The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1878-02-22
FoRrY-FouRrH CONGRESS.

favoring sixteenth constitutional amendment con-
ferrng the right of suffrage upon women, said that
he hoped that the Committee Privileges and Eec-
tons would take up the subject and report upon IT,
When he should become satisfied that majority OF
the women OF the country were IN favor
of female suffrage, he would vote for 1t;
but until then he would not. He did not
think these petitions should be presided TO
Congress. The Legislatures OF States were the
proper bodies TO present them to. Mr.. Morrill,
from the Committee on Finance, reported fayorabiy
the House joint resolution declaring that the re-
duction OF the tax on distilled spirits Is lneApe-
dent. He also reported substitute for the
Senate bill provide for commission on the sub
ject Of the alcohol liquor traffic. Mr.. Burnside,
from the Committee on Military Affairs, reported
with amendments the Senate bill 70 remove all
strctlons now existing in regard To the enlistment
of coored citizens IN any arm OF the United States
army. Messrs. Maxey aud Cockreil, OF the COM
mittee announced that they did not agree with the
majority of the committee in reporting this BILL.
| Mr.. Thurman presented petitions Of citizens OF
Ohio in favor of the reconciliation of silver and
the repeal of the Resumption law. "A few bills OF
| minor importance introduced, and a bill was
passed making the 22d Of February legal holiday
In the District of Columbia, after which consdera-
| ton was resumed of the Silver bill. Speeches
were made by Mr.. Mcdonald, of Indiana,
and Mr. Mcpherson, of New Jersey-the former
in favor Of and the latter in opposition to the
| ure.
| HoUsE.-rhe House went through the ceremony
of formally receiving Carpenters painting of Presi-
dent Lincoln signing the emancipation proclama-
ton, after which the Military bin discussed.
The most notable feature of the presentation cere
monies eloquent euogium upon Mr.. Lin
| coin by Alexander II. Stephens, ex-Vice President
! of the Confederacy, in which he confessed that
slavery was weakness and avowed his constant
| CONSCIENTIOUS belief in the Union carse. he spoke
OF Mr. Lincoln ~ ms friend, and euosi2ed his
personal and political virtues with great warmth
and energy.
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 13.-SENArE.-The Senate
renewed the discussion of the Bland Silver bill.
Speeches were made by Messrs. MerriInon and
Saunders in favor of the bill and by Mr. Sargent in
opposition.
usual dull routine that has lately charac-
terized its proceedings, and INDUCED in one
Of those bitter personal controversies that
were common i'll years gone by.
Hewitt, of New York, and Aiken, of South Caro-
lima, were the central figures in the affair. The
| former to a personal explanation, and de-
Tended himself against the charge OF sandering
the South, made by Mr.. House, of Tennessee, on
| Monday. II there anything in the language
which he had used which could be construed into any
slanderiug of the Representatives of the Southern
States he would take back but he insisted that his
motives TO defend the representatives of the
South from the SANDER which had been uttered
against their good name by the gentleman from
South Carolina (Aiken), when he declared that
West Point was an incubus on the country House
| replied TO Hewitt He said he was man of honor,
and always proud to apologize when he had been
guilty of mistake. He was sorry for what he had
said, for he had supposed that Hewitt had reflected
| upon the South. Aiken then took the floor and ac-
cused hewitt Of garbling his speech. He (Aiken)
was not in favor OF selling out West Point He
pointed TO its longtime illustrious graduates be-
ginning with JEFF Davis, Robert l.. Lee Stonewall
Jackson and other noted Generals, and then passed
TO the Union side. He had fought them and found
them foemen worthy of his steel, but he had never
met Hewitt there. Then, in his most excited
manner, he said West Point never produced an
Esau Benedict Arnold-mark my words--never
produced man who had the Presidency in his
grasp, and" ahrieking in whirlwind of passion,
sold it, sold it do you hear?" Hewitt, trembling
| with agitation, retOrted: The gentleman insinu-
ates that somebody sold out the Presidency. No
Northern sold out the Presidency-the
proposition to sell the Presidency made to
me, and contemptuously refused it" Excite
| ment and shouts of 80 Name" - Name."l Mr..
Ellsworth want to know who it was that pro-
posed to the gentleman to sell out the Presidency.
