Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1872-04-19
The Disputed North Carolina Senator
ship.

The Disputed North Carolina Senator
ship.
uur fgsl-gs my remember jhs; Tie Leeisla-
tue Of North Carolius. elected in 1870. had mol
Republican majority Taa, Legislature hsd q
o. 5 Senator To cicc,, AMI it attempted 10 elect
one Zsbulon g. Va1Ce, eho bai been q rebel
/ general, giving bin heavy majority Of the
votes OF each branch Vi The Legislature But
Vance proved 20 be ineligible under the Fou-
tceuth Amendment, kul BE resigned, whereupor
tis Repu5csn c5mreu,r Nr. J. c. Abbott,
claimed the seat ia The s .as.e, on the ground
hist the yo,es for Vance were void and Of 10 ef-
feet, AMI that therefore be iAtboi) Was lawful
ly elected. The ubjee. vas before the Sen
atc on Friday las,. AID vas discussed by
Senator Morrill, q Vermont, in very
clear sni conyinoing.i T5eoh He showed into
what svoItez Of sbsurdjty Il plunge all repub-
lean IDEAS, 70 ssy that. out Of Joint convention
Of one hundred sn3 ifty-three members, enc
hundred snd sixteen Of 9hem voted vrc ugly,
and shall, therefore, te st once disfrsnchise ], OK
TO tay .hst The oae ha1lr "a and ,ixteen ,hsl he
counted when wanted a good enough to ~ IKE
uT quorum, and ye' that their votes shall lie
SO many blaEks, AID 9t counted as toon IS 1t ls
seen who tAey are for
Tie conclusions res shel By Nj Merrill wee
summed Up by him q f1u5ws:
/. That the clai "a Of O. minority candidate
70 an election OF a. count Of any inf-mity or
DISABILITY OF tie Ic-son otheruite really elected
o1enis every idea Of political propriety.
= That, without a single exception, every
precedent OF the Senate ana House Of Represen-
auyes stands our ~ sinst the doctrine of win
ming mnorities.
8. That even BTi;ish prece5ents DO not sus
ain the case Of A5bots-ss The ineliribilitv Of
Vance IVES receivable ST the pleasure of Con
sress, snd the election vas by body where a
nsjoriiy Of all its members was necersarv 70
ect, snd not popular election by the peonle,
( whom 20 such quorum can he requirei-Sni
British precedents did sustAin the case. they
would be 81 war with the whole theory and paft
history Of cur form Of government. and must he
elected, whether in whole or in psrt
There being no such congressional pre- Z
eden' as the admission Of General Abbot would
lake, the establishment Of one now would be- {
ot only gross wrong, but highly impo!itc-
inAily, il ie cur duty T. declsre that t
o. There is 4 vacancy in the representation
North Caroline IN the Senste Of the Unite, I
ta5es. s
The Springfield Republican says Of IL.
1eech
No sounder, more sensible, or more efFec,iy =
beech has boeu heard in Congress for many a
" than the enc which Mr.. Morrill,, Of Yer /
ont, pronounced IN the Senate, on Friday, up q
J the contested North Carolina senstorship. M-
SIT Carpenter, who figures in this affair as tia
'lunieer, unpaid attorney Of the military ger. L
sman by the nsme Of Abbott, now trying u, '
cal : seat, had just delivered enc Of his brill
ut legal arguments. and AR. Morrill, re-
led 20 him We hear something Of 'crushin ? Il
plies This Is enc Of that sort The We r,
lnter's logic is a. good as his sarcasm, and
roughout the speech there bresths an hone ut
ntempt for the knsvish project he is ightn 2.
iich is thoroughly wholesome and brscing to -,
2 moral sense. Il is plain enough now Ii 1t I
s project Is dead, sni Nj Morrill, can iust " Al
I'm that he was g in st the death M