Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-02-17
HOUSE.
Sharp Shooting


Mr.. Hays presented an invitation from th
American Sharp-shooters' Association to th
House to attend the festival at the High
lands, His, in May next, and moved fer tn
appointment of committee of five to at
tend.
Mr.. Brooks, of New York, thought
against the dignity of the House to accep
such invitations. ..
Mr.. w. r. Roberts suggested that Boom
erang Cox should be deputed.
Mr.. Hays said the same thing had beer
done in 1868.
Mr.. Brooks withdrew his objection, anC
the resolution passed.
After some debate upon
Allowing Beck
to have the floor for a personal explanation
he was accorded that privilege.
Mr.. Beck then proceeded with his re
marks. He did not intend to use any
billingsgate or slang or degrade the House
by any allusion which members would SAY
were not eminently proper. 1t was more
important to him that he should be righi
and that the House should say that he wa:
right in the remarks for which he had beer
arraigned in the Senate. In that speech he
had said that Gov. BroWnlow, of Tennessee
had made a
PandemOnium
of that State. He (Beck) had been on the
Committee to Investigate the Condition OF
the South, and when he had come to look
over the condition of things in Tennessee
from the close of the war, for four years,
he saw such a state of things as existed no
yuH oil q md
it was because he found that state of things
so existing that he had made the remarks to
which exception had been taken. If those
facts did not exist, then he was guilty Of a
SANDER; but they did exist and he should
prove to the House that that State had been
by misrule made pandemonium for four
years after the war closed. He wanted to
show to the House that he was right in
saying that Tennessee had been pande-
monium for four years.
Mr.. Stevenson asked the chair as
A Question of Order
whether in personal explanation a men,
Der had a right to proceed in general discus
sion on the State of Tennessee
The Speaker replied that it had been re-
peatedly ruled that when a member was
permitted to make personal explanation he
was not limited as to what he should say,
except that he must be within the rules of
the House.
Mr.. Beck said be desired to show the con-
ditiOn of things in Tennessee, as that was
the great point in the matter. He denied
the right of any member to make use of the
privileges Of the floor to malign on SANDER
or SANDER any one outside Of it, and what
ever he said he had said on
His Own Responsibility
as a man, and he was prepared to prove its
truth.
He then proceeded to show the condition
of things in Tennessee from 1865 to 1868;
how the Legislature by a series of acts
Unparalleled
in American history constituted itself a
body not representing one-tenth part of the
population, how seditious laws were passed;
how persons were arrested for speaking
disrespectfully of the Governor; how there
was an Outlawry of persons, an outlawry of
the press, an OutlawTy of franchise, an out
lawry of everything which did not bow to
the mandates of the men in power. He
showed how 10000 people Of the State had
been DISTINGUISHED by law; how the Gov
ernOr had DISTINGUISHED twenty-eight coun-
ties in Tennessee because they had elected
to the Legislature men who were hostile to
him; how he had reduced the vote of the
State
From 1900 TO $4,000;
how he had only allowed nineteen men to
be registered in the whole county of Henry,
and how no man was allowed to vote who
was not known to be in favor of the Legis-
lature and Governor, and everything they
did.
Messrs. Garfield and Stevenson renewed
the point of order that the remarks of Mr.
Beck were not in the nature of persona
explanation.
The Speaker Overruled the point of order
and was sustained in his position by Mr..
Banks, who said the Speaker was entirely
correct and that Mr.. Beck was in accord
with the practice of the House.
Mr.. Garfield sent to the Speaker written
question: "Whether when a member gets
permission to make a personal explanation,
it is on an implied pledge that he will con-
fine himself to the personal explanation and
no. make ageneral political speech?"
The Speaker replied that that still left the
original question open as to whether the
gentleman himself regarded his remarks as
a personal explanation. The present occu-
pant of the chair had always endeavored to
circumscribe and confine personal explana-
tions somewhat more within the bounds
than had been the usage. He recalled on
one distinct occasion, ruling of his imme-
diate predecessor, Mr.. Colfax, and similar
ruling of his other predecessor, Mr.. Banks;
who had so kindly given him the aid of bis
experience to-day, that, where the consent
ofthe House is given for personal explain
alton, it is within the discretion of the gen.
tleman himself to say what he chooses
within the rules of the House.
Mr.. Banks-That is the practice.
Mr.. Beck resumed his remarks but was
soon
interrupted Again
by point of order by Mr.. Hale, similar to
those already made and overruled. The
Speaker, in overriding, remarked that in his
judgment neither the gentleman from
Maine (Hale) nor either of the gentlemen
from Ohio stevenson and Garfield) could
Dictate
to the gentleman from Kentucky the line OF
his argument.
After further interruption Mr.. Beck re-
sumed and repeated that the great point
which he desired to make was that he had
not falsely charged any man wheIthe said
that a pendemonium had been made in
Tennessee. If he had said the condition Of
things in Tennessee
Was He'll
heswould have been nearer the truth.
Mr.. Stevenson, excitedly-And made SO
by demons. Laughter
Mr.. Beck say now that no man can
read over the record of Tennessee and see
how step by step that condition of things
was produced, how men were DISTINGUISHED,
how a militia was organized and put over
the people, how military orders were exc
cuted, how proclamations were issued, how
martial law was declared and executed,
without seeing that what said of the State
of Tennessee in that connection was strict
IL true, and it was the worst governed State
on the continent.
He proceeded to read from the testimony
of witnesses who he said were strictly loyal
men and said that he would print the rest
of it in the GLobe.
Mr.. Stevenson objected to the printing OF
anything that was not read.
Mr.. Beck-Then 1 will read the whole oil
it, and give notice that nothing shall GO
in the Globe in future that Is not read.