Wilmington journal., 1875-03-05
HOW THE CIVIL RIGHTS HILL
pASSEn THE SENATE.

HOW THE CIVIL RIGHTS HILL
PASSED THE SENATE
By way of explanation of the man
ner in which the friends of the Civil
Rights bill were enabled to pass it
through the Senate, we publish the
following account of the proceedings
had in that body on Thursday last:
Mr.. Edmunds-I have this PROPOSE
ton to MAKE to gentlemen of the other
side Z: that we will adjourn whenever
it now suits their convenience, after
the matters upon the table are cleared
off. and that general debate shall ter
inmate on this bill on saturday next
at 2 O'Clock in the afternoon; any
amendments proposed are to be dis
posed of on five minutes debate or
each side; then thirty minutes to be
allowed to the Senator in charge to
close the debate, sand then the bill to
be finally disposed of without further
debate; no other measure to be inter
posed outside of the morning hour
tUhiEe this bill ss ab,aCIer consideration
L ask unanimous consent that there
may be an understanding of this char
acter.
Mr.. Logan-I ask the Senator if in
his proposition he means that the
five minutes debate on amendments
shall continue after 2 o'clock ON Satur
day?
MIR. Edmunds-If amendments shall
be offered.
MIR. Logan-Why not allow amend
ments to be offered during the tllle
between now and then?
Mr.. Edmunds-Any amendment may
be offered, but it might happen that
there would be no opportunity before
Mr.. Logan-By a fve-minutes' de
bate on amendments we might be kept
her q week.
Mr.. Edmunds Il do not think there
is any danger of that.
Mr. Logan--I do not like that at
all.
| The agreement was made, but on
Friday some Republicans desired to
violate it. Now. learn how well tn"
agreement operated. In the Senate
ON Friday
| Mr.. Morton-I should like to know
about that agreement [ understood
it meant this: that vote should be
taken as ealIy as 2 O'Clock tomorrow ,
provided the debate lasted that long
but if nobody wants to speak, are W.
not enti led to have a vote at once and
have the matter out of the way? !
suppose that is the spirit OF the agree
ment.
Mr.. Merrimoh-Tbe understanding
was that the vote would not be taken
earlier than 2 O'Clock tomorrow.
Mr.. Morton-If persons want to
speak that long.
Mr.. Merrimon-ADd further, that
this side of the Hcusa were to have
to-day to debate the bill ar their
pleasure, all day and all night if they
pleased, and that at all events the vote
would not be taken until o'clock to-
morrow.
Mr.. Alcorn-If there is no person tc
debate it now, I move that the vote be
| taken.
MIR. Edmunds, (Republican)--That
l think, would certainly be III Violation
of the understanding. l suppose ",
all appreciate how it is. The gentle
men on the other side have a stock OF
very good speeches; they are apphca
bic to this subject, and they may be
applicable to other subjects which
may come before us. They have it il
their power. of course, to expend them
upon this bill if no time was fixed, and
could have talked it into next week il
they liked, ard felt to be their duty tc
do So Not knowing how long the,
wish IT, speak-but they of course
acting for themseIvs-we agreed thai
no cote should be taken until to-mor
row at o'clock.
Now, if they do not wish to occupy the
time and are unwi ling to modify the
understanding so as to vote now,
certainly feel bound by the engage
ment. We lose nothing but the in.
ability to go on and dO business, aris-
ing from the fact they stand by the
letter of the contract. The gentlemeu
upon the other side insisted upon
having this much time for debate
and as [ understand the agreement IL
so reads: "No vote shall be taken
not even on an amendment, because
Senators, knowing there was to be nc
vote, would wish to dc somethln g
else-''untii tomorrow at 2 O'Clock.
and ''nO business is to nte,posc er~
cert By yeuCyai consent, SO the gen,
tlemen on the other side could NOT
have any just right to say that the
time which they wished to occupy il
speaking had been taken away from
them.
l sm disposed tostand by the agree
ment.
SO that on Thursday. when the
Senators did not know but the Force
bill would reach them that day. the
Democrats got an agreement mace
that DO Force bill and no other busi.
ness should come up before Saturday
| afternoon without their consent