Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-11-16

| OuR attention has been called to the TACT
that remark of Senator Edmunds, recently
quoted in these columns, in which he seem
ed to say that it was not supposable that the
Legislatures of Ohio and Vermont would
ever elect any body in the places OF Mr.
| Thurman and himself, when taken in con
nection with the rest of the Senator : re-
marks, must mean quite another thing
Though this did not occur to Us, when the
remark quoted first struck our eye. 1t be
cones clear on a more careful reading OF the
report of the debate.
The Louisiana senato-ship being under di.-
cussion, Mr.. Edmunds alluded TO the Tact
that the Senate, last March, received the
credentials Of Mr. Kellogg, claiming to he a
Senator from Louisiana and referred them IL
the proper committee and he took the
ground that if it was right to inquire into
the subject then, it could not be right to de-
eide it now without inquiring into it. - II,
he said, " Mr.. Kellogg was lawfully elected
in January, then it is plain that no sGhSc-
qucnt action of the State, however regular
in respect of the authenticity OF its officers
and of its Legislature, could displacc Alr.
Kellogg and institute in his stead Mr..
Spohord.
Further On in the debate, Mr. Eimunds
said
1t il only because the millennium has sud
denly come that it Is thought hest not tn look
back even to ascertain who Is entitled to he a
Senator, but to take the last chap, the
eleventh hour man, as being the true saint
That may he good Democratic doctrine, and
a. | am about half the time, believe, a
Democrat, do not know but that ! shall
come To believe in it.
Still further on, this passage occurred
Mr.. Thurman.-Thcy the committee
have some additional facts To learn, grant !;
but nobody will deny that those additional
facts are part OF the history Of this country,
of which we all take notice. Does anybody
say it is not fact OF which We take notice
that Francis r. Nichols is, DE- tacto at least
if not de Jure, Governor of the State oil
Louisiana? Does anybody say that he does
not judicially take notice that the body by
whom Sponord WIS elected is recognized a.
the Legislature of the State and that there
i. no other body in existence claiming to be
the Legislature?
Mr.. Eimunds.-If | 90 not interrupt my
friend, and | certainly do not wish to
do sO-
Mr. Thurman i am so accustomed To be
interrupted that it has passed into "A habit.
Mr.. Edmunds. it is pleasure to my
friend, then will interrupt him again. |
wish to ask him, surprising what he says TO
he true, rs myself suppose it to be, that
Mr.. Nichols is at the present moment the
de facto governor of the State of Louisiana
and will take it for the purpose OF the
argument that this Legislature on the day
that it voted for Mr.. Spoflord was the de tdcio
Legislature of the State-taking all that to
be true, what wish my friend to explain
il how it follows that Mr.. Spoiiord is there
fore the Senator from that State. Suppose
the Legislature of the States of Ohio and Yer
mont should choose to elect somebody else in
place of nv honorable friend and myself-of
course they never will, but suppose they
should and the credentials should come
here. We should be told at once that the
Senator from Ohio and myself should stand
aside and the new people should be sworn IN
prlma tdcic because there is the seal, there
is the Governor, and there is the Legislature,
and you are bound to presume that Pri"ia
face something has happened which entitled
new men to be chosen, and it did not make
any difference whether somebody Wa IN the
seat or not in it; it is term Just the same.
Ii is plain that Mr.. Edmunds means. not
that the legislatures of Ohio and Vermont
will never choose successors to Mr.. Thurman
and himself; but that they will not choose
to elect somebody else in their places during
their present ierms-which is certainly not
very violent supposition. The remark,
standing byitself-as it did when our atten
ton was first (by correspondent called to
it had curious look. As explained by
the context its meaning is clear, and I'M