Mr. Hewitt-If the House desires 10 have that por-
ton of unwritten history told, will tell it. [Cres
of " Let us have il all" and great exctementl Mr..
Hewitt after order had been somewhat restored, pro-
ceeded to recount the facts connected with apropo
stion made HIM by Col Pickett (as coming from j.
II. Maddox, Special Agent of the Treasury Depart
ment) to pay J. Madison Wells, Chairman of the
Returning Board of Louisiana, for giving the count
of the State to Mr. Tilden, all of which testified
to by Mr. Hewitt before the committee of the House
at the last session. "And now" said ne, sin con-
clusion ask the gentleman from South Carolina
(Aiken) TO tell me by what right he turns on me
and accuses of selling the Presidency 2"
Aiken renewed his thrusts at Hewitt, charging that
he had boosted that he would rather cell the Pres-
dency than spill drop of blood in defense of
| the Democratic party. Hewitt denied that he had
being false and unchivalrous. Above the din, in a
clear. LOUD piercing voice, Patterson. Of New York.
the oldest man in the House, nearly So said. How
pleasant IL Ia to brothers dwell in unity" Lut-
trell broke in TO intimate to Hewitt and Aiken that
it but eight miles 10 Badensburg, the
noted dueling-ground, and the House might
proceed to its business. Hewitt. maddened by
Aikens second CHARGE proceeded to explain
why the flibusters did not succeed. He stated that
he had Charles Foster, and told him that there
would be trouble unless the South could be satisfied
that Hayes honest in his policy of local self
government; that after Foster made the
speech in which he declared that the flag should
thenceforth States not provinces,
and that from that hour he (Hewtt) had
learned that the South was satisfied Stating this,
Hewitt ngy intimated the belief that the South
ern Democrats had made a bargain with the friends
of Hayes that the troops should be withdrawn.
| Hewitt had ended his speech only by giving
challenge to the Louisiana Conservatives and
10 the Republican attendants at the Wormley con-
! ference. The attempt made 10 limit this die
cussion, but the Republicans, led by Ben Butler,
| shouted, " This is the best thing that could hap
pen" and the hot talk of Finley, OF Ohio the
thor of the only resolution to investigate the Presi
dental count that has been presented characterized
Wells "a " hoary-headed old rascal, and arraigned
Secretary Sherman and the visiting statesmen for
their telegram of coincidence 70 Anderson, :" con.
victed feon." This, in turn. brought Gar
field, Hale, and ELLIS to their feet Each in turn
| told the story of the Wormley conference. Fos-
ter indignantly denied that there
bargain, and vehemently asserted that he had
neither given nor received any promises from any
body anywhere. Garfield defended the thirty
forty anti filibusters among the Southern men,
and said that II any mortal man anywhere charged
these Southern gentlemen with bargains that man
lied. He defended in similar way the Northern
Republicans, and declared that the troops
withdrawn a matter Of constitutional duty, and
of policy: but he did not forget to rebuke the
people of Louisiana for the manner in which they
treating the Returning Board. He
charged that the trial malicious per-
secution. i. John Ellis, for the South, de-
MED that there was n bargain, and charged
that whoever said that Louisiana betrayed the
aofN uf,h haart ard
false throat" These words intended for Mr..
Hewitt but subsequently withdrawn by Mr..
Ellis upon the plea that be misunderstood Mr..
Hewitt. The story of the Wormley conference, as
IL was often told. repeated by Mr.. Ellis, and
IL agreed in every particular with the accounts OF
Messrs. Foster John Young Brown and others.
This ended the most exciting day of the session.
aud the first significant alludons to the subject of
the Presidential count.
THURSDAY, Feb. 14.-SENATE.-The House
resolution declaring II inexpedient to reduce the
present tax whisky concurred In-yeas, ~;
nays, o.. Senator Jones, OF Nevada, made two
hours speech in support of the Silver bill, most of
his speech being devoted 10 argument showing
that silver has not deprecated in value since ITS de-
none tzation, and against the assertions that the
dollar proposed by the bill is dishonoring the me
dunn Of payment aud a deprecated COIN Mr..
wadeigh spoke against the bill, and in the
course of his remarks said there had been state
ments of distress and suffering, but to his mind all