Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-01-19

From our REGULAR correspondent.

there was a quorum of both Houses
of Congress, and the stars and
stripes were unfurled to the drip
ping heavens at both ends of the
capitol. Debate was resumed, with
out the least ado, precisely where it
had left off before the holiday recess
and both members and senators
appeared to be crammed full of
speeches. In the House the ques-
ton was upon Mr.. Growers resolu-
ton for sweeping Investigations in
the Departments, and Messrs. Hall
of Me-, Cox and Garfield of Ohio,
Banks of Mass, Clymer of Pa,
Tucker of Va, and Conger of
Mich, made short and opposite
arguments on the subject taking
grounds, with the exception of Mr..
Cox of Ohio, with their respective
political policy. Mr.. Cox who, it
will be remembered, was Secretary
of the Interior, during the earlier
days of Grants first term, assumed
the position that no Republican
should oppose investigation, but,
allowing the majority the greatest
latitude in this respect, throw upon
the Democrats the approbrium of
frivolous and expensive inquiries.
The debate was spirited and inter-
esting. Gen. Banks spoke with his
wOnted pointlessness and impress
siveness insisting that the measure
was unconstitutional, comforting
upon the committees unwarranted |
powers to search, compel, and i'm
prison. His remarks were an OPP
portunity for the legal pedant of
the House, Mr., Tucker of Va, who
was once Attorney General for his
State, and also Professor of Law in
Washington and Lee University.
He quite overwhelmed Gen. Banks,
and the House, and almost stagger-
ed himself, with his knowledge of
the Constitution. Mr.. Conger of
made, as usual, a funny
speech, the point of which seemed
to be that this century could not en-
dure repetition of the theatric
farce of Mr.. Clymer's exposure of
the supposed Belknap croOkedness
that the new Democratic MEM
bers were painting to emulate Mr..
Clymer, but that they mistOok their
age as we'll as the endurance of hui
man nature, since such gigantic
fiasco's must be distributed equita-
bly, through history, and not mono
polized by one generation
Mr.. Wood is bitterly opposed by
his party for his management of
this resolution he, as Chairman of
the Ways and Means Committee
and leader of the Democrats ON the
floor, allowed the question to come
to vote when he knew the members
Of his party present were in a mi
nority. 1t is charged that he Sc
cretly desired the defeat of the res {
0lution, but he can, at least, plead
hat he is not ansWerable for alb
'enteeism in his party, and that if {
every Democrat had been in his
place and hadvoted as he did, the
notion would not have been lost.
Mr.. Hale of Main is credited by his
friends with having forseen that
here would be but a small attend
lnce of Democrats and with quiet
y advising the Republicans to be
present ready to take advantage of
any weakness. Both parties made ,
strenuous efforts to rally every man
for the struggle on the following
lay kilograms were sent to all
and arrivals were anx-
Iously watched and counted. The
result on the following day proved
that the Democrats had profited by
the delay, and the resolution to in
vestigate was passed by very
small majority.
The lobby has been called the
third House, and, unless the Wom-
ans Rights ventiOn is branch
of the lobby, it may be called the
fourth House, at any rate the Wom-
an Suffrage agitatOrs were in con-
in the lobby of the Senate
on Thursday, and such a conven-
ton! 1t was chiefly a mob of men,
boys and a few women of discor-
1ant views trying to conduct de-
batting society, prayer meeting, and
political campaign in one breath.
Their efforts here during the last
week have been farcical in the eX-
treme, whatever of good or right
there may be in female suf-
frage as an abstraction, the whole
subject is turned into deriSiOn and
puerility, whenever its weak illogi-
cal advocates get an opportunity to
make themselves heard. | would
not have believed that a convention
Of women could do and say so many
fantastic things, without the actual
testimony of my own eyes and ears.
One session of their convention, In
Lincoln Hall, was occupied by or
atorical doctresses in protest
against maternity or rather in urg-
ing the right of women to control
the conception and progeny bust
ness, so that only such numbers and
such characters of babes and suck
lings might be born into the world
as they desire. These and other
vagaries of quack, chronological,
spiritualistic, and spurious, nom
science were applauded to the echo
by unwhOlsome looking women on
the stage and in the audience. /
don't think there can be a doubt
that avpry JvOman'S SUFFRAGE con-