Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-02-17
BECK ON BROWNLOW
Radical Rale In Tennessee Reviewed
Radical Ours Swapping at the Heels
of Mr.. Bsck-ecneFal Banks In
a New R0Is-The kentucky
Representative Sustained.

WASHINGTON, February 16.-I
the house to-day, Mr.. Beck, of Ken
lucky, rose to make a personal ex
Misunderstanding received the unani
nous consent Of the house thereto
in reference to the denial by Senate
BrownloW of the charges mad
against him by Mr.. Beck, OF having
misgoverned Tennessee during hi
occupancy of the gubernatOrial chRi
of that State.
Prefacing his remarks by saying
that he did not propose to descend t.
the use of billingsgate or slang, or t.
degrade the house by any sllusiOr
which the members could say was no
eminently proper, Mr.. Beck said o
the remarks for which he had beer
arraigned by Senator BroWnlOW:
/ In that speech said that Governor
BrOWnlOW had made of Tennessee 9
pandemonium. I was on a commit
tea to investigate the condition Of the
South, and when came to look ovel
the condition of things in Tennessee
from the close Of the war until 1858,
saw such a state of affairs as existed
nowhere else on the American conti-
nent, and it was because l found that
state of things so existing that
made the remarks to which exception
has been taken. If the facts did not
exist, then l am guilty OF slander; but
| if the facts did exist, and il l shall
| prove to the house that the State OF
Tennessee was by misrule made a
pandemOnium for four years after the
war closed, then am not guilty of
SANDER. / will either stand before
this body a Wilful and mali
ciOUs libeller, or l will stand con-
firmed by facts in the statement l
then made.
Mr.. Beck said that before he would
say q word as to the personal attack
made by Senator BroWnlOw upon
himself, he would show to the house
that he was right in saying that Ten.
nessee had been a pandemOnium for
six years.
Mr.. Stevenson asked the chair, as q
question OF order, whether in e per-
scnal explanation a member had the
right to proceed to a general discus
sion Of the State of Tennessee?
Mr.. Speaker replied that 1t had been
repeatedly ruled that when a member
was permitted to make personal eX-
PLANTATION, he was not limited as TO
what he should say, except that he
must be within the rules OF the house.
Mr.. Beck said he desired to show
the condition Of things in Tennessee,
as that was the great natter in hand,
and he denied the right of any mem.
Der to make use Of the privilege Of the
floor to malign or slander any one
outside of it, and whatever he had
said, he had said on his own respon-
sibility as a man and he was prepared
to prove its truth.
He then proceeded to show the con-
diti9a of things in Tennessee from
1S65to 1858;
B)W legislation, by a series OF acts
un g.3ralleled in American history
co " tLituted itself body not represents
bup one tenth OF the population;
'aneLOW seditiOus laws were passed;
56tOw persons were arrested for
Speaking disrespectfully of the COVER
nor;
How there was an outlawery of |
persons and an Outlawry of the press,
y 1
laWry of everything which did not !
bow to the mandates Of the men In |
power.
He showed how seventy thousand
citizens of the State had been disfran-
chised by law;
How the governor had disfranchised /
twenty-eight counties in Tennessee
because they had elected to the legIs-
lature men who were hostile to him.
How he had reduced the vote of the /
State from one hundred and dfty |
thousand to thirty-nine thousand;
How he had only allowed fourteen
men TO register in the whole county
Of Henry;
How no man was allowed to vote
v no was not known to be in favor of
he legislature and governor and eve
,ything they did.
Messrs. Garfield and Stevenson re-
lewed their point OF order-that the
OF Mr.. Beck were not in the
nature OF personal explanation.
Mr.. Speaker OveTruled the point Of
)rder, and was sustained In mis- posi-
ion by Mr.. Banks, who said that the
I0eaker was correct, and that Mr..
Beck was in accord with the practice
" the house.
Mr.. Garfield sent to the speaker the
written questiOn-"When q member
,ets permission to make q personal
is it an implied pledge
hat he will cOnfne himself to per-
Onal explanation, and not make it
General or political?"
Mr.. Speaker replied that that still
eft the question open as to whether
be gentleman himself regarded his
emarks as a personal explanation.
'he present occupant of the chair had
lWays endeavOred to cIrcQmscribe
nd eODfine personal explanations
OmeWhat more within bounds than | {
ad been the usage. He recalled on I
ne distinct occasion the ruling OF his
Immediate predecessor TColfax1, and
nd a similar rpling of his other pre-
Banks who had so kindly
iven him the aid Of his experience
D day, that when the consent OF the
Ouse is given for personal explana.
ion, it is within the discretion Of the
entleman himself to say what he !
booses within the rules of the house, =
Mr.. Banks-That is the practice. :
Mr.. Beck resumed his remarks and 4
7as soon interrupted again on a
Oint of order made by Mr.. Hale, q
imilar to those already made and
verruled
The speaker in overriding it re- 4
larked that IN his Judgment neither I
be gentleman from Maine Hale nor
ither of the gentlemen from Ohio O
Stevenson and Garfield could die .
tie to the gentleman from Kentucky 4
ne line OF argument.
After further interruption, Mr..
eek resumed his remarks and re 4
orted that the great point which he :
ssired to make was that he had not 4
Isely charged any man when he said j
lat pandem0niuuo had been made h
Tennessee. Ii he had said that the :
OF things in Tennessee was 1
bell, he would have been nearer the
nth. i
Mr.. Stevenson [excltedlyl-And
sde so by demons. Laughter. =
Mr.. Beck-I say now that no man y
M read the record of Tennessee and a
g how, step by step, that condition q
things was produced-how men
ere disfranehised, how militia was 4
,ganized and put over the people, =
W military orders were executed, d
1w proelamatiOns were issued, how .
artial law was declared and exc v
Ited-without seeing that what said Z.
the State of Tennessee In that con- .
sctlon was strictly true, and that 1t +
as the worst govei ned State on the Il
lls
BE proceeded to read from the tes- :
mony CT witnesses, who he said,
ere strictly loyal men, and said that r
, would print the rest of 1t In the
lobe.
Mr.. Stevenson objected TO the print
z of anything that was not read.
Mr.. Beek-Then / will read the r.
II cd 1 rvsr-o unffnn that ~