The Portland daily press., 1877-11-28
The Senate Struggle
Grnphic Description of Mondays SCENE
Defense of the Recrcant senatsrs-sit-
ting il Out.

The Washington correspondent of the Boston
Advertiser furnishes the following graphic ac-
count of Mondays scene in the Senate: When
Conover and Patterson came in all eyes wero
turned on them at once, and to the end of the
session every movement they made was
watched, The bearing of these men was quite
different No Republican Senators appeared
to notice them. Conover seemed entirely un-
concerned; those accustomed to his face could
see no change in it. On the contrary Patter-
sons attempt to appear unconcerned was
painful The neglect of the Republicans
changed this into defiance. He was often over
on the Democratic side, and from first TO last
was i'll at ease. Under part of the days in
Fiction be WINGED but whenever he spoke his
air was defiant. He did not fail to make good
points and strong ones at various times, but
they were felt by most to have little weight on
the floor to day. Pinchback stood in the cloak
room door on the Republican side, and seemed
delighted at the tangle. In the corresponding
door on the Democratic side was NJ. G. Butler.
Thurman's resolution to discharge the committee
from the consideration of Butlers case was called
promptly at one o'clock. Davis of Illinois rose
first, when the galleries and Senators leaned
toward him. In few brief and clear sentences
he gave his reasons for sustaining the resolu.
ton. Mr.. Edmunds replied, and had the
laugh on Davis at once, by calling attention to
the fact that, while he had spoken of the two
parties in the Senate, he had not go much as
mentioned the third, which Davis himself was.
He also made strong point on Davis for COM
ing from the bench and arguing that the inves-
tigation by the committee, sitting as judges,
and the evidence and argument of counsel were
unnecessary in settling SO grave case. Ed
mund's appeal for proceeding with due regard
to the rules and regulations of the Senate, and
| settling the case with proper regard for law
and justice, and not introducing in place of
| these partisan scramble for seats, as the re-
suit of corrupt bargain, precptated the battle,
which till then had not taken definite shape.
Mcdonald interrupted to ask if Edmunds
charged that there had been corrupt bargaining.
| NO., said Edmunds with great emphasis,
"but believe it." Mcdonald interposed that
| he, for one, would help investigate such q
charge, and Edmunds retorted that Mcdonald
would have chance to help il he lived much
longer. Under all this Patterson WINGED and
| Conover became aroused. Edmunds, who had
been given the management of the Republi-
cans, then moved that in order to allow the
Butler case to 60 forward regularly as it
should, and that it might no longer impede i'm
the consideration of executive business. With
this motion it was designed to test the purposes
of Patterson and Conover. Botb on the roll
| call, answered No, Conover with decision, Pat
ters0n with voice he could hardly control.
| All saw how the battle was opening and how
the lines were drawn, when the president an
| nounced the result as % to 30. The next vote
| was awaited on all sides with interest Chris
tiancy took the floor for few words, explain
| ing why he should vote against the resolution.
l Edmunds went up to consult the Vice Pres-
| dent and showed him paper which was evil
IDENTIFY to play part in the next move, and
Patterson went over for talk with Thurman,
the latter being charged with the leadership on
| the Democratic side. Thurman rose and
yielded to Patterson for an explanation. 1t
| was sensational appearance under sensational
circumstances. Patterson claimed that he had
been and was true Republican; that he loved
The party as his life, and would rather lose his
| right arm than betray it; but he believed that
| Butler was elected, had long ago expressed tb
| opinion, and had long since announced in the
| press that he should vote for him. II that was
| corruption Senators could make the most of it,
| He declared he had informed his Republican
associates that be would vote for Kellogg if the
| case was brought up; it surely was not his
fault that it had not been. He attempted to
| arralgn Conkling for his charge of an unhoy
alliance, and Edmunds for his vote in the
| Pinchback case, but neither paid any attention
to his remarks. 1t was painful to hear him.
