The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-03-12
The Scene Between Larnar and Hoar
and Esimunis.


The Scene Between Lnmnr and Hoar
and EsinuneiS.
: [New York Suns Washington Letter.
Lamar rose. There was dead silence as
'he ueTan TO speak. senators on seotifss itttts
leaned forward eXpectantly-r lle@had left
bis seat in the outer row OF desks and taken
his stand midway on the Democratic side In
the trout row. with Harris Of Tennessee on
one side and Wallace Of Pennsylvania on.
the other. An oDen volume Of the Congress
Siondt Record lay on The desk before him.
lie began very deliberately, saving he must
confess his surprise and regret that the
Senator from Massachusetts should have
wantonly, without proyocation. flung this
insult; but almost the first sentence he ut
tered was punctuatcd by the sharp, quick
rap OF the Presidents gavai. Edmunds was
in the chair, as grim and scyere-looking rs
fate itself. Uc said sharply: 1.-The Senator
from Mississippi will suspend, as he is out
OF order" ......- ---.,.
Lamar, with surprised expression OH
his face, locked up iuquirinyly ut the Char.
EdmundS had risen, and stood with one
hand resting on the Presidents desk, bis
tall form towering above the exhausted
clerks at tie desk below. With great tic-
liberation he said ''Iu the judgment of the
Chair the Seuator from Mississippi Is out OF
order in using parliamentary language"
Lamar >traightencd up, folded his arms,
threw back his head. and deliberately enun.
ciating every word, said: In the judg-
mcnt Of the Senator from Mississippi he Is
entirely in order, anu his language is not
only parliamentary. but literally and strict
| ly true
"Thc Senator from Mississippi will take
| his sea,.' sharply retorted Edmunds, en-
phaticalIy puncuatng the command with
rap OF the gavcl; 1.-the Chair has decided
that the Senator from Mississippi is out OF
order, bis language being unparilament-
ary."
Lamar sat down, hut quickly came to his
| feet again. and said calmly ~ appeal from
the decision OF the Chair" and then he took
bis seat.
Garland demanded that the words OF the
Senator from Mississippi should be taken
Down and read.
Edmunds said. :'The reporter will rcad,"
and Shuey, the assistant Senate reporter,
read from his notes, in clear, distinct
voice, the interdictcd sentence OF Lamar's
speech.
Is the Senate ready for the question !?
Shall the Judgment Of the Chair be sustain
cd:" was the formal demand put to the
Senate. ... - : -
"The yeas and nays! !" exclaimed half
dozen Democratic senators.
1.-THE yeas and nays are demanded; Is
there Sccond!" quietly said Edmunds.
Up went score of hands on the Demo
cratic side.
! "The yeas and nays are ordered; the
Clerk will call the roll,' continued Ed
mundS, almost in the same breath. The roll
was called. and by large majority the de-
cision Of The Chair WAS reversed. With
great suayity Of manner Edmunds turned
his face toward Lamar. and said: The
Senate decides that the Senator from Missis-
sippi is in order. lie will procecd.'
There was faint effort at applause in the
galleries: but Lamar threw up his hands
deprccatingly. and the Presidents gayel
caine down With quick, sharp sound, and
ncrfcct stiffness rei"ned. With an effort at
sclf.rcstraint, and slowly and deliberately,
Lamar began again. Senator Blaine, who
OF all men is certainly competent critic,
says he never saw 4 man display more tact
than Lamar under the trying circumstances
in which he was placed. He made no apo!-
ouv for the language lie had used but lie
said ii there was one senator "ho lelt
arrrieved he would Willingly Withdraw
Whatever he had said. PauSlng an in
slant. as though for reply, he pro-
cecdcd as deliberately rