American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1877-12-22
EXCITEMENT IN THE SENATE.
Fighting Talk etween Conkling and
Gordon.

has taken place between two Sena
tors since the war, occurred to-day
between Senator Gordon, the per~
sonal defender of Hayes in the Sen
ate, and Senator ConkIing, the ac-
knowledged leatler of the Republi'
cans Of that body. \ distinct issue
of veracity was raised between them
IN executive session, and while an
effort was m Ide by brother senators
to adjust the difficulty, no step to-
wards any peacrab1e settlement was
taken by the principals, and the
Whole subject remains an open one.
1t was misunderstood at the opening of
the executive session that the calen
der would first be called before any
other business was taken up. Cor
don, however, was anxious TO bling
before the Senate a report upon the
nomination Of Smith. as Collector
at Mobile. A favorable report was
ordered by the Committee Oh cons
metce, a nd it was placed i'll Spen
GERS hands, who has since held it
back. Gordon interrupted the cll
ender to call for the report. and did
it rather aggressively. Spencer said
nothing, and Conkling, looking up
fdom his 'tetter-wrlting said, "Oh,
go on with the calender" as several
other Republicans also said.
Gordon, somewhat excited, said,
8 trust the Senate will manage its
own business, and not regard the
orders of the senator from New
York TO the Vice President" Conk
ling was engaged III conversation
and failed to notice the remark un-
til a senator behind touched him
and drew his attention to it. He
rose to his feet and said: If the
senator from Georgia said that the
senator from New York WAS order
ing the Vice President, the senator
from Georgia said what was untrue
trust," said Gordon, repeating
his previous remark, that The sen
ate will manage its own business,
and ray no regard to the orders OF
the senator from New York to the
Vice President" There was no
change in Conkline's manner as he
repeated his sentence that the sem
ator from Georgia said what was
unit ne.
Sc We will settle this matter" said
Gordon, losing his self-control, ard
turning to Conkling,
eve will settle it here, ard now"
SAID Conkling. g We will settle il
elsewhere" said Gordon, and Conk-
ling bowed, saying, cat your pleas
uren
That was the end of it for the
time. The call of the calender went
on and routine business filed the
time until just before the close OF
the executive session. Then Thur
man, who sits across the main aisle
which separates the two sides, and
between Conkling and Gordon, rose
and said: 6 / am an old man, and
advancing age has chilled my blood.
[ have ceased to care for contest,
and take no pleasure in conflict. Il
is with pain that see i'll others any
of these things" He ran on in this
strain until the attention Of the sen
ate was fixed OH him-fixed too ms
on the fact that Gordon was sitting
careleSs1y with his back turned, and
ConkIing was reading a newspaper.
Very gradually Thurman drew near
the point which he was aiming at,
and, studiously avoiding any state
ment that be was speaking for the
senator from Georgia, he said, very
guardedly, that Gordon doubtlessly
did not intend to imply that Conll~
ling was ordering the senate or its
presiding officer to do or not to do
anything, and it was doubtless a
misapprehension of his phrase that
led to the hypothetical correction
advanced by the senator IRON New
York.
At the close of Tburman's coIcil-
iatory speech, Hannibal Hamlin got
on his legs and suggested, without
from Conkling, that it was
altogether probable that misap-
prehension on Gordon's part bad
led to n. isapprehensiOn of Gordon's
meanig, on Conkling's part: and
neatly balanced one blunder against
the other. Gordon the while reading
d newspaper. Hamlin sat down, and
there the matter ended.
Neither Coukhng nor Gordon
would see any one but their senate
rial friends this evening, or converse
upou the subj ct. The friends of
both upon the floor of the Senate
agree substantially III the above ac-
count.
Such 40 alteration might pass
even with men as prOnl>
inent, if it were not for GordOn's
peculiar position. He has chosen
to fight the battles of the Admnlis>
tration as his own. lie gets his ar
guments and his papers at the
White House. He has shown ON
the floor a foreknOwletlga, which he
has taken no pains to conceal, of the
purposes and intentions of Hayes.
OF course, if this was a genera>
ton ago, or further South, Gordon
would send a message. He and his
friends admit this is out of the ques
ton, and no one can see what is to
be done about it.
= Is TiIden TO he President ?