Daily Kennebec journal., 1877-11-27
FORTY-FIFTH CONGRESS.
Extra Session.
SENATE.
sWAsHINGroN. November PC.

Senator from Louisiana lie asked for presen
coh,iueiauon OF the resolution, but objection wa,
made oy Merrimon, Withels and others, and the
| resolution was laid over until Tomorrow
Merfmon submitted a minority report signed
by HUI, in favor Of seating Spofford which wa.
| Idered printed. -
| The Senate resumed consideration of the reso.
| tuition to discharge the committee on elections
| itom the luther cons liberation of the claim of NJ
I. Butler to seat, as Senator from South Caroli-
| ma.
Davis of ILL.,, said the contest now going on in
| the Senate bad attracted the attention of the
| country, and from the peculiar position he occu-
pied IN relation to the parties, he trusted that it
would not be out OF the way for him to give brief
ly the reasons why he should vote for the motion
| of the Senator from Ohio, (Ihurman)
| There we're three seats III the Senate chamber
| vacant-one belonging to South Carolina aud the
Others TO LOUISIANA, and it was matter of greai
importance that tn, be filed. l he legislation OF
Cor gress was binding upon those States, and the
people thereof had the right to expect that the
claims to these States would be acted upon at the
| earliest possible moment. He thought the South
ern States should be represented by persous iden-
| tined with the interests of their people. 1t had
been suggested that this motion to discharge the
committee was against The usage of the Senate.
ne senator IRON Dbl, (Bayald) a few days ago,
clted precedent IN the case OF the bill for the re
admission OF Texas in the Uuion, some years ago.
and If he DAVIS might be allowed to refer to the
pI Proceedings OF the other house of Congress he
could say that only last week r. pr, sentative
from Maine moved to discharge the committee OF
elections fiom further consideration OF the Coora
do case, and this motion resulted in fixing day
for It's hearing.
If the committee should should examine this So
Carolina cast, uch exam nation would undoubt
ediy ,etult III two reports, both of them able no
uouht. Besides, IN the evenly balanced condition
oi The Senate, It WAS apparent that these two IT.
ports would not receive that consideration which
reports in Other matters ordinarily receive.
Ii the report IN the Louisiana case had bee u
made to tie Senate before the introduction of tn,
resolution OF the Senator from Ohio (Ihurman) to
discharge the committee from further considela-
ton of the credentials of Mr.. Bu'ler he would
have voted to consider the Louisiana case first
and against the resolution of the Senator from o.
but as that Senator had submitted his resolution
first, it took the precedence, and he (Dayi) be
lieved that now was the time to decide the case IN
open Senate.
The vlce-President-The question is will the
Senate agree to the resolution
EdmuLds-Mr. President, there are two parties
IN the Senate that very nearly evenly balanc-
ed. How II is with the third do not know
Laughter.
Davis-The third is unanimous. Laughter
Edmunds-l assume that the third party ia
unanimous, rs my tIieud has just stated. Laugh
teri hope we Shall have order, Mr.. President
as | cannot GO
The vce-President-Tha rests with the Sena-
tor from Vermont. Lrughter.
I-umunus-I men we shall nave the order. lne
very statement that my honorable friend has mad
leads me to think that if he would reflect a little
he would see Its error Ii was only the other day
that my friend himself, in respect of the case OF
Eustis, Il think that is the name of one of the
LOUISIANA peopie,) which on the face OF it was
simple question arising on the state of papers as
they were read here by Senator, saw with his
usual qnlckness and clearness of apprehension
that there WAS question of law involved; one
that ought to be considered (as he stated believe
himseIi) by a committee, and reported upon, not
As dispute OF facts, but that the committee ought
to report after careiu study, investigation and ex
animation OF authorltics, aud OF political history,
and so on, in order that the Senate might be in-
formed of the law.
Bnt what says my friend now in a case from
South CAROLINA. There he thinks there Is no dis
pue OF facts because he says the facts are conced-
ed In the two breis. | don't ksow with what au-
thorty has the Senator for saying the facts are
conceded. 1t may be that some honorable friend
OF my political way of thinking may rise in his
place aud say he disputes the facts asserted in the
brief of OF Butler
1t may be that some gentleman on the other side
OF the Chamber, belonging not To my friends par
ty nor to mlne may Use and say he does not agree
| to the facts stated IN CoTbDs brief. How are we
to know, then 7 There is the difficulty, and it is
impossible TO get over 1t upon any other theory
than that we are to take 1t up, the Senator
says we are likely to do, and to merely exert the
physical strength of party votes, without regard
to the law or facts, in order to see who is the
strongest TO put IN his particular friend. Would
that be good thing for the Senate of the L nted
States to do l do not hardly think it would.
have had some occasion to be reyIled at times
gone by, when parties were perhaps not quite so
equally divided now. There were only two
tue n and there are three now, for thinking that
there was value IN an inquiry into the senatorial
qseston III Louisiana, and voting according to my
CONVICTIONS OF the law as they appeared TO me, up
on the facts reported by the committee against the
OuIulOQs of "A large maturity nf m pnittpaI
associates
Now the evident tendency of what nv friend
proposes is to compel me, in exactly the way he
states 1t, TO follow my party wishes because can
not get all the facts, and have no time to study
the law.
l do uot know what the truth is to make all the
PRESUMPTION in favor of one side. How II will al
feet hun do not know, as he had no presump-
tons IN favor OF either. lie would have to shut
his ey es and go 1t blind, and as he says, 'irst
come FIST served. The first man that is proposed
he would have to vote to let n for all that can
see. That would hardly do, MIR. President. The
mission of this body IN respect ot who compose it,
Is not n party mission.
There was time, some 20 years ago, a notable
case in respect OF certain senators from indiana,
when II Is true that party heat and party prejudice
according 10 the UNIVERSAL jud gment OF intelligent
mankind, afterwards set the constitution and the
laws at defiance, and seated two men of particu-
lar party, but IL has not been true of late. bad,
ss corrupt rs parties are said to be, because par
ties have divided, aud some members OF the par
ties OF one party-I will not say of both bacause
believe 1t would not be uue-but some members
OF one party have voted against their own politi-
cal friends.
Now does the Senator wish to drive all the
members OF that party which stI have some little
vitalty left, susptc, to do the same thing, be-
cause they do not know what the facts are. If he
does he Is taking very good way to do it. | do
not think he can succeed.
After further debate Edmunds moved that the