There was evidently pity for him in the minds
L VI many anu disgust was WrlLLeQ on the races OF
| many more. His case was bad one and his mau-
| agement of it, if possible, worse His attempt
| to arraign Senators whom he said had counselled
l President Hayes to commit what, with great
| vebemence, he denounced as blunder-the
| withdrawing OF the troops from the support of
| the Chamberlain legisature-brought down
| Christianey upon him with force of logic
| that Patterson had not expected. II Patter-
| son believed the President should have sus-
/ tanned the Chamberlain legislature, 1t was of
| course, because he (Patterson) believed that
| legislature legal. Ii it was legal, Hampton
was illegal. The Chamberlain legislature
elected Corbin. Why, then, did Patterson now
announce that he should vote for Butler, who
was elected by the Hampton body. Patterson's
| attempted explanation of what passed between
| himself and Butler on Thursday was loose and
| involved He f1oundered and crossed his track,
l and Conover in coming to bis assistance only
i injured his own case by rising and clai~ing in
corIoboration of Patterson that Butler had
not required him tConoverl to vote on the oe-
| casion Patterson referred to. Both were much
| dseomftted in their first attempt at explana-
ton. Conover followed in prepared personal
| explanation. From this preparation he Jared
better than Patterson, but his reasons for hand
| ing the Republican Senate over to the Democ-
| racy were such as had no place on the floor
| He tried to make the case the same as Pinch
/ backs and to break the force OF Edmundss
strong words, and his skilled leadership by his
I weak attack upon his record in that case. After
| firing blank cartridges at Edmunds, he turned
his battery on Conkling, but it was not effect
ual enough to cause the latter TO stop writing
| private letters.
The Republicans listened, or rather waited.
| until these two worthless were done, and then
the second move on the part of the Republic
ans. was developed. Edmunds, prefaeing his
remarks with calling the attention of the Sen
l ate to the story of the alleged corruption which
| was on the streets, about the Capitol in the
| press, throughout the land and in the mouths
of everybody. sent UP to be read an amendment
to Thurman's resolution, providing that the
1 committee on privileges and elections should at
once proceedito inquire whether there had been
| such corrupt bargaining. The whole Demo-
| cratic side saw the effect of this, and was
| thrown by it into general excitement. Gordon
| with an insulting air. rose and said he would
| not reply to E5mundss innuendoes in the words
| of Webster, who had characterized the use of
| them as abuse and the cowardly resort of mall
ice and falsehood. !Gordon iotimsted that
| stories were equally prevalent that the Repub-
| licans had tried to make every court of justice
acting in Patterson's case here an altar Of
| sacrifice for party purposes, To this Ed
munds retorted that if Gordon had any
evidence which made him think 1t possible
| that such stories could be true, he could
| not too speedily bring it to the attention
| of the senate. Edmunds met the Democrats,
| who objected to his resolution for various rea-
| sons, with the general declaration that when
| the press was full and every mouth here was
full, and the air itself was full, of the charges
| that corrupt bargains had been made in the
| very presence of the Senate, it became Senators
| and the friends of the claimant Butler as we'll
to investigate them before proceeding further
Patterson protested against the unfairness of
such proceeding, and slternated his protests
against an investigation with assertions of his
innocence and his readiness to be investigated,
but when the vote came he remained silent,
| while Conover with brazen effrontery voted
loudly No" Thurman affected astonishment
that Edmunds should arragn a Senator on
| newspaper report without evidence. He
| charged that it was all q trick to beat his reso-
| luton aud cited several instances where Sem
| ators-elect under charges had been admitted.
| He reused the Democratic side effectively, and
| as the result proved, Matthews on the Republi-
| can side, for as the roll-call went on, Conoyer
| voted against investigating himself, Patterson
lodged and Davis and Matthews voted with
the Democrats, and SO for the present defeated
any inquiry. The failure of this resolution
showed the Republicans that Patterson and
ConoVer were in the full power of the Demo-
crots. But one more vote was attempted to see
II they intended to help to sit the matter out
Allison moved to go iuto executive session, but
this was lost and the Republicans settled down
to a long trial of strength in continuing
| the debate After an hours debate with