Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1877-11-30
THE SENATE DEBATE.
Scenes and Incidents Of the all Night
Session.


THE SENATE DEBATE.
Scenes and Incidents Of the all Night
Session.
One Of the Most Exciting Periods in the
History OF Congress.
WASHINGTON, Nov 26-The day
opened rainy. The House not being in
session, Representatives gathered in the
Senate Chamber and packed the floor
back OF the desks. Everyone looked
around for Patterson and Conover, but
both arrived late. Pinchback stood in
the cloakroom door, on the Republican
side. Promptly at l o'clock began the
great battle for Republican ascendency
or the continuance of Republican con-
troll. The boosted dignity Of the Senate
was lowered to the standard of coun-
try justices court, and personalities
were INDUCED in without regard to rule
or decency. The Democrats were con-
fident; the Republicans desperate. New
err has political feeling ran so high in
the Senate; never have proceedings
been so carefully attended and the roll
calls so carefully watched. No Senator
left the walls Of the Chamber without
obtaining pair from the other side,
and it was frequently the case that
Republican and Democratic Senator
went off together to lunch or to smoke,
so that If vote was taken in their alb
senoe neither side would have an advan-
tage. 1t was a desperate fight for the
control OF the Senate, but the weapons
We're not arguments, but parliamentary
tactics, 1t was not struggle to con-
vince, but test of physical endurance.
The Democrats had the most votes, and
it was the recourse of the Republicans
to tire them out.
Late in the afternoon Conovcr read a
written explanation of his course, and
intimatcd that the Republicans had
tried to bride him to vote rgainst But
Ter.
Edmunds then took the floor, and
proceeded to impale Patterson in the
most cruel manner possible. No more
pitiable scene was eyer witnessed in q
legislative body Patterson had brought
his wife and family to the Senate Cham
Der to witness his vindication Of his
honor, His little boy, six years old, sat
on his knee, while Edmunds held his
father up as a man who was voting with
his political enemies to save himself
from the penitentiary.
Then Patterson rose in his seat, sent
his little son to the background and
pushed back his chair He was as pale
as death. His wife, who sat in the gal
lery above him, was as pale as he
What he said can scarcely be dignifed
by the name of a speech. 1t was an APP
peal for mercy. He wanted fair play,
he said; he wanted show; he wanted
a white mans chance" In his excite
ment he forgot his Senatorial dignity,
and descended to the use of bar-room
slang. Members of legislative bodies
have often been disgraced have often
disgraced themselves, but seldom has a
man made of himself so pitiable spec
tacle as Patterson did in that speech.
About five o'clock the Senate went
into executive session for an hour and
d halt, when the struggle was renewed,
motions to adjourn being frequent. The
situation at midnight is as follows:
Half dozen Senators are in their seats.
Conkling is sitting in the area in front
Of the Clerks desk pairing his nails.
Ben Hill is in Morton's seat. with his
head thrown back, half asleep, Ogles-
by is chewing stump Of a cigar, with
his feet on the seat OF chair. Gar
land and Don Cameron are stretched
out over couple of chairs each, talk
ing. Cameron, of Wisconsin, and Nc
MILAN are talking, and Christiancy is
pacing the floor with hands behind his
back. Burnside is pacing the other end
Of the Chamher. Dorsey, Silver Jones,
Chatfee, Judge Davis and Allison are
sitting in the door of the Republican
cloak-room smoking. Cockrell is in the
other cloak-room door smoking a clay
pipe. Patterson, Conover, Eustis. Bay
ard, and M:Donald are sitting behind
him in conversation. Hamburg Butler
is sitting by the cloak-room entrance
listening to a description of the part he
took in a Hamburg massacre, as told by
colored man to the Senate Commit
ee. Judge Hoar, Howe, Anthony and
Dawes are stretched out on the sofas
asleep. Lamar has couple of apples
on his desk and is eating third. Wal
lace, Whyte and Saunders are reading
newspapers. Several Senators have
gone to their committee-rooms to sleep,
and occasionally some Senator who is
not so well accommodated will make
motion to adjourn, so as to route them
out TO vote. There still remains con-
siderable audience, perhaps 200 men
and fifty ladies, among them the wives
of several Senator's all in the Senator's
gallery
Among the ludicrous incidents was
the following:
Mr. Edmunds President, | be-
lieve my honorable friend from illinois
Davis is partly correct in speaking of
the evenly balanced state of parties in
the Senate. Whether he referred to all
the parties in the Senate or not, | do
not know. Laughter There are two
parties in the Senate that are very near
ly evenly balanced. How it is with the
third | do not know. Laughter.
Mr. Davis-The third is unanimous.
Laughter
Mr.. Edmunds-I assume that the
third party is unanimous, as my friend
has just stated. Laughter | hope
we shall have order, Mr. President.
cannot go on.
The Vice President-That rests with
the Senator from Vermont Laugh
ter.
Mr.. Edmunds-Then we shall have
order.
In Mr., Patterson's remarks he used
the following language: Il think there
are around me some gentlemen who stood
by the President, and who advised the
President to commit, what think was
the greatest blunder Of the administra-
ton, and that was to remove the troops
from the State House in South Carolina.
/ fought that policy as long as | could,
and wish | could have continued to fight
it until this day, but was stricken