The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-02-08

stood by him in other contests when the
fall of that party had been decided by
Just such legislation as this 20 rally again
and save that party3which had saved the
nation. The better class of Republicans
listened with marked disappointment al
this shameless avowal of partisan dis,
honor and political selfishness. why!
shrieked the gradually weakening voice
of the angry leader, "Why should W We
give up a sure thing for a chance? We
have the count in our hands. Let US
keep it, and we can put in Rutherford b
Hayes and the thing is DONE" This
startling confession of lawlessness took
everybody by surprise, not only at the
boldness of the proposition, but at the
wall of despair in the accents of the
speaker. He spoke sitting in his caair,
Sherman and Sargent close beside him,
and the fearful carpet-baggers: grouped
immournful attitudes about him, while
curiosty held the Democrats in a COM
pact mass in their seats, wondering what
the amazing man could-fnd to say. The
morning wore on; and Senator after Sen
ator Welded insensibly to the drowsy at.
mosphere, until but dozen remained
alertlyi wvakeful, watching events. SS.
Howe followed Morton, and thea gale
ries began to disperse; he was presently
addressing himself to a single auditor,
Conkling, who, swathed in a thick Car
digan Jacket with aescarlet border visi-
ble under his carelessly-fastened coat, sat
under Howe's caves, while the seventy
Senators, more or less, were picturesquely
distributed about in diversified positions.
In one corner lay Thurman, his thin
fringe of white hair partially confused in
an improvised night cap made Of his
famous red bandana kerchief AS the
sonorous syllabies of Howe's swelling
periods rose and fell the snores of the
great .Ohiean could be. distinctly heard
above the clamor of the shrill voice. In
an opposite corner lay Burnside, sound
inc. the loud call of Somnus until his
vicinity re-echoed again to the nasal
clamor. In a third corner Senator Nc
Donald stretched his bulky. form, reliev-
ing a weary eye on the floor and "chip-
ping in" occasionally when needed.
Huddled on other sofas could be seen al
ternately Bayard, his fine figure and
bright face retaining all the freshness of
an afternoon debate, save when losing
the thread of the narrative he dozed in
his place. waking with sudden start as
some unaccustomed clamor disturbed the
serenity of his repose. When Pinckney,
who is the lion-lunged Senator from Ma
ryland, succeeded to the floor, his voice
broke the sluplbers like trump sounded
in cavalry biveuac. Directing himself
fiercely to Thurman, who had folded his
red night cap and taken his place right
in front of the enraged Marylander, that
perturbed spirit, wrestling with fate,
strove to guide the Democratic party
from the way it should go, but the only
perceptible effect was the relegation OF
the main body to slumber so profound
and tranquil that only the regular snort.
ing from their recumbent figures denoted
that they were not dead but sleeping.
The gray dawn of the morning was visi-
Bile far out through the distant windows
when the uneventfnlspeeches of the con-
tending hosts we're ended, and the two
bodies took up the contest again. Ed
munds, who had been in the gallery
shortly after midnight with the ladies Of
his family, re-appeared, his bald head
shining under the glowing food of light,
but in his face and action as fresh as
when the fray began. As he arose the
snoring statesmen were aroused by pre-
concert. The vacant seats on the floor
filled up, and there was at o'clock in
the morning all the dignity, decorum and
severity which mark the daily routine oi
this grave body. He spoke mainly in
response to the taunts of Morton and
Sherman, and in few sentences, precise,
biting, and unswerable, stripped the two
arch intrigues of even the poor pretence
of legitimate party interest. Morton,
who had emerged from the cloak room,
sat with his hands over his face detected
" as the old mans mild, expostulatory
accents fell, which, though hardly above
whisper, were heard all through the
chamber. 1t was one of the most
dramatic situations of the whole debate
and there was very little surprise when
sharp eyes in the gallery detected Nor.
ton wiping tears from his eyes-a dis
covery confirmed few minutes later
when, Sherman concluding an angry dis.
claimer of Edmund's allegations, Morton
owned that the tone and words of the
Vermont Senator had moved him tc
tears.
There was a scarcely less striking
tableau an hour or two earlier, when, or
the conclusion of an interlude from Thur,
man and while the seats were we'll filled
Blaine arose to define his position, and
to the inexpressible astonishment of Ed
munds and his friends, spoke against the
bill. At 6 o'clock in the evening he hao
sketched brief address in favor of the
bill, and at midnight, with characteristic
duplicity, turned squarely in his tracks
He worked, it was noted, OH all sides
like man driven, not consenting, for in
stead of the frank, outright tone habitual
with.him, he whispered huskily the first
half dozen sentences, as though his throat
were dry and feverish, and his words
were choked in utterance. Even wher
Blaine had ended, so inaudible was thai
rich, resonant voice which had stirred
thousands in the house to the very mar
row, the reporters sent to him to find ou
which size he had declared for. Ever
bis response to vote denoted perturbation
of his usually assured mind. He whis
pered his yea or nay with cautious, cat
like purr which seemed to deprecatt
being held to responsibility by either fac
tion for the vote which he gave, not or
conviction, but to preserve his standing
with both wings. :I.i,,.
1t was past s, and the dull light Of da!
was struggling with the garish yellow
glow falling from the sea of gaslight'il
the roof of the chamber, when Sargen
made a final attempt to kill the bill b.
an amendment. These test votes pre-
figured the end, but the desperate lieu
tenants of Chandler were intrepid to tn
last, staving the vote off until five min
utes after 7, when, on call OF the roll
the battle ended, and Edmunds had KEEP
his pledge, in spite of a combination ant
methods which have rarely been known
to miscarry in the Senate.
W., ,,,o,, ,,;cL 70 uet a wi WithOu