The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1877-11-29
A SENATORIAL CRISIS.
The Memorable Event of Nov. 22-The
Democrats Gain Control of the nited
states Senate for the First Time Since
March a 1861

day which has never before been witnessed
In the American Congress. The occasion
was the contest for party supremacy in the
/ senate. The central feature was the apOStacy
OF two Republican Senator'S. The cir
cumstances which led TO the crisis to-day
can be briefly told. The Democrats since
the Presidential election have been plotting
to secure the control of the United States
Senate. They had at the beginning of the
/ session but few votes to overcome. OF
these, death took one-that of Morton, a
leader who has been sadly missed in the eX-
cltement of the last two days. Blaine was
stricken by illness. Sharon was joined to
his money idols, and could not leave, no
matter how much his country or patriotism
Hlght demand. His friends say he is try
ing to save his great fortune from the wreck
| Ralst0n made.
So it came about from various causes that
yesterday a gain by the Democrats of but
one Republican vote would have tied the
Senate, and gain of two would have given
| the Democrats one majority. To gain these
| two votes was their object. The plans to
compass this end were far-reaching and
very subtle. In South Carolina the Hamp-
ton Government, having ATTAINED possession
OF the Courts, prosecutions were begun
against persons who had acted with the Re
publican party, and Senator Patterson, the
only remaining Republican Senator from
! That State, was chosen as a mark. UntOr-
! tunately there were passages in Senator Pat
! terson's South Carolina life which left it
! open to attack. He is indicted, application
| Is pending in the Courts of this District for
his rendition to South Carolina, and it is note
! worthy that the persons having charge OF
| this application appear to havevery intimate
| relations with the managers of the contested
| Democratic case from that State. Once
surrendered to the South Carolina authOri
ties, the precedents in the cases of Smalls
and others seem to leave little chance to
Patterson to escape the Penitentiary. But
I the friends of Gen. NJ. c. Butler are said to
! be able to stand between Patterson and the
| State Prison. When the session opened to-
day, therefore, Patterson, as one of his fell |
! lOw-Senators said, seemed to have been !
standing between he'll on the one side and |
| the Penitentiary upon the other. The Dem |
! ocratic caucus had made it apparent that |
| the Democrats relied upon two votes to aid |
| them in their schemes. The second of these |
| votes was that of ConOyer. TIE Democratic /
| plan was to move to discharge the Elections |
Committee in the case of Butler, and to .
swear the latter in. This, with the aid of |
two Republican votes, they expected to |
accomplish. That done, and having the .
vote of Butler to aid them, they intended /
to move to seat Eustis, of Louisiana. That |
done, with the additional vote gained and |
the two Republicans, the Democrats might |
| have seated SpotfOrd, and the control of the |
Senate would have been theirs.
The Democrats commenced this caucus /
programme yesterday by moving to dis |
charge the Elections Committee from fur
Their consideration of the Butler case. But /
the Republicans, advised of their plans, beat |
them by parliamentary management .
successfully yesterday, and forced an adj
jOurnment, motion being pending to table |
the motion to discharge the Committee of |
the Butler ease. The Republicans had |
hoped to be able to put aside the Butler case
by presenting the Kellogg case to the Sem
ate for action, but the Democrats upon the
Elections Committee were skillful enough to
prevent any final action in committee beyond
the determination to close the Louisiana
case.
"Do you intend to take possession of the
Senate to-day, Mr.. SenatOr" was question
asked of Senator Thurman rs he was pro-
ceeding to the Capitol this morning.
81 hope So" was the reply. 1.-THE DEM
OcratS of the Committee ought to be able to
prevent any voting in the Kellogg case, As
there is no previous question in Commit
tee"
This was the situation when the Senate
opened this morning. The Senators were
promptly in their places. The Democratic
Senators were evidently confident, although
there was shade of unrest upon ThuTman'S
face. The majority of the Republicans SEEM
ed to be impressed with the fact that the
destiny of their party domination was hang
ing in the balance, and that all the various
kinds of interest which belong to the pres
ent and TO the past were collected on one
spot, and in one house. Every step in the
proceedings seemed to impress the Repub-
lican leaders with a consciousness of the
increased gravity Of the situation. The long
galleries were comparatively empty, for il
had not become generally known that the
day was to be an eventful one. There were
two faces among the Senators which resem-
bled that of COSgrOve's chloe; they were
"falSe and common" The days events
showed whose faces they were. Gen. NJ. C..
Butler was about the Senate Chamber as
early 10 O'Clock, and to accustom himself
to what he supposed was the new order of
things was making himself at home in Il
Senator's chair. The day opened by mo-
ton on the part of Senator Thurman for a
correction Of the journal, but after an hours
debate, which amounted TO nothing more
than to gain time, the motion was with
drawn. The motion Of Thurman enabled
COnkling to notify any Republicans
who contemplated party treachery that
they were resting under the suspicion of
their colleagues. COnkling did this in the
commanding, cOpiOus, SOnOrOus elOquence
of which he Is master. Turning alternately
towards the seats of the two Senators who
were about to betray their party trusts and
to impeTil the very existence of that party
itself, COnkling said there had been rumOrS
and whispers of an alliance, holy or unholy,
by means of which the Republican majority
in the Senate was to be transferred to the
Democracy, and the motion of yesterday
had been made that the Senate might know
both who the allies were and how many.
Conking turned his glance of scOTn full
upon ConOver, as il to burn him with it.
The latter sat in his accustomed seat, I'M
concerned, calm and impressive. Patterson
in his seat had Il troubled look, as if he could
only see before him the prison door on the
one side and national oblivion on the other.
For future reputation he seemed to have
To pbOpSp hptWppn If a iI-hI
and that of a Judas. He turned away from
the pages, even, with Il petulant air. The
chamber soon became too warm also for
ConOycr. Conkling'S whitening insinuatiOns
had their effect, and before the eloquent
tOrturer had ended COnOver disappeared
behind the clOak-roOm door.
The first vote was upon the motion to ia
BILE. Several Senators kept tallySheets,
while others, as the vote progressed, crowd
ed around the Republican table anXiOusly
watching the recorded ayes and noes. There
was a dead silence, when the name of Como
yer was called, and the Republicans breathed
freer, for there was no response. Judge
Davis voted nay with the Democrats; so did
Patterson. Then COnOyer at the end of the
call asked to have his vote recorded in the
negative. This made the total 80 ayes to 50
noes, and the Democrats were victorious.
The Republicans, nothing daunted,
brought forward substitutes for Sherman's
resolution, and Edmunds, who had re-
turned from Virginia, assumed the leader
ship. Judge Davis left his seat between
Hoar and Morrill, and went over to the Dem
Ocratc side, where he appeared little
pleased with what was going on.
At the close of the session the situation
was such that, unless the Republicans can
reclaim ConOver, of which there seemed to
be little probability, the success Of the Dem
ocrats in seating Butler, SpOfford, and Eus-
It's, will be merely question of reaching |
vote. The Republicans have one chance be- |
side this. COnover and Patterson have at
various times promised that they would |
vote for the admission Of Kellogg, and if
vote on his case can be first reached, and /
they keeptheir word, Kellogg can be seated |
and can vote with the Republicans. There !
will then be a tie, and so enable the
/ Vice-President to give the casting vote.
| No immediate decision of the pending ques-
tons is expected unless the Democrats by
Monday secure the undisputed control OF
! COnover and Patterson, when they may at
! tempt to force all the contested cases through
! by continuous session. Messages have
! been sent to Senators Blaine and Sharon by
| the Republicans, and to Grover, OF Oregon,