Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-02-20
Reports of Ku-Klux Committee.
They Urge a General Amnesty.
More Supplementary Civil Rights
SENATE,

|
| Committee, accompanied by the testimony,
and bill to extend the operation ofthe law of
May, 1870, authorizing the suspension of the
habeas corpus act until the end of the next
session of COngression. The report also
recommends the passage of a general but
not universal amnesty bill.
Mr.. Blair presented the minority report.
Both reports were ordered printed.
Mr.. Scott, from the Joint Select Commit
tee on Alleged Outrages in the Southern
States, reported bill continuing in force
the provisions of the fourth section of the
enforcement act of April 90, 1871, until the
end of the next regular session of Congress.
Summers BOmbshoIIA
The Senate then resumed the considera-
tions of the resolution to inquire into the
! alleged sales of arms.
Mr.. Conkling said five months of this
Congress had already passed and the busi-
ness Of the country waited while a debate
for political effect went on. The rule was
that Senator could not be questioned
elsewhere for the words uttered in the Sen
ate, and so Senator might by preamble
and speech, SANDER his Government and
his country and place them in false posi-
| ton before the nations Of the world, and
he might do it either in plain words or by
| inSinuatiOn. The last was always the
deadly language in the Slnderer's Virulent
vocabulary. The Senator from Massa-
| chusetts (AIr. Sumner) was responsible for
this waste of time.
Mr.. Conkling sent up and had road from
| the desk statement from the New York
! Tribune that the partizans of the President
in the Senate had tried to delay the pending
resolution which he said showed the violence
done to the truth in a base and ruthless
crusade for political effect. The Senator
| (Sumner) had stated that his resolution
! and speech on this subject were rot inten.
| ded for political effect. What then their OBJ
| iect ? Was it to prejudice the case or to
assist the French and French claim agents
! in the prosecution claims against the
| American merchants, or to engender suspi-
! cion and arouse resentment against the
| President of our government, or was it TO
| convince the Germans of America that high
Republican officials had clutched French
! blood money in war in which the heart
of the whole Republican party beat for
| Germany, or to convict US before the world
as false to national morals and to say to
! England and Germany at this time, when
| the German Emperor is about to set as
umpire on the rights OfAmericans, that the
| Republic of America was
MOre Guilty and PerfidiOus
than England ever was, at this point
! quoting an editorial from the New
| York World and one from the Sun to
show that the impression on the public by
the resolution and speeches of Sumner and
| Schurz was that there had been a deliber-
ate violation of neutral obligations by the
! United States.
Mr.. Conkling then said he wished to say
| a word to the Senator from Missouri (Mr.
! Schurz). The honorable Senator has di-
| vUllged to the Republican members Of this
| body that there is an impression abroad
| that somewhere in this country there exists
a military ring which exerts an unwhole-
some, far-reaching corrupt and dangerous
| influence on this administration. The peO-
| pie of this country that l meet, Mr.. Presi-
| dent, regard that talk as a part Of the slang
and scandal that brutaliZes our politics.
| They read paragraphs in newspapers talk
ing about a military ring and they dismiss
them with all other such, regarding them as
| among the kThtalizings of politics. But
want to tell the Senator an impression that
does prevail. There is an impression with
many people, and it has cause l am sorry to
say to be fixed impression, that there is
| another ring existing in this country, Sen
atorial ring, or more properly speaking,
A Senatorial CabaI;
that the business of this cabal is not to
furnish ammunition to the French but TO
furnish ammunition to the Democratic party,
and it is believed, Mr.. President, that men
flying the Republican flag are trying to
strand the Republican ship. 1t is believed
that the business of this cabal is to malign
| ~ 80 IL nI Iiu
parage and belttle him, to assail his ad-
ministration, to watch opportunities, or in
the language of the good book, to lurk
privily for opportunities to place him in in
furious and unjust positions. 1t is believed
the business of this cabal is to assail and
disparage the majority in this body and in
Congress and to injure those charged with
the administration of public affairs. 1t is
believed this cabal aids to inspire that snow
storm of libels and misrepresentation
which travel over the wires from the Capt.
tai and are published in countless newspa-
pers 1t is believed that persons connected
with this cabal are
Indicting wounds
on the Republican party. which no Demo
| Crat has the power to intliCt. This impress
sion wakes a-pace. 1t is strong, very strong
| Just now in the State of New Hampshire.
| There is reason for it in New Hampshire.
An election is impending there, and the pol
iticians tell us whether the administration
shall stand or fall is Of Importance, as it
shall cast light or shadow on
The Coming Presidential
nomination or election. In the midst of
this canvass in New Hampshire the speech
es of this Senatorial Cabal command there
/ soh Iy'f ho INyrl
all the utterances of the Democratic sages
from Jefferson to my honorable friend from
| Missouri (Blair.) Even the Broadhead
letter is not so great a favorite now as an
other document which hold in my hand.
! TLaughter.l It is pamphlet Of twenty
| four closely printed pages, and it is enti-
tied s'Plain Language of Independent Re-
publican Senators-Thieving and PrOfiga-
cy Exposed" 1t contains the speeches of a
number of Senators, first of all that of
the honorable Senator. from Missouri,
(Schurz.) This pamplet bears this i'm
primatur: "Published by the National
! Democratic Executive Resident Committee,
Washington, D. c." These speeches ap-
pear without note or comment. There is
no gliding the fine gold here, no painting
the lily. Laughter Those who sent them
thought that if they let them be as the
makers made them, they could not be
beaten. | am told that
Two Hundred Thousand Copies
ofthese pamphlets have been sent into New
Hampshire free through the mails, franked
by Democratic members of the House. .
Such proceedings as this, and such pro
ceeding as that which now occupies the at
tentiOn of the Senate, do not tend to dispel
the belief that there does exist such a Sena-
torial cabal. The proceedings before us
wear all ugly look. 1t is not exactly giving !
information to the enemy, but there is
sort of family resemblance between the two |
things which will lead great many people |
into error, but l am,able to assure the |
Senator that the people of no portion Ofthe |
country are being misled by these proceed !
ings. The" Germans can't be misled or
hoodwinked by any man, who ever he may |
! be. They had too much to do with pre- !
serving thA nationality when it rocked in |
the throes Of earthquake not to know who |
they were that assaied and protected it.
Recurring TO their motives he said the |
| object in introducing the resolution, he felt |