The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-02-08
Throwing his oldtime fervor into the
subject. he nut aside all .flSay,fise He

f|sSySN5 sc. tsst, ..9YltsS .sSti futESusSQ. I1S
admitted that it was not the interest of
law, of ihe people, or Of fair dealing he
had at stake, but the success of his party.
He appealed to those members who had
stood by him in other contests when the
fall Of that party had been decided by
just such Legislation rs this To rnlly again
and save that partyiwhich had saved the
nation. The better class of Republicans
listened with marked disappointment at
this shameless avowal of partisan dis.
honor and political selfisliness. "Why I"
shrieked the gradually weakening voice
of the angry lender, "Why should we
give up sure thing for a chance? We
have the count in our hands, Let us
keep it, aud We can put In Ratherford B.
Hayes and the thing is dcne." This
startling concession of lawlessness took
everybody by surprise, not only at the
boldness of the proposition, but at the
vail Of despair in the accents Of the
speaker. He spoke sitting in his chair,
Sherman and Sargent close beside him,
and the fearful carpet-baggers. grouped
in mournful attitudes about him, while
curiosity held the Democrats in COM
pact mass in their seats, wondering what
the amazing man could find to say. The
morning wore on, and Senator after SEN
ator yielded insensibly to the drowsy at
mosphere, until but dozen ,rema; ed
alertly wakeful, watching events.
Howe followed Morton, and the gale
ries began to disperse he was presently
addressing himself to single auditor,
Conkling, who, swathed in thick Car
digah jacket with a scarlet border visi-
bic under his carelessly fastened coat, sat
under Howe's caves, while the seventy
Senators, more or less, were picturesquely
distributed about in diversified positions.
In one corner lay Thurman, his thin
fringe of white hair partially confused in
an improvised night cap made of his
famous red bandana kerchief. AS the
sonorous syllables of Howes swelling
periods rose and fell the snores of the
great Ohioan could be distinctly heard
above the clamor of the shrill voice. In
an opposite corner lay Burnside, sound
ing the loud call of Somnus until his
vicinity rc-echoed again to the nasal
clamor. In third corner Senator Nc
Donald stretched his bulky form, reliev-
ing weary eye on the floor and "chip-
ping in" occasionally when needed.
Huddled on other sofas could be seen al
ternately Bayard, his fine figure and
bright face retaining all the freshness of
an afternoon debate, save when losing
the thread Of the narrative he dozed in
his place, waking with sudden start rs
some unaccustomed clamor disturbed the
serenity of his repose. When Pinckney,
who is the lion-lunged Senator from Ma
ryland, succeeded to the floor, his voice
broke the slumbers like trump sounded
in cavalry bivouac. Directing himself
fiercely to Thurman, who had folded his
red night cap and taken his place right
in front Of the enraged Marylander, that
perturbed spirit, wrestling with fate,
strove to guide the Democratic party
from the way it should go, but the only
perceptible effect was the relegation OF
the main body to slumber so profound
aud tranquil that only the regular snort
ing from their recumbent figures denoted
that they we're not dead but sleeping.
The gray dawn of the morning was visi-
BILE far ont through, the distant windows
when the uheveptfhlspeeches of the con-
tending, hosts were ended, aud tie two
bodies took up the contest again. Ed
munds, vino had been in the gallery
shortly after midnight with the ladies of
his family, re-appeared, his bald head
shining under the glowing food of light,
but IN his face and action as fresh as
when the fray began. Az he arose the
snoring statesmen were aroused by pre-
| concert. The vacant seats On the floor
filled up. and there was at O'Clock in
the morning all the dignity, 6ecorum and
severity which mark the daily routine of
this grave body. He spoke mainly in
response to the taunts of Morton and
Sherman, and in q few sentences, plecise,
biting, and unswerable, stripped the two
arch intrigues of even the poor pre- .encc
Of legitimate party interest. Morton,
who had emerged from th. cloak room,
sat with his hands over his face detected
ly as the old mans mild, expnstnlatory
accents fell, which, though hardly above
whisper, were heard all through the
chamber. 1t was one of the most
dramatic situations of the whole debate,
and there was very little surprise when
sharp eyes in the gallery detected Nor
ton wiping tears from his eyes-a dis
covery confirmed a few minutes later
when, Sherman concluding an angry dis
claimer of Edmund's allegations, Morton
| owned that the tone and words of the
Vermont Senator had moved him to
tears.
There was scarcely less striking
tableau an hour or two earlier, when, on
the conclusion of an inter!ude from Thur
man and while the seats were we'll filed,
Blaine arose to define his position, and
to the inexpressible astonishment of Ed
munds and his friends, spoke, against the
bill. AT O'Clock in the evening he had
sketched brief address in favor Of the
bill. and at midnight. with characteristic
duplicity, turned sqnarely in his tracks
He worked, it was noted, OH oil sides
like n man driven, not consenting, for in.
stead of the frank, outright tone habitual
withshim, he whispered huskily the first
half dozen sentences, as though his throat
were dry and feverish, and his words
were choked in utterance. Even when
Blaine had ended, so inaudible was that
rich, resonant voice which had stirred
thousands in the house to the very mar.
row, the reporters sent to him to find oui
which side he had declafedifofl EYef
his response to vote denoted perturbation
of his usually assured mind. He whis
pered his yea or nay with cautious, cat
like purr which seemed to deprecats
being held to responsibility by either fac
tion for the vote which he gave, not or
conviction, but to preserve his standing
with both wings. asfeY t.,seruyo
1t was past q, and the dull light oi DAY
was st, t,dggling with the garish yellow
glow falling from the sea of gaslight il
the roof Of the chamber, when Sargen
I>ade final attempt to kill the bill i!
IA amendment These test votes pre-
figured the end, but the desperate lieu
tenants of Chandler were intrepid to tht
last, staving the vote off until five min
| nj tph a onn nf tn