The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1873-03-24
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SENATE.

WASHINGTON, March 22.-The
Senate proceeded with the consider
alton of the Caldwell question. Mr..
Thomas w. Ferry, of Michigan, re-
gretted that the Senator from Con-
necticut, Mr.. o. s. Ferry, had sub
mitted q resolution Of expulsion at
this time. He had given close atten-
ton to the ten days debate which had
shed 80 much light for the first time
on the question as to whether bribery
vitiates the election of member OF
this body. The debate was confined
to the legality Of the act by which
Mr.. Caldwell held his seat. 1t ap-
peared that the majority of the Com
mittee on Privileges and Elections
were in doubt as to the proper meth
oil to be pursued, and therefore they
chose to present the question involv-
ing the validity of the election
First, the Senator from Mississippi,
Alcorn, one of the committee had
submitted a resolution for expulsion.
Second, serving notice that he
would press his resolution should
that of the committee not be passed.
A Senator from the committee had
offered an amendment, also, propo-
sing expulsion, thus requiring a vote
on his proposition before the Senate
shall adjudge in voting on the reso-
luton of the Committee, whether
Mr.. Caldwell Is entitled to the seat
he holds. He desired simply to
have the action of both in the order
in which they appeared for consider
alton before the Senate.
Mr.. Morton here interrupting said,
as the chairman of the committee,
he in his first speech attempted to
discuss the question of expulsion.
He took the ground that the Senate
has the choice of remedies; he favored
expulsion but the majority Of the
com mittee thought proper to present
a resolution declaring the seat vacant
rather than expulsion.
Mr.. Ferry, resuming, said he
would not commit himself in ad-
vance to the merits of the question
involved but should approach each
of them with the respect due to
the State and his constitutional
duty to deal rigidly with official
wrong. He then offered the amend
ment to place back the first ques-
ton substantially where it first
appeared from the committee as fol-
lows: That Alexander Caldwell be
and he is hereby declared to have
been elected a Senator of the United
States by the Legislature of Kansas.
Mr.. Alcorn of Miss, briefly dis
cussed the question of jurisdiction,
maintaining that the Constitution
makes the acts of the legislature in
the election of Senator, a subject
of review by the Senate. Mr.. Ferry
of Conn.,, in explaining the reasons
for having heretofore offered to
amend the committees resolution,
proposing the expulsion of Caldwell,
said, in examining all the evidence,
he was unable to avoid the conclu-
sion, that the election in January,
1871, was effected by bribery in the
interest of Caldwell, the purchase
money having been paid by Cald-
well himself. Having arrived at
this conclusion of fact, it seemed es-
sential, not simply to the dignity
and honor of the Senate to state the
public feeling Of the country, but for
the preservation of the Institutions
under which we live, that the Senate
should in some way emphatically
express its condemnation of such
transactions according to common
law and usage, running through all
English decisions until now. Some
time was spent in the exchange of
views as to fixing the order In which
the ending proposition shall be vo-
ted upon, but no arrangement was
made. No Senator rising to con-
tinue the debate, the closing speech
devolved on Mr.. Morton, who said
he was not ready to do SO to-day
and moved that the Senate go into
Executive session, which was agreed
to. After some time spent therein,
the Senate adjourned.