The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1877-12-06
w ashlngton Matters,
PATTERSON ATTACKS THE ADMINISTER


or to-day's struggle over the contested
electlon cases in the Senate was the vio-
| tent attack upon the Administration by
senator Patterson. RumOrS that Mr. Pat
| leFSon was gong to make a sensation
were tloatlnS about the Capitol before the
session began. His appearance with a
| formidable mess Of manuscript confirmed
the fumorS and made him the main cen
IRE OF observation. 1t was nearly 3 o'clock
When he obtained the floor, but once
| started he made the Senate for the next
| hOur and half more eXhilarating than
the opera b0utfe, and vastly more enjoy
able to the Democrats. The manuscript
| and the man were as dissmilar as .Junius
| and S0ldene. The manuscript was ii com
pendum of parliamentary yituperation. 1t
savored Of Bill Chandler, Coy. Chamber
lain and jim Blaine, and its authorship
| is variously ascribed 10 all three. Its
rounded sentences and classic illusions
had the high polish and heartless sarcasm
OF Chamberlain, its brilliant audacity If
reslstlbly suggested Blaine, while Chand-
Ter might stand god father for the venom.
The defamation was of the worst The
speaker dashed back and forth in the
space cleared for him, threw back his
head and shoulders, dashed his fingers
through his hair, kicked a chair against
chair, tore his passion all to tatters
| jerked out his words and made nearly
| every emphasis in the wrong place. The
! lncongrmtv of such a man firing off such
a speech may be imagined. Before open
| ing lire upon the Administration, Patter-
| son paid bis respects to COnkllng and
Edmunds, and it must be admitted is
square with both. Abiding to Conkling,
| he declared it was the height Of incon-
| sistency to accuse him Of intidety to
| party when no accusation was made dur
| ing the crisis last winter against the Sen
ator from New York (Conkling), although
| the Achilles of the Senate was opposing
his party. or at least sulking in his tent
| His illusions to Edmunds were as fatty
insulting rs the rules OF parliamentary
language would permit He spoke Of
| Edmunds's outrageous illusions to the in
| dictnent pending over him as an cocoa
sion in which an honorable Senator CON
| verified himself into a mere huckster of
malignant libel. - Pointing his finger
straight at EdmundS and assuming
| tone OF intense disgust he said, 81 have
| been illuminated in Il way that would
| appul Il fishWoman.' Again he said, II
shall bear with as much philosophy as
can command the SneerS OF enemies and
the yitupcration Of blackguardS. Mr..
| Edmundss face flushed angry red, and
Mr.. Conkling turned his back on Patter
son and grimly pulled his moustache.
| The attack on the Administration was not
even cloaked in the thin veil of pOlteness.
It was open and inSolent. Very clcyerly it
was prcdicated on the Hamburg massacre.
After reviewing the details of that mas
sacre, asserting Buffers innocence of it
and adducng Republican evidence in
proof. he charged that the President was
responsible for the non punishment OF
the Hamburg murderers. Who holds
back the arm Of Justice ?" haWcd Pattcr-
son. "I'hat man whom we placed in the
White House. that man holds back the
arm of Justice in South Carolina, and he
is responsible" Then he found fault with
the President for deserving his friends and
concilating his enemies. He accused him
Of = black ingratitude' and provoked
smil" hy the following allusion to Pres
dent llayess Cabinet "New robes from
the State and Interior Department were
found 1or returning prodigals and musty
folds of the Confederate tlag were gently
| UNI p4lt'i tHl'l Il NtN ltulll ~ lDth tllt
doors Of the Post Office Department
against Southern Republicans" Again,
after railing at the Presidents attempt to
revive the old Wing party, he said: ''If
the President can 60 down into this val
ley Of dry bones and rehabtate them with
life, he viii prove himself the champion
resulrecti0nist oi the age" Again, 'lhe
religious element OF the South worships
God and the Democracy, and viii not bow
down to the braZcn image which this King
Nebuchddnezzar hath set up" The anti
Hayes Senators looked solemn rs owls at
these allies, but did not seem mortalIy
offended. MeSSrS. Matthews and Hoar
and the Administration men looked glum
and angry us they realized that their col
leagues We're saying what they felt but
dared not say themselves, through this
man whom they all despised, and who
had naught to lose. In introducing his
speech Mr.. Patterson said: II have al
ready announced my intention of voting
to seat NJ. c. Butler us Senator from South
Carolina. will vote as cheerlully TO seat
William Pitt Kellogg as Senator from
Louisiana. have resisted every motion
to give the Kellogg case precedence, be
cause by a vote of the Senate the case of
Mr.. Batter was brought before the Sen
ate first. Had the case of Kellogg been
brought before the Senate first should
have acted as steadily against displacmg