The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-11-22
MyTH CoNGREss---Extra Session,

/ XLvTH CONGRESS---Extra Session
!. WASHINGTON, November 81, 1877.
SENATE.
Several private bills were considered, and
ut 1920 P. NJ. Nfr. Conkling submitted 6
motion to adjourn, but Mt the suggestion Of
Mr. Hamilton withdrew it; and on motion
of the last-named gentleman the Senate
went into executive session. II,
The Senate was in executive session over
an hour, and only succeeded in confirming
William j. Hunter receiver of public moneys
at Hays City, Kansas.
In the Senate this afternoon Mr.. Conk-
ling, for the Republican senators, demanded
an immediate vote on motion OF Mr.. Hoar
to lay on the table the resolution Of Mr..
Thurman to discharge the Committee on
Privileges and Elections from the further
consideration of the credentials OF NJ. c.
Butler as senator from South Carolina.
The Democratic. senator's opposed this
motion, and to carry the matter over until
tomorrow Mr. Thurman submitted q mo-
ton for an executive session, which was
agreed to-yeas, 30; nays, 90; Messrs.
Conover, Of Florida, and Davis, Of Illinois,
voting with the Democrats in favor OF the
executive session.
The silver bill was reported after eXecu-
tive session.
Thurman's resolution to discharge the
Committee on Privileges and Elections
from further consideration OF the senatorial
contest from South Carolina was discussed
to adjourn ment.
In the Senate discussion on Thurman's
motion to discharge the Committee on Priv
leges and Elections from the further con-
sideration OF the South Carolina senatorial
contest, Mr.. Hill, of Georgia, 4 member OF
the Committee on Privileges and Elections,
said, as 4 member OF the committee, he
would vote for the resolution submitted by
the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Thurman, but
he deemed it to lie bis duty, in Justice to
himself, the committee, and the Senate, to
state briefly the reasons influencing him Tor
this vote, and he would endeayor to do so
without arraigning any one. He Cid not
think the resolution OF the Senator from
Ohio could be considered as discourteous
to the Committee on Privileges and Elec-
tons, according to his views Of the facts
in the case. He thought the resolution a
proper one. He then reviewed at some
length the case OF Mr.. Eustis, claiming 4
seat as senator from Louisiana: those OF
Messrs. Butler and Corbin, claiming Il seat
az senator from South Carolina; the case of
MessrS. Kellogg and Spofford, claiming the
seat from louisiana, and said during the dis
cussion Of the Pinchback case in the Senate
the Senator from Indiana, now deceased (Mr.
Morton), distinctly stated that IL Pinchback
was not entitled to the seat Eustis was.
Subsequently the Senate decided that Pinch
back was not entitled to the seat. He had
hoped at the beginning OF this session that
no one would want to REOPEN the Louisiana
case. but that Mr.. Spotford would be seated.
In this he was mistaken. In his opinion,
the committee should have considered these
credentials in the order OF their date, which
would have brought the EustiS case first,
the Butler-Corbin case second, and the
Spoff'ord-kclloeS case third. But the COM
mittec decided to invite AIessrs. Kellogg
and Spotlord TO present their cases first, and
OF course MessrS. Butler, Corbin, ard Eus-
It's could not present their cases until in
vited by the committee to do so.
MI Mitchell Of Oregon, said the crcdcn-
tlals OF Mr.. Kellogg were first referred to
the committee on March 7, 1871; those Of
AleSsrs. Butler and Corbin were afterwards
referred on the same day, but the EustiS
credentials were not referred until the next
day.
Mr.. Hill, rcsuming, said lie did not OPP
pose the consideration Of the hellog@-Spof-
ford case when the committee took it up
because lie thought it would not consume
much time. He thought it could be settled
in an hour, rs it was historically known
that the people Of Louisiana had settled their
own controversy, and in his Judgment it
was needless for this Senate to waste time
to inquire as to what body was the legal
Legislature of Louisiana. He then re-
ferred to the action OF the Committee on
Privileges and Elections, and said this was
the first instance he ever knew Of where
the Judges insisted upon inquiry into the
merits of dispute after the disputants
themselves had settled the matter. He was
guilty OF surprising and hoping-aye, and
believing-that the Committee on Privileges
and Elections would immediately say, We
will not REOPEN settled dispute; we will
not revive a conciliated controversy, but
we will take this settlement as the people OF
the State have made it, and be satisfied with
il. He had built an air-castlc often i'll his
life, and he confessed that this was an air.
castle. On the 22d of October he offered in
the committee Il resolution to accept the
settlement in Louisiana, but it was rejected
The committee cut itself loose from the
harbor OF peace which the people Of LOU.
jsiana had made for them, and launched
out the boat on very troublesome sea
4 majority OF the Committee on Privileges
and Elections-siX to three members, which
he hoped would never become classical
resolved not TO abide by the settlement made
by the people OF Louisiana, but decided to
open all these questions, OF which the earth
ought to be sick, above returning boards,
fraud, violence, and everything else. He
(Afr. Hil) OH the 18th Of October moved in
committee to take up the case of Eustis, but
was unsuccessful. He believed the case OF
Mr.. Eustis should have been considered
without delay, because Louisiana had no
senator on this floor and there were impor-
tant nominations affecting that State pend
ing before the Senate; besides, there was
no contestant for the seat Of Dir. Eustis.
Mr.. Mcmillan, OF Minnesota, member OF
the committee, asked if that very question
was not now before the committee.
Nr. Hill replied it was not. He knew
the Senator from Minnesota (Mr. McMillan)
had tried to get it there. but no one voted
with him, and there could be no contestant
for Mr.. Eustis's seat unless, contrary to all
usage, the Senate should refer the Pinch
back case to the committee. He knew there
had been communication from Plnchback
before the committee, but the chairman was
directed to notify him that he had no ere
dentials there, and his claim could not be
considered. He Or. HilD agreed with the
Senator from Delaware (Mr. Salisbury
that the committee could have disposed
of both the Eustis and Butler eases,
and still have made the progress it
had made in the Spofford-Kellogg case. He
did not agree with the chairman OF the com.
mittee (Mr. Wadleigh) that one case should
be settled before another was taken up. Was
it right that gentleman whose credentials
unre hnfnrn tho committee-MhOSe seat was