uncon
spicuous corner. The Secretary of the Navy
| and the Postmaster General listened to the
assault upon the administration. General
Dent represented the Presidents immediate
| family.
| Mr.. Sumner came in a little before the hour
| of calling the Senate to order, and was greeted
by applause from the galleries. He was
| dressed with more than usual care, and occu-
| pied the seat of his colleague, Mr.. Wilson,
| which gave him somewhat more central
position than his own. No business stopped
| the way, and the event of the hour began as
soon as the Vice-president had given the
needed and effective warning that any DEM
onstratons of sympathy from the galleries
would be followed lby NEST summary mea-
| sures. Mr.. Sumner read his speech from
| slips of the Globe, committing only some of
the longer documents quoted. His reading
was torcible and impressive as it always Is,
but with little attempt at that oratorical dis
play never successfully attained when a
| speaker is confined to his notes. As will be
seen from the report, the speech was an eleb-
| crate and severe arraignment of the admins
| tration for its use of the navy in West Indian
waters, with frequent recurrence like the re-
| frain of ballad, of comparison with the
different methods adopted by old Spain. Ii
was fortified in every statement of fact by
| citations from documents, and was treer than
most OF the Senator'S public efforts from
| classical allusion and oratorical ornament
| The comparative moderation of the earlier
portions of the speech was somewhat relaxed
toward the close in sentences of bitterness
showing the hostility cherished beneath the
| spoken words. The close attention of the
entire audience was held to the close, and the
remarkable stiffness of the vast assembly
under circumstances not favorable to abso-
lutte comfort, betokened general feeling OF
the gravity of the occasion.
Mr.. Morton, who had been making some
notes, at once addressed the chair, although
he was unable to rise, and spoke seated.
Mr.. Morton said that he did not propose tC
reply TO Mr.. Sumner at this time, as tina
would require time aud preparation, blu
simply proposed to show that the sole objec
of that Senator's elaborate speech was T.
charge the President, and at least two mem
bers of his Cabinet, with the commission c
high crimes and misdemeanors. This wa
more clearly shown by the Senator's own eS
press admission in the beginning of his re
marks, that he did not propose to argue tn
question of annexation. He had presente
an Indictment against the President, wit
many counts, but it would be impossible
follow him through his great mass of detail
nor in his (Morton's) opinion was it nece:
sary, He could say that the most of it Wi
not unfamiliar to the Senate, and no surpris
He (Morton) had no argument to make f
or against San Domingo, either to-day or
this session. 1t had been decided in order
settle the difference of opinion on the subje
to send commission to the island, wi
should report to the country upon the propri