The Cairo daily bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1870-1872, 1872-02-20
CONGRESS-.
A PERSONAL EXPLANATION.
BROWNLOw GETS HIS DUE.
Washington, Feb. 10.

| MT. BECK tUen prOCce1eu WIFI HIS to
marks. He did not intend, he said, to us,
any billingsgate or slang, or to degrade
the House by any illusions which mem
bcrs would say were not emnently pro
per. 1t was more important to him tina
he should be right, and that the Hous,
should say that he WAS right in the re
marks for which he had ben arraigned il
the Senate In that speech he had said
that Gov. Brownlow of Tennesse, had
made pandemonium of that State. lie
Beck had been on the committee to
investigate the condition of the South, and
when he had come to look over the cond-
! ton of things in Tennessee from the close
| of the war, for four years, he saw such a
state of things as existed nowhere else on
the American continent, and it was be-
| cause he found that state of things so exist
| ing that he had made the remarks to
which exception had been taken. IL those
facts did not exist, then he was guilty of
SANDER but if they did exist, and If he
should prove to the House that that State
had been under misrule and made pande
| monium for four years after the war closed,
then he was not guilty Of any SANDER, and
| he should either stand before the House as
a wilful and malicious libeler, or he should
stand confirmed by the facts, as he would
show them.
Before he would say a word as to the
personal attack on himself, he wanted to
the hous that he was right In saying that
Tennessee had beenn pandemonium for
four years.
Mr.. Stevenson asked the chair, rs a ques.
ton of order, whether in personal expla-
nation q member had right to proceed in
a general discussion on the state of Ten
nessee?
The speaker replied that it had been re-
peatedly ruled that when o 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 he desired to show the
condition of things in Tennessee, as that
was the great point in the matter. He de-
hied the right Of any member to make use
Of the privileges of the floor to malign or
SANDER any one outside, and whatever he
had said he had said on his own response.
bility as 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 10y series of acts
unparalleled III American history, constitu-
ted itself body not representing one.
tenth part ofthc population how seditious
rested for speaking disrespectfully of tho
governor; how there was an outlawry of
persons, an outlawry Of the press, AN out
lawry of the franchise, nm outlawry of
everything which did not bow to the man.
dates of the men in power. lie showed
how seventy thousand citizens ofthe state
had been disfranchised by law; how the
governor had DISTINGUISHED twenty-eight
counties 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 10000 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 every thing they
did.
Messrs. Garfield and Stevenson renewed
the point of order that the remarks of Mr..
Beck were not in nature of a personal
explanation.
The speaker overruled the point of or
der, and was sustained in his position by
Mr.. Banks, who said the speaker was en-
TREY correct, and that Mr.. Beck was in
accord with the practice of the house.
Mr.. Garfield sent TO the speaker II writ
ten question whether, when member gets
permission to make IA personal explana-
ton, it is on an an implied pledge that he
will contne Himself to the personal expla-
and not make general political speech.
The speaker replied that that still left
the original question open whether the
gentleman himself regarded his remarks
aS personal explanation. The present oc-
cupant of the chair had always endeavored
10 circumscrbe and contine personal ex-
plantions somewhat more within bounds
than had been the usage. lie recalled. on
one distant occasion, the ruling of his i'm
mediate predecessor Mr.. Colfax), and n
similar ruling of his other predecessor
Mr. Banks who had so kindly given
him the aid of his experience TODAY, that
where the consent of the house is given for
a personal explanation, it is within the dis
erection of the gentleman to say what he
chooses, within the rules of the honse.
Mr.. Banks. That is the practice.
Mr.. Beck resumed his remarks, but was |
oon interrupted again by point of order
made by Mr.. Hale similar to those already
made and overrulcd.
The Speaker. in overriding it, remarked |
mat, IN his judgment, neither the gentle |
nSn from Maine (llale) nor either of the |
ES ."t,onah from Ohio stevenson and |
-. nv tou,a dictate to the gentleman |
IRON heHlurky the line of argument.
hleI iur'her Interruption, Mr.. Beck re-
sumed his remarks and renor,od ,ha, ,ho
great point which he desired =" n smr. ano
that he had not falsely charged an '"No"aS
when he said tibet pandeinopinSy, nun h"n
been made in Tennessee. 1t he MAJ i naa
that the condition of things in Tenne,aan,na
was hell, he would have been nearer We
truth.
Mr.. Stevenson, eXcitedly. And made SO
by demons. Laughter.
Mr.. Beck. | say now that no man can
read over the records of Tennessee and see
how, step by step, that condition of things
was produced how men were disfran.
chised, how a militia was organized and
put over the people, how military orders
were issued, how martial law was declared
ana executed without seeing that what l
saw OF the state of Tennessee in that con-
nect'oh was strictly true, and that it was
the worst governed state on tho conti-
neDt.
lie proceeded to read from the testi-
hiohy OF witnesses, who, he said. were
strictly loyal men, and said that he would
print the rest OF 1t In the GtoJe.
Mr.. Stevenson objected to the printing
OF anything that was not read.
Mr.. Beck. Then | will read the wbolo
oft and ! give notice ttat nothing shall
60 in the Globe in the future that is not
read. lie then went on to quote from the
testimony Of witnesses, and said On that
wss assailed. was charged with being