Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1877-11-30


use the surplus revenues of the Treasury and
to sell United States bonds for coin with
which to resume specie payments.
In other words this measure contemplates
the repeal of every feature of the act of Janu
airy, 1879, providing for specie resumption
and affordng the Secretary the means of re-
deeming the notes of the Government and it
transforms II measure intented to contract the
volume of legal tenders and bring the country
to a coin basis TO m act authorizing an un-
limited imitation Of paper money through the
free banking provisions which are yet in full
force. In its ultimate effect the Fort bill as
passed by the House is no less Objectionable
than the Ewing proposition to repeal the
whole resumption act. The analysis of the
vote ON the measure is as follows % repub-
icans and 1Oi democrats voted yea. and %
republicans and 2s democrats voted nay. New
England was solid against repeal except Ben
Butler, who lodged, and Phelps, democrat, of
Connecticut New York, New Jersey NIichi-
agn, California Oregon, Nevada and Nebras-
ka, without regard to party voted soldly
against repeal. North Carolina. Georgia
Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky. Arkansas
Kansas and West Virginia voted solidly in IA
vor of repeal The East cast II repeal. and
81 against the West-u matter of surprise
cast only 30 for and II against the South,
20 for and - against. OF these IL, were re-
publicans. being all but one of the republicans
from the South
The sentiment of the House on tn. fnan-
cial question. as indicated 10y this vot.. has
uO1arpppn Int ltt1a ,h,
of the Bland silver bill three weeks ago. 1t
is not generally believed that the Senate will
pass the BILL but whether it does or does not
is quite immateral since the expressions of
the President before the meeting Of Congress
leave no room to doubt that he will veto the
measure. should it ever = ach him IN official
form.
THE CONTEST IN THE SENATE.
Last week, for the first time in over sixteen
years, the Democrats carried the United States
Senatc on test vote between the parties
As the Rep Alicans have hitherto had ma
jority of two without count of Senator Shar-
ON, of California who has not been in his
seat this session, and without reliance on SEN
ator Davis of Illinois, who. classed as an In
DEPENDENT is Democrat in his sympathits,
this change in the attitude Of the parties of
course, only became possible by the detection
of two Republicans. The two, thus suddenly
brought into public prominence, are the so
called "carpet-bagger" Senators, Conover of
| Florida and Patterson of South Carolina. The
discovery of their alliance with the Democrats
was made on Wednesday, when Mr.. Thurman.
the Democratic leader in the Senate, moved
| that the committee on elections be discharged
| from further consideration of the credentials
of NJ. c. ButleT, otherwise known as Ham
| burg Butler. who claims seat as Senator
elect from South Carolina The object of
this was to bring the question of the admis-
sion of Butler directly before the Senate
| which, as the case stood. with the promised
accessions to the Democratic strength, would
| give Butler the seat, and the Democrats one
more vote. Senator Hoar moved to lay the
resolution of Mr.. Thurman ON the table, when
| Mr.. Thurman moved that the Senate go into
executive session, motion which has prece-
! dence over every other, except a motion to
adjourn. The vote on this motion became
under the circumstances test vote, and on it
Mr.. Conover voted aye with the Democrats
| giving them one majority 1t was the first
| time that the Democrats had carried the Senate
since Vice president John G. Breckenridge
| made similar announcement of the result of
IA vote, on going in Executive session toward
| the close of his term, on the Sd of March,
| 1861
On the assembling of the Senate. Thursday,
| the contest was at once renewed on Mr..
Hears pending motion to lay Mr.. Thurman 5
resolution ON the table. On this Conoyer and
| Patterson both voted with the Democrats,
| and the motion to lay on the table was defeat
ed by n vote of 81 to 80. This vote made
plain the fact that the Republican Senators
were ut last in a minority ON an important
| party measure, and defeat could only be pre-
| vented by sharp contest. Mr.. Edmunds of
this State took the lead and moved to amend
| Mr.. Humans resolution discharging the
| committee in the case of Butler, by striking
out the name of Butler and inserting the
name of Kellogg. This was lost by vote of
| 80 to 81, Mr.. Conover not voting, and Patter-
| son voting with the Democrats. Mr.. Edmunds
| Immediately made further motion to amend
the resolution by inserting the name of KEEL
| logg so that the resolution should provide
for discharging the committee from the cases
of both Kellogg and Butler. This was to test
the sincerity of Patterson and Conover who
| had promised to vote for the admission of
Kellogg. Conover voted for the amendment
when his name was called but Patterson vot-
ed No" This would have made tie vote,
and the amendment would have been carried
| by the casting vote of the Vice President, but
several Democratic Senators, among them
Barnum, of Connecticut, Macdonald and Eaton,
took COnOver at once in charge, and he
changed his vote to No" and this amend
ment was lost by two majority. Mr. Ed
munds followed this vote with Il motion to
postpone the resolution until Monday
This was voted down by the same vote. Mr..
| Edmunds's next motion was that the Senate
adjourn till Monday. On this Mr.. Conover
| voted aye, but Davis and Patterson voted nav,
making the result 81 ayes against 81 nays.
The Senate being equally divided, Vice-Pres-
ident Wheeler promptly gave the casting vote
in favor of adjournment until Monday so
that the whole subject went over until that
time.
When Monday came the contest between
the two parties was renewed and the day
proved to be one of the most intensely inter
esting and exciting which has ever been
known in the Senate. The battle was Open
ed by prompt renewal on the part of Mr..
Thurman of an attempt to force vote ON the
question of admitting Butler of South Caro-
lima. This the Republicans, under the lead
of Mr. Edmunds resisted by all sorts of par
liamentary tactics, their object being to put
the matter over until Tuesday, when the re-
port in the Kellogg case from the committee
on privileges and elections would take the
precedence of any other business but Con
over and Patterson voted steadily with the
Democrats and the Republicans found them
selves constantly with two minority. Patter-
son and Conover both attempted to justify
their conduct by personal explanations, but
failed to place themselves in more favorable
light. Patterson in particular made pitiable
exhibition of himself. Mr.. Edmunds propos