Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1872-03-26
Spirit Of Sgeffersol,.
Charlestown, W. Va, March 26, '72.
SCENES IN THE SENATE.

The following note of the last day of the
Session Of the Senate of West Virginia, is
from the pen of Ex-Governor Stevenson, of
the Petersburg journal (Radical y
"But in the Senate the scenes were the
reverse of all this. The last day session was
| the most stormy of any during the forty>five
days. Generally speaking, the Senators have
been good natured and courteous in their bear.
ing toward each other, but on the morning of
the day of adjournment, nearly every one of
them seemed to have lost his temper. Out
side lobbyists had good deal to do in bring.
ing about the turbulent state of affairs on this
occasion. Several measures dstasteful to the
minority. in both Houses had to be forced
through the Houses in indecent haste by the
use Of gag and the thumb screw, and it was
discovered that on the morning of the ad.
Journment the triggers were all set to apply
the gag. in the Senate, thing unusual, and
force these obnoxious measures through un>
der the operation of the fsprevous question"
Inc first OF these bills that would come up
was one proposing to transfer the States in
| tcrest in the Great Kanawha river. to a com-
pany of eastern capitalists, under the pretext
that these capitalists would construct a
Through wator line" from the sea board to
the Ohio river. A good deal of excitement
was created in Charleston over this bill, most
of the people regarding this Improvement as
Wall Street paper kite speculation. Allen
I. Caperton of this State, Mr.. Gordon dis
tipsuished lawyer from Virginia, and other
| gentlemen of influence were urging the pas
sage of the bill; while Col T. b. Swami.
Judge James II. Brown, Jude James II.
Ferguson and others were doing their best to
defeat it. The President of the Senate, Cap.
tain Sperry, was the patron of the bill and
SO determined to put it through that his rus
! lln2s In the chair became very arbitrary and
1t soon became evident that the majority were
determined to drive the minority to the wall.
The bill bad been ordered to its third reading
by IA for it to 6 against it. OF course the
objective point of the friends of the bill was
to compel vote and pass it. The opponents
OF the bill seeing that the majority had de-
termlned to gag them by the 'fprevious guess
ton restored to ''illibustering," and being
better parllamentarians than the friends of
the bill they succeeded several times in de-
ieatlng the call of the s'previous question. !"
oy the counter motions which gave them a
chance to speak. Senator Scott of Ritchie.
was the leader of the minority, and being the
best parliamentary tactician in the Senate, it
was found Impossible so far to corner him
Meantime most exciting scene occurred be-
tween Senator Wilson Of Jefferson, and Presi-
! dent Sperry. The former having the floor.
the President made several attemps as Mr..
Wilson thought to rule him down iu order to
] carry out the programme of forcing the bill
| to its passage. Senator Wilson became in>
tensly excited and addressing himself directly
tothe President penounced him in uumeasured
terms as prostituting his high Office by enter
ing into combination with gang of specu-
tors to force through the Senate in violation
nf :.,r.
State OF property worth three millions of
dollars. That to accomplish his purpose he
was, in most arbitrary manner, striking down
the rights of Senators Such a course was
dlsgraceful, ungentlemanly. undignifed, ty-
rannlcal and cowardly in the extreme. and
Tor one he did not intend to submit to it
During the delivery of the first part of this
scatching invective the President, who seems
naturally cold and stolid, was unmoved, but it
was not hing until his phlesmatic face become
livid with rage. After Mr.. Wilson had con-
Guided Mr.. Sperry left the Chair to reply
he denounced the language of Wilson as un.
gentlemanly and insulting in the highest de-
gree; the st tement that he was 10 league
with spectators to procure improper legisla-
ton was false; that he had acted arbitrarily
In his conduct toward Senators was also a af.lse.
mood, and the senator who had made these
BASTARD n
coward. This much he had to sa 2 in defence
OF his c6iciut conduct-thet portion of the
Senator's remarks which reflected upon him
personally he proposed to answer clse,oherc.
Ihls brought Wilson, who is veritable
Hotspur, to his feet again. Shaking his
finger at the President, and, with a look that
cannot be described. he reiterated what he
had said before. The President of the Sem
ate might, he said. be physically stronger
than himsef-he might be more skilled in
those modes of defense practiced .elsewhere"
than in the Senate, but all this would not
deter him from asserting his rights on the
floor OF the Senate and assaulting any Senator
however high his position who invaded these
rights, He had not word of what he had
said to take back. The action of the Presi>
dent was tyrannical-it was dastardlv, and he
wished that officer to understand distinctly
that he now repeated and hurled back the
charge with compound interest. AS for the
personal aspect of the case he was ready to
settle that elserhere at such time and place as
the gentleman might see proper to designate.
Here this personal alteration ended, for
the present at least, and it is to be hoped, for
the future. But the fight over the "through
water line" bill was renewed with redoubled
vIsor 1t was now IL o'clock, three hours
until the hour of adjournment Before the
majority were able to make successful move
to enforce the previous question:" Senator
Scott was on his feet, and could not be dis
turbed as long as he had the floor He pros
ceeded at great length to address the Senate
in opposidion to the bill. 1t was now evident
that the minority bad resolved to prevent
vote by speaking against time,' and the only
hope left the friends of the bill was to get the
hoor at tthe conclusion of Mr. Scotts speech,
rush through the ''previous question" and in
this way cut off all further debate This
move, however, was anticipated by the enemies
OF the OIL and after Senator Scott had spoken