Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-03-05
CONGREsSIONAL.

Anu SccltS 4fOuDie III k16 Next
Presidential Election.
The Centennial Bill Still ON the
Tapis.
The House Makes Little Progress
on the. Railroad Bill.
SENATE
WASHINGTON, March 4.-The chair laid
before the Senate joint resolutions of the
Wisconsin Legislature asking Congress TO
provide for the construction of a ship canal
around Niagara Falls. Referred.
A number of bills for the relief Of vari-
Gus persons were reported from the CON-
mittee on Claims and placed on the calen-
dar.
The District.
Mr. Thurman offered a resolution that
the joint select committee appointed to in
vestigate the management of affairs in the
District of Columbia have permission to
sit during the session Of the Senate.
Agreed to.
Mr.. Morrill,, of Maine, from the Commit
Tee on Indian Affairs, reported adversely on
the claims of citizens of Kansas for losses
by Indian depredatiOns as set forth in the
report of the Commissioners created by the
Kansas Legislature in 1871.
Mr.. Harvey presented a resolution of the
Kansas Legislature asking Congress to take
immediate steps for the relief of certain
homestead settlers in that State whose
rights are jeopardized by railroad compa-
nies. Referred.
An Omnium Gatherum.
Mr.. Ramsey submitted a resolution III
structing the Committee on Transportation
Routes to the SeabOard to consider aud re-
port upon the expediency of improving
water routes and railway connection from
the Mississippi valley to the seaboard, aud
to regulate commerce among the States by
cheapeRing transportation between the East
and West by improving the navigation of
the Mississippi river from its source to the
Gulf of Mexico, and lake navigation from
Lake Superior TO Lake Ontario, and by
chartering double track railroad from the
Mississippi river TO the ocean, at the low
maximum rate of six mills per ton per
mile. The resolution was laid over.
The Senate discussed the liquor traffic
bill until the expiration of the morning
hour, an amendment having been offered
by Bayard, providing that all of the COIN
miSSiOnerS to make the inquiry should not
be in favor of prOhibitOry legislation Or to-
tai abstinence.
At the expiration Of the morning hour,
Mr.. Carpenter moved that all pending Or
ders be laid aside that he might address
the Senate on
The Louisiana Bill
introduced by him.
Mr. Cameron wished the Senate 10 take
and finis2 the Centennial bill.
The motion of Mr.. Carpenter was agreed
to. He proceeded to address the Senate.
After reviewing the election returns, Mr..
Carpenter said: How would Congress look
before the country after deciding that the
election was void as to the Presidential
election, but legal as to State officials? The
Senator from Indiana (NIr. MOrton) had
led the Senate through the first phase and
now seeks to lead il in the counter move
ment. The Supreme Court Of Louisiana
was part of the State government, and
when Congress was to enquire whether
the government of that State was Republi-
can or not, the Supreme Court could no
more settle it than the Legislature could.
That power was vested exclusively in Con-
gresS. Again, the question was not judi
cial one at ali but a political one, and must
be determined by the political department
of the Government. The Supreme Court
Of the United States itself cOu Id not settle
il. The decision of the Supreme Court Of
Louisiana was not entitled to a moments
consideration. The Court had never at
tempted to decide its jurisdiction directly,
but all it did say in effect was that the
Lynch Board was the legal Board. Ii nev-
er said whether that Board acted honestly
or corruptly. Under the constitution the
President cannot of his own volitiOn and
without the proper record of the State de-
termine that instruction exists in State
and proceed to put it down. A court Of
Justice could not decide a case between a
Senator and himself Of two hundred dol
lars without a record. Why? Because il
was court of record and had a seal, and
certainly the United States was court of
record. The mere cry by telegraph to the
President,
"COme and Help U.s."
was not sufficient for his interference. He
(Carpenter) believed that if the Federal
troops were withdrawn from Louisiana,
Kellogg'S government would not stand.
There were two questions involved as TO
the passage of this bill: first, have we the
power to pass il? second, the expediency
Of passing it. The Constitution provides
that each State shall have a republican
form of government, and one Of the first
requisites of a republican form Of govern
ment is that its offices shall be filled by the
persons elected by the people. He asked
every Senator within his hearing if Con-
gress had not power to give the people of
that State what they had been cheated of,
namely, the right to elect their own officers?
Should our own government be oveTthrown,
it would be by these steady encroachments.
Congress should see at all times that each
State had a republican form of government,
and any Senator declaring that Congress
had not the right to interfere now would
declare to Kellogg and his followers, "You
can repeat this thing in 1876 and 1880 and
in 1884, Congress has no power to set it
right" If Congress had no authority to in
terfere, then the McEnery government
could set itself up also by force. Violence
was as good title as fraud and a little
more manly. When a man skulks beneath
The SoiIed Robes Of q Federal Judge,
he has not the manlineSs of one who
goes out with sword in hand to
maintain his position. There was no ques-
tion in his mind as to the power of Con-
gress TO take up the constitution of any
State and declare whether or not it was
republican in form. The power of Con-
greSs was supreme. He believed the Kel-
lOgg government was held up by the bayo-
nets of the United States, sustained this
hour by the troops Of the United States,
and he wanted to know what remedy there
was for this difficulty. The Supreme
Court of Louisiana was in the conspiracy
with kellogg. and would not inaugTrate
any move for the reform. The State Leg
islature was in the conspiracy and would
not do so. The government would not,
Al,