The Portland daily press., 1877-03-07
Forty Fifth C0ngrcss-Extra Session.
SENATE.

In the Senate to-day Mr. Wallace submitted
a resolution, that the credentials OF l. .. Y.
Lamar of Mississippi be taken from the table
and that he be sworn.
Mr.. Anthony moved that the Senate adjourn.
Reiected-yeas Is, nays &c. many Republicans
voting with the Democrats in opposition to
adjournment.
MIR. Blaine spoke in favor OF swearing in
MIR. Lamar, and said that his credentials were
entirely regular and he was just as much en-
titled to be sworn in as any Senator sworn in
yesterday.
A lively debate ensued, and Mr.. Spencer of
Alabama called for the reading of the report
of Mr.. Boutwells committee on Mississippi
affairs submitted at the last session of Con-
The Senate refused to have the report read.
Mr.. Dawes advocated the admission of Mr..
Lamar.
Mr. Blaine argued that although the report
in the Mississippi might show that the Legisla-
ture which elected Mr.. Lamar was not legal
body, all this was a matter for subsequent
inquiry by the Senate. Mr.. Lamar should be
sworn in now.
Mr.. Spencer of Alabama then sent to the
clerks desk and had read, as part of his re-
marks, the report of Mr.. Boutwell's COM
mittee.
Mr.. Hamlin, from the committee appointed
Yesterday to wait upon the President and notify
him that the Senate is ready for business. re-
ported the President would communicate with
the Senate tomorrow in regard to executive
business o,.
Mr. Morton said the Senator from Ohio
(Thurman) laid down doctrine in regard 10 =
prima facie case now, but he (Morton) peggeu
leave to remind the Senate that one year ~
the Senator stood on the other side in the case
of Pinchback According to the doctI:ne VI
the Senator, there could be no investlgatlo4 az
to the Legislature which elected Laura ,ao euS
| Pinchback. He (Morton) had not changed MS
| mind, but held to the same doctrine now tnat
| he did in the Pinchback case. There had oeen
| a sudden revolution on the part OF the Democ
| racy. He believed the Senators objected TO
should be called in the regular order in which
| they are named. The Senator from Louisiana
| (Kellogg) was here with legal certificate, but
| objections were made to swearing him 10 yes
| terday. On the very ground upon which he was
| stopped from taking his seat the Senator
from Alabama (Spencer) had right to inter
| pose an objection in the case of Lamar. 1t
seemed to him (Morton) that this was an at
| tempt to have one doctrine in one case and an
other doctrine in another case.
Mr.. Thurman said he would be sorry to be-
lieye that the faculties of the Senator from
| Indiana were failing, but he must say the fac
ulty of memory in that Senator, Judging from
bis remarks, showed weakness which might
we'll give concern to his friends. He lThur-
| mani said that in the GOldthwaite case, in the
Pinchback case, and again now, that where
/ man had been elected by that body which W as
/ cOnfessedly the legislature of the state, md
brought with him the credentials prescribed BY
! law, there was not in the whole history OF the
| country precedent which would prevent hin
| from being sworn in, but it made vast differ
| ence as to whether man had been elected by
| a legislature or by mob. According to thu
report of the committee on privileges and cleo
tions of the Senate, the legislature which elect
| cd Pinchback was not the legislature OF Louis
isiana, and it was upon that ground and tina
| alone that the Senate said his credentials dlt
not make prima tacie case
Mr., Morton said the election of PinchbacH
was certliled to by . Governor ACKNOWLEDGES sIs
government. The legislature which elect e(
him was the acknowledged legislature of tn
state and had enacted hundreds of statutes.
| Besides. it was recognized by the Suprem
Ssgrt of the state. He argued that the Iepor
OF t,.s Mississippi case might show that the
! legislature *a.ssh elected Lamar was not tn
Iawfu! legislature OF tho state. What tool
Place aa in Mississippi during he campaign. o
1875 presented field of carnage. The cleo
ton was fraud, an outrage from beginning t.
| end. 1t was not within the power of man t
furnish one excuse for the outrages committed
in Mississippi In 1875. The campaign was al
armed one and Republican majority OF 80,
600 was overcome by violence, by every specie
OF intimidation, unlawful pressure and out
RACES. ..a,.
just long enough to know Sa RHA as@n in the senat
was to have record. He was glad to see hi
friend from Ohio (Thurmapl COMING over (.
the right, but he begged his friend from Indi
| ana (Morton) not to get wrong just at the mo
l ment his friend from Ohio was getting right
| He (BlaiRe) thought that Pnchback should
have been admitted first as senator from Lou
isiana and should be admitted now. Possibl
all that had been said by his friend from In
case would show was true, but that was sub
jeot for future investigation. 1t was yer,
dangerous thing to stop senator from taking
his seat who came with proper credentials, AMI
for one he did not propose to do any sucl
thing. Let the Senate treat the Northern
states, the Southern states, the Western
states and all the states alike on this question
and when a senator presented himself will
| proper credentials he should be admitted, ant
any inquiry as to the legality of his election b.
| made afterwards
Mr.. Morton asked what objection the Senate
had to Kellogg being sworn in.
Mr.. Blaine replied he had prepared resoiu
ton on this very subject. Let this case be dis
| posed of and the Senator would see how b,
stood in regard to the Kellogg case.
Mr.. Morton said that so far as his record wa
| concerned, he proposed to take care of it. Thu
Senator from Maine would have quite enough
| to do to take care of his own record. Laugh
ter.)
Mr.. Dawes said he voted against the admis
sion of Pinchback, and he believed then he vot
ed right, and he believed so now.
Mr.. Thurman said no matter what was con-
tanned In the report there was nothing affect
L iuS eAO pALLAu laCiO Aisnb Va ALdMdI " ocdb Ill
the Senate. There was not one word in the re
port which touched the question before the
Senate and it was out of order to call on The
Senate to sit here and listen to the reading
| thereof.
After the reading of the report of Boutwell,
committee upon Mississippi affairs, the discus
sion upon the admission of Lamar was contin
ned by Messrs. Morton, Wadlegh, Dawes, Nc
MILAN and others.
Mr.. Spencer moved to amend the resolution
| Of Mr.. Wallace so as to refer the credentials o
Mr.. Lamar to the Committee on Privileges ani
Elections. Rejected, yeas (Wadleigh) 1, nay
IS.
Senate then by vote of yeas 81, nays (Wad
leigh l, adopted the resolution of Mr. Wallace
and Mr.. Lamar was sworn in by the Vice Pres
ident.
Mr.. Spencer, who would have voted in tn,
negative, was paired with Mr.. Merrimop, wht
| would have voted in the affirmative.
Mr. Blaine submitted the following:
Resolved, That the oath of Office required by
law be now administered by the Vice Presiden
Senator from the state of Louisiana were pre-
scented on the Goth of January, 1877.
Mr.. Bayard asked the Senator to withdraw
that resolution for the present that he Nigh
submit one to have Gen. John T. Morgan Sen
ator elect from Alabama sworn in, whose cast
was similar to that of Mr.. Lamar.
Mr.. Blaine said the case of Kellogg came be-
| fore either that of Messrs. Lamar or Morgan in
its ORDER therefore it had better be acted upon
now.
Mr.. Bayard then submitted the following
substitute for the resolution of Mr.. Blaine:
Resolved, That the credentials of VIM. Pit
Kellogg, claiming to be Senator from the state
| of Louisiana, do now lie upon the table till the
appointment of Committee Oh Privileges and
Elections, to whom they can be referred.
Mr.. Blaine said: do not desire, Mr.. Presi.
dent, to detain the Senate, by any lengthy pre-
L sentation of KallOpp's case repardinp him as