Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-04-21
CONGRESSIONAL.
A First Class Smoky Row Rlot-Dls-
graceful Sosass sBd incidents In
Congress.
Conduct Werlhy Of tbs Ku.KIux LegIsla'
tIon-ssn Butler IllHalna sd-Hs Is
FerOoIOHsIy Set Up0s, and Saarls
and 6POwIs asd Wars
Congress q FsuI Disgrace Ia Hsblts, Taste
and Lsglslailoa-Last Hours Of the
ku kIuX Session.


The House received a message from
! the Senate, announcing its agreement
/ in the Conference report on the KU-
KluX bill and the passage OF concur
rent resolution for final adjournment
at two o'clock to-day.
Mr.. Poland presented the report of
the Conference Committee on the Ku-
] KluX bill, and considerable debate
| ensued.
Mr.. Beck, of Kentucky, said a
distinguished Federal General told
him last night, that this law would
/ exclude over half his army corps
/ from the jury-bOx, because they had
! emDtied their haversacks to numbers
Of Confederate prisoners returned to
/ the front.
Mr.. Butler, of Massachusetts,, said
/ he thought the substitute for Mr.. Sher-
mans amendment was fruitless, USE
| less, a mere delusiOn.
Mr.. SchOfield said it meant nothing,
was designed to mean nothing.
Finally the report was agreed to, by
strictly party vOte-yeas SO, nays "A.
The senate concurrent resolution
| for final adjournment at o'clock tC-
! dav was passed.
Mr.. Beck moved to suspend the
rules and pass joint resolution assert
| ing the power Of the House to make
or withhold appropriations to carry
| out treaties requiring appropriations
of money. Agreed to.
Mr.. Butler, of Massachusetts, asked
| the unanimous consent to make a
/ personal explanation of fifteen min
utes.
Mr.. Arthur objected.
Mr.. Butler moved to suspend the
rules in order that he might make a
| personal explanation; yeas, lis, nays,
D.
Mr.. Butler proceeded to address
! the House in reference TO the
scene in the Senate bstWeen
| himself and Mr.. Davis, of
! Kentucky, assuming that if Mr..
/ Davis own description of the occur
| renee be true, Mr.. Butler submitted to
| the candid judgment of the House,
| if he had not in the affair
played the part Of courteous gentle
men, and in which the black
guard Davis was shielded from
the responsibilities for what
he said by his age aud
| by his Senatorial tOga, and thus
shielded and protected, he had in
| jected the efiiUvia Of his revenge after a
most high toned manner of chivalry.
He, Butler, had for nearly nine years
suffered from ass iults and charges of
having appropriated, for his own use,
small amounts of money in Louisiana,
and now he would answer them once
for all: He had captured and
levied assessments on rebels in
Louisiana, to the amount of
nearly three million dollars, and he had
charged himself with the amount on
the books of the department. Those
books had been open for nine years,
and even the detectives had never
said he had not fully accounted for the
amount. Referring to the investiga-
ton last session into the management
of the National Asylum, he accused
Mr.. FarnswOrth of having published !
in the Globe a speech not delivered, a |
highly slanderOus speech to him (But- |
ler). By that, the gent had put HIM |
self outside of the bounds of civilized |
warfare, and ne would never hence |
forth consider that gents tongue or ]
pen a slander upon anybody, certainly |
not himself.
Mr.. FarnswOrth said that it was |
too late in the day for that gentleman |
to put on airs and profess the rule of |
nOn-intercOurse. He trusted that his |
(FarnsWOrth's) age had nothing to do |
with such non intercourse as was sug-
gested by him in reference to the SEN |
atOr from Kentucky. Laughter. If |
the Committee had required the |
Treasurer of the National Asylum |
(Butler) to produce his bank book, /
il would show that he had con-
stantly on hand some hundred to
one hundred and fifty thousand dol |
lars Of Government money, which he
kept in his own private bank, in his
own name, and with which he specu- |
lated.
Mr.. Butler claimed that such Ian |
guage was out Of order.
The Speaker sustained the point.
Mr.. FarnsWOrth spoke of the sale to |
the asylum of property at Hampton |
owned by Mr.. Butler, but transferred |
to his brother-in-law, Hildreth, to |
cover appearances. That transaction |
and the testimony given by Mr.. But |
Ter before the Committee on Military !
Affairs would convict him (Butler) Of |
dmbezzlement and perjury before any |
petty jury in the United States.
Mr.. Butler read from the report Of |
the committee, generating him |
from the charge of any misconduct, |
and, under that repOtt, branded as /
false and calumniOus everything said |
against him. There we've twelve or |
fifteen gentlemen in the House to |
whom he had shown the property /
which he had sold the SsauoQal Asys /
lum, and every man who ever saw A. !
would admit that in that transaction
he had given twenty-five thousand |
dollars to the disabled soldiers.
Mr.. FarnswOrth-NIr. Butter swOre !
in the investigation that he did not
sell it; his brOther-in law sold it.
Laughter.
Mr.. Butler-Oh, pshaw pshaW! |
[ Laughter That was one OF the cheats
in the statement. It was put into the
hands OF my brOther-in-laW as securi-
ty for money which he had lent me.
Mr.. FarngWOrth-ROgr brOther-in-
law swore he did not lend you any
money. Laughter.
Mr.. Butler-I cannot have any con-
trOversy with that man whom 1
would not believe under oath. Laugh
ter and hammering from the Speak
er's gavel. Referring to a witness
who sWOre against him in the investi-
cation, he said one of them was a
runaway marine deserter, whom he
had been trying to find to put ball
and chain around his leg, and another
was a Baltimore man who had served
with him (Butlerj, and had been
promoted for supposed gallant con-
dBct, but had since gone down lower,
lower and lower, until he had sunk to
the position Of being a witness for the
member from Illinois. Laughter
Mr.. FarnswOrth-And other wit
nesses were members from MassachU-
sets and his brOther-in-law. Re
neWed laughter and manifestations Of
thorough enjoyment OF the scene. I !
Mr.. Butler said that the inyestiga-
ton and report eXOnerating him was
made only the foundation of fresh
charges and fresh colUmnies directed
at him. Laughter,l
Ar. Beck, of KY, obtained leave to
make a statement in behalf of the
Senator from Kentucky who had
been 50 fOully denounced by the men,
Der from Massachusetts. They had a
controversy on the floor of the Senate.
Mr.. Butler (interrupting)-Oh, no,
l had no controversy with him.
Mr.. Beck-The Senator denounced
the member on the floor Of the Senate
"a damned scOundrel, and would
that as a controversy.
TTauphter,1 Mr.. Beck proceeded to
sfsfe that Mr.. Butler had waited till
fbe last dav OF the session to reply to
senator Davis, and had seat printed
Sins In reply in advance to Boston
and tn the New York Herald, know
-, ts,ef Mr. Davis would be