American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1876-05-06
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER
Impeachment Notes.-The GregaIious
Habits of Come Sena.ors- Charac-
teristics Of Counsel-The Repub-
Leans Determined to have
Everything their own Way.
From our Regular Correspondent.


Tagging legislation and unlaS-
ging Investigation, pushed by forty
congressional committees, is. now
tho established order i'll Wasilng-
ton. We have occasional sensa-
tions like the Blaine and Tucker
personalities, and the tedium OF
existence is occasionally lightened
by prosy five-hour speech from a
$50, 100000 Senator from petty
Western State, or by a personal
explanation aud complete vindica-
ton from a popular Presidential
candidate. But to me the most
interesting pastime Is to observe
the half score of Presidential aud
Vice Presidential candidates who
may be seen almost every day in
the Senate, in the House, and in
the Supreme Court. 1t is interests
ing to scrutinize men about whom
six thousand newspapers, more
than ha.f the press of the world,
are writing. They have not been
born great, few of them have
achieved greatness, but they have
had a good deal OF what Is called
greatness forced upon them. Forty
millions of people are talking about
them. and well they may, for not
only this nation and the present
generation, but the world and pos
terity, will be affected in no remote
way by the result of tho election.
If our individual ech pes, as the poet
saws, "roll from soul to soul, and
live forever and forever who will
calculate the influence of the echo
of millions of voters, each assuming
a sovereignty that was but yester-
day considered the prerogative of
kings.
Yesterday was by far the most
eventful day we have yet had in the
impeachment proceedings. 1t was
expected that there would he sim
ply another move in the pleadings,
and the reporters gallery, which is
an Indicator OF tho importance of
all congressional proceedings, was
but sparsely filed.
Judge Black came in half an hour
before the court convened, and
walked about on the Senate floor
arm in arm with Gen. Garfield
Montgomery Blair, jr., then ap-
peared in long black coat, which
we af.erward learned was his
polemic uniform and ex-senator
Matt. Carpenter surprised every
body by making his appearance
without his customary swallow-tail,
but in a closely buttOned frOck coat.
Gen. Belknap did not this time
enter through the front door, but
through side door near the table
where he took his seat. By this
maneuver he avoided passing down
the aisle fanked with Senators
whom he has so often met at the
social and political boards, and
when he has done the honors at his
cabinet receptions.
A stranger aud looker-on in this
court, if asked to guess the presld
ing officer, would pass the vi
President, Senators Conkling, Thur
man, and even Gen. Burnside, all
the Senators, in fact, as well as the
clerks, who are quite as distin
gulshed, both physically and men
tally, as many of the Senators, and
point infalIably to the sandy
whiskered, full chested, perfectly
attired man who sits eternally as if
he were having his photograph
taken-W. w. Belknap.
A number of private bills and
resolutions were passed, but at
1890 pm. the Senate resolved
itself into a high court Of impeach-
ment. The tedious minutes, includ-
ing the pleasiings, were read, when
Mr.. Lord, on the part OF the mana
gers, endeavOred to assume the
Initiative by fling motion, where
upon Mr.. Carpenter surprised the
United States Senate and the
United States by asking a contin-
uance of the case until December,
and ucon objection being made by
Mr.. Lord, MIR. Carpenter asked four
hours to argue his motion. At this
Mr.. Thurman, of Ohio, moved that
the Senate retire for deliberations.
There was debate and calling the
ayes and nays on this question, and
the motion was lost. 1t Is inter
esting to observe United States
Senators voting. Some of them are
more like sheep than is supposed.
A profound Thinker has observed
that in flock of sheep, when one
jumps over a stick, all the others
will vault up into the air at the
place where the stick was held,
although the stick has been re
moved. There is a fat little sutler
Senator who misrepresents Ala
bama, but he sits right behind Sen
a.or Conkling, and invariably
vaults up into the air when he
votes. Tue alphabetical arrange
ment of the roll is incOnvenient for
some of these Senators. Mr..
Conkling's name does not come
until the fifteenth on the roll, and
some of the administration c!aquers
like Bruce, burnside and Clay>
ton-don't know very well how to
vote until they have heard his horn.
Most of the questions that come up
for consideration are as cnigmatical
to many of the Republican Senators
as mathematics to Lord Dundreary,
but they feel pretty safe in voting
in opposition to Senator Biyard, of
Delaware, whose name is fourth OIL
the list.
But to return to the impeach-
ment: The motion to allow four
hours for the discussion of the
question of continuance was grant