Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-02-03
Morton Delivers Himself on
Louisiana.
He and COnkling Lock Arms to
Demolish Carpenter.
Tlie House Res0ives to Investi-
gate the District Ring.
viii the -Lsenate Assent?
Judge Busteed Come to Judg-
ment.
Articles of impeachment Refer
red to judiciary Committee.
SENATE.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 2.-Mr. Wright of
Iowa, introduced resolution directing the
Committee on Finance to enquire as to the
expediency of abolishing the Office of Com
missioner of Internal Revenue, as well as
other offices in that Bureau, and imposing
the duties of the Revenue Office on the
Treasury Department. Agreed to.
Professional PecuIatOrs.
: Mr. Scott introduced a resolution direct-'
| ing the Postmaster General to report to the
Senate and members, contractors for trans
portation of mails holding more than four
contracts on the 30th Of June last; how
many have been let to sub-contractors; at
what prices; also if there is not a class of
professional bidders who seek to gain con-
| troll of numerous routes and underbid
bonafide bidders; further, what legislation
is needed to enable the Department to Sc
cure bonafide contractorss,at the lowest price.
Laid over on objection of Mr.. Hawley.
Mr.. Schurs called up his motion to re-
consider the vote by which the bill for the
relief of Marcus Ottenburg, late United
States Counsel at the City of Micoo was
passed. Pending discussion the morning
hour expired and the motion went over.
Mr.. Sergeant introduced a bill in rela-
tion to certain deposits in the POstOfiice
| Department. 1t authorizes the Postmaster
General TO collect the certified checks on
National Banks, deposited by bidders as
security for the faithful performance of con-
tracts, to place the proceeds in the Treas
! ury of the United States to remain there
until the contracts are awarded, after which
| the amount shall be returned TO the bid
| ders depOsiting it. In explanation of the
bin Mr.. Sergeant said, bidders preferred to
| have the deposit in the Treasury of the
United States instead of the National
Banks, which too frequently failed. About
one thousand of said checks were now in
! the hands of the Postmaster General, and
must remain by law till the first of July.
Referred.
addressed the Senate on Louisiana affairs.
He reviewed the argument of the Senator
| from Wisconsin (Carpenter) and contended
| that the Kellogg government was the legal
| government of the State, the President and
| the other House of Congress having recOg-
nized ii. and quoted from the Rhode Island
| case Of Potter against Robbins, and said it
| directly sustained his views in this case.
The Senator (Carpenter) would admit lie
was more familiar with the laws of Wis
| consin than with those of Louisiana, and
| certainly the decisions of the legal tribunes
| in Louisiana We're entitled to more weight
than the argument of any politician Sena-
tor. No question before the Senate de-
pended upon former decisions of Judge
| Durell.
Dir. Morton then spoke at some
| length as to the right of the President to
employ the naval and land forces of the
United States, and said that the views of
the Senator from Wisconsin on that CUES
tion were too narrow. The Legislature
were tritling with the whole matter. The
! President did recognize that Legislature,
even if he had not he recognized kellogg
as Governor, and that amounted to the
same thing. The recognition of the kel-
| logg government by the President was in
| pursuance of law, The proposition to set
aside the State government of Louisiana
| and order a new election was one of the
| gravest character. 1t could not be done
without setting aside a portion of the Con-
| stitutiOn of Louisiana. If Congress should
| order a new election now, the constitution
| of Louisiana would require another one
for members of the Legislature next No
vember.
Mr.. Conkling thought nothing could be
more tallaciOus in testing the powers of the
| President through the argument of the
! Senator from Wisconsin Carpenter)-:hat
he must receive the information from the
| Legislature of State and a demand for
| Interference. He (Conkling) would ven
ture to say if turbulence existed in any
| State of the Union and the President knew
! of il, he could interfere if he had not re-
| ceived an outcry from the Governor. II
| does not matter about the form of the ap-
| plicatiOn. The Presidents powers would
| be as full as if he had received an applica-
| tiOn reciting all the particulars. The au-
| thority to decide whether an eXigency had
arisen for the use of the Federal forces,
rested entirely with the President, and he
had the right to take into consideration the
| letter Of Pinchback, claiming to be the ac-
ting Governor on the 18th of December and
all other information he could get. There
fore, il seemed to him that the argument of
the gentleman from Wisconsin (Carpenter)
TO which he would subsequently take Occa-
| sion to reply seemed to have degenerated
| into mere criticism on the form of applica-
tiOn.
Mr.. Norton resumed, and said he agreed
with the Senator from New York, (COnk-
| ling and went further. He (MortOn) be-
| lieYed the President could act without any
| application Ofthe State under the general
| charge to see that the laws are enforced.
| To the blOOd-stained system of State SOW
| ereignty, all the present troubles in LOuisi-
ana might be traced back. But the State
| had many rights which it was the duty of
| the Federal Government TO protect. Should
| Congress undertake the work of cOnStruc-
| ton in Louisiana, It must eventually over
| turn a State government which is republi-
can in its form. While Ire deplOred the
condition Of things in that State, he thought
it better that they should bear the evils
| they have than 10 evoke the National Gov
| ernment to exercise a power under which
| State Governments would exist hereafter
only by sufierance. The condition of af-
fairs in Louisiana in 1872 was fearful. A
state of actual war was far less destructive
to the people than a condition of riot and
murder. During the last seven years
Louisiana has been drenched with blood
by murderous hands. The colored people
regarded the leaders of the Democratic
party there as their natural enemies, and
shrank from them with terror. These muir
dereTs, so stepped in blood, disturbed the
peace of Louisiana under the pretext of
supporting the McEnery Government.
The MOdoes
who murdered Gen. Candy and DR.. Thomas
made no claims to civilization. As COM
pared with the murderers of Louisiana the
ModOcs were gentle, amiable warriors. He
(NIorton) would say to the people of Louis
lana that they must stop this murder bust
ness. The people who instigated these
murders would perish. God had so de-
cIared it in his holy word, and throughout
the history of mankind. The election of
1865 in Louisiana under the reconstruction
act was fair, and the Republicans carried
the State by 10000 majority. But after
that the Hu-Klux was organized and as to
what it accomplished that was shown by
the report of the Committee on Southern
Outrages from which he had extracts read
by the Clerk. Continuing his argument,
Mr.. Morton said thai Kellogg was man Of
ability and personal magnetism and the Re
publican party in the contest of 1872 was
Swindled Outrageously on every hand. and
had it not been for the Yarmouth fraud
kellogg would have carried the
State by from ten to fifteen
thousand majority. He knew there was
fraud on the Republican side. Fraud be-
gets fraud, and persecution begets persecu-
tiOn. He desired to make no defense for
what had been wrOngfully done, but the
Republican party Of that State had been
slandered and eliminated throughout the