Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-01-30
Measures in the House.
of Army Reduction.
Blasphemy of Oregon Nesmith.
SENATE.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 29.-Mr. Ferry of
Michigan presented petition of citizens
Of Illinois, asking that legal tenders be sub
stituted for national bank notes. Re
feTTed.
Mr.. Ramsey presented petition of citi-
zens of Montana, asking division of the
Territory. Referred.
Gas.
Mr.. Morrill, of Vermont introduced a res
| olution instructing the Committee on Pub
lie Buildings and Grounds to inquire as to
the amount of Illuminating gas consumed
and paid for by the Federal Government at
Washington, and If the cost thereof could
not be diminished. He said the amount
Of gas consumed in the public buildings
and grounds was enormous, some years
costing nearly one hundred thousand dol
lars. The resolution was agreed to.
Straining ut Gnats while Swallowing
CameIs.
The chair (Carpenter) asked the atten
tion Of the Senate that he might obtain
advice. He said the press of the country
had called attention to the abuse growing
out of the contingent fund of the Senate.
lie was aware of but one, and that was
furnishing stationery to the reporters gal
lery of the Senate. He had signed three
orders already for that purpose and this
morning found another on his table await
ing his signature. He searched and could
not find any law authorizing the President
of the Senate to give such an order, but
believed it had been the custom. If he
had violated the law in signing the orders
he was willing to give a check for the
amount, as he signed them in accordance
with custom without an examination of
the law.
Mr.. Conkling-"Will the Chair read the
account ?'
The Chair read an order, Jan. s, for four
dozen lead pencils and 500 envelopes,
small. On "a subsequent day for half ream
of small note paper, three dozen pencils,
half a dozen stem erasers, two dozen pen
holders and half a dozen large sheets of
blOtting paper. On Jan. -, another order
for one ream of foOlscap paper, two dozen
pen-holders, one box of pens and four dozen
pencils.
Mr.. Conkling-"May l enquire of the
Chair, whence these orders came to the
Chair"
The Chair replied: ''When stationery was
wanted for the reporters gallery, the sta
tiOner was informed and he supplied it.
Mr. Conkling inquired if this stationery
was used by correspondents, and if they
went to the stationery room to get it and
then had the requisitiOns sent to the Vice
President.
The Chair replied: "They informed the
statiOner and sent the orders"
Mr.. Conkling-"And | understand these
are not the official reporters of the Senate,
but reporters Of newspapers occupying seats
in the gallery.
After debate the Committee on Cont
gent Expenses was instructed to investi-
gate as to the amount of stationery furnish
ed reporters, and whether the practice
should not be discontinued.
The morning hour having expired, Mr..
Ferry of Michigan, was called to the chair,
and Mr.. Carpenter addressed the Senate on
Louisiana affairs. He said he neI er thought
Of Louisiana matters, but with
Mingled Sorrow and Shame.
He differed from the Senator from Indiana
| (MOrtOn) As toPinchback having a prima
facie case and referred to the lengthy re-
port of the Congressional Committee OF
| 1919 pages on Louisiana affairs. This re-
port received the signatures of all the
members except Morton. 1t is too late
now to talk about seating Pinchback on a
| prima facie case, as this committee had
| agreed there was no legal gOyernmen. il
| louisiana, nor a legislature there, on the
| 18th of January last. He disputed the
claim Of Morton that the testimony was
taken only in the case of Ray, Carpenter
cOntending that the proceedings were bind
! ing upon the Senate. The attempt OF SEN
atOr Morton to rule out that testimony and
seat Pinchback ON the prima facie g-ounC
was certainly worthy of the ingenuity Oi
that gentleman. He (Carpenter) entirely
concurTed with the views expressed by tht
| gentleman from Ohio CThurman) in regart
to the GOldthwaith case, but there was ;
prima facie case there. But on the 18th o.
January, there was no legal government il
| Louisiana and
No Legal Legislature TO Elect a Sen
| atOr.
After quoting from the Robbins case 0
| Rhode Island to show the law in referenc,
to prima facie, he cOntended that that cas-
proved Just the reverse of the argument O
the gentleman from Indiana (MOrtOn) al
though it had been quoted by him to sUs
tain his argument. He reviewed at lengtl
the condition of affairs in Louisiana a
| shown by the testimony before the Com
mittee, and said that part of his argImen
was dry and tedious, but after this he in
tended to wash his hands of the whole af
fair and therefore would lay before the Sen
ate the case in its absolute nakedneSs. The
| if his Republican friends in this chambe
| thought proper to take it on their SHOULDER
and march through
The Next Presidential Campaign,
he would bid them joy. [Laughter.l HI
then read from the Constitution and th'
law governing the election returns, and ar
gued that the action of both the Returnin!
Boards, that of WarmOth and that o
Lynch, was illegal. Warmoth had N
authority to remove Bovee, as Secretary @
State. The vacancies existing in the Can
vaSsing Board on the 14th day of NOvem
Der, 1872, We're therefore never filled, an,
the only members of that board were War
moth and Lynch, and they voted in differ
ent ways. SO there was no election what
ever. WarmOth was in one building wit
his board, and Lynch in another with his
The law required the board TO meet together
Bovee was Secretary of State all the time
but by virtue of being a candidate for ofiic
he was disqualified from voting on the Re
turning Board. The order of WarmOtl
removing him as Secretary of State, was @
no more authority than an Orde
from the President of the Senat
removing Gen. Grant from the Pres
idency. Referring to forged affidavit
from which the Lynch Board made III
its returns, he said one little gentleman
with smiling face appeared before the com
mittee and swOre that he forged over
hundred affidayits. and delivered them +
Boyee in open board. Bovee said he was q
hell of fellow" and asked him if h
could not get some more. lie replied, We
he could have more by 9 o'clock in Tn
morning. Laughter. Instead Of 90
majority for McEnery, as shown by the re
turns, this Lynch Board gave Kelloc
double that. He must say if Wam0tl
could not abolish that board it was immoI
tai and never could be abolished. Thi
canvass was also very profitable to the Lyme
board. il appears virtue in LOuisina ha
its reward, and that speedily. Lynch ha
his own son, an engineer on the Pacifi
railroad, appointed Inspector Of Leve
Stock in New Orleans n an annual salar
of 900 and then had his son appoint al
old friend his deputy; but finally LynCl
came to the conclusion that would not lOol
well with his son in that position, and ha'
| him rpSiun After cOminU before the com