The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-01-01
Buffers Speech.
HE CHARGES HAYES WITH HAVING
INTERPRETED IN. THE Senate !.
RIAL CONTEST.

The correspondents Of the Charles
ton Neacs gives the following repor
OF the speech made by Senator M. G
Butler in response to the serenadt
| from members of The State Legisla
ture and others, in Columbia, or
Wednesday evening, December II
"MY FELLOW CIT1zENs-I thank
you most cordially and sincerely fol-
this manifestation Of your kindness.
| Twelve months ago to day a body
calling itself a Legislature, sitting in
your State House under the shadow
and protection Of Federal bayonets,
! pretended to elect as a representative
| from South Carolina in the United
States Senate one D, t. Corbin.
Seven days aftelward, on the 10th OF
December, the Legislature which
Inow occupies that State House, I'M
fder the protecting agis of the laws
and the constitution Of this country,
ibid me the. honor to-. elect me to the
Senate of the United States. From
THAT day to this, from that day until
the End Of December, 1877, a contest
has been waged, which, for its bitter
ness and malignity, its falsehoods
upon myself and the good people Of
1SonLh Carolina, has never been
Iequalled in the annals of our history.
But on that morning of December it
illuminated in my being sworn in to
the Senate Of the United States, in
stead of D. I. Corbin. az d3 81
My friends, very grave misappre-
hension has prevailed in the minds
of some Of the people Of this State as
to the nature Of that contest. Il It has
been supposed by some that tile
question was whether l should be
sworn in, or whether I should be
sent back for reelection by the Leg
islature, but I say TO you that that
was not the contest. If it had been
I should not have quietly submitted
Ito tile torrent of abuse, such as, no
man ever submitted to before.
should have returned to the bosom
Eof my family, and, friends, if that
had been the issue, have allowed
your representatives, the representa-
tives Of the people Of South Carolina
to have decided in their discretion
and wisdom whether OF not should
be returned as your Senator. No,
my friends, the real issue was wheth.
er / shonld be seated or Corbin.
Some say that it was Impossible.
That there was no law to seat him
because he has no constituency and
! no law. But, my friends and fellow
citizens, does a desperate Radical
majority, dwindling day. by day out
of existence, stop to consider .qnes.
tions Of law or right2 Was there
any law for the admission of KELLOGG
from louisiana 1t was fragrant
outrage on that gallant sister State
of ours. There was no law for that
and none to seat Corbin; but I tel
you that / know whereof I speak
when say that the Radical MAORI.
ty Of the Senate had determined tc
seat Corbin; and I now say with re
greet and reluctance that the man
whom I think / am not stigmatizlne
TOO severely when say that he pro
cured his present position through
fraudulent methods, threw the entire
weight Of his administration, backed
by his friends, to perpetrate this
outrage on South Carolina, and sea,
this man Corbin, of whom it has
been said that he has drawn more
tears and pangs from the people O
South Carolina than all others pu
together-seat him and perpetrat'
this outrage on South Carolina
And yet the President Of the United
States, personally and through hi
friends, attempted to do it. / sal
that [ make this remark with som,
regret, becauge, in all that he wa
doing, or assuming to do, to help til,
South and the country, felt bouns
to sustain him, although his position
z was procured by questionable means
and | was quite willing that h
., should atone for the crimes of hi
party by a rirtuous and constitu
tional administration of the laws
But when the supreme moment cam.
and its issue was made squarely ane
sharply between the enemies of con
stitutional liberty in South Carolin.
and its friends, lie threw his weigh
in favor of the enemies Of biz
country. III
And now, my friends, I have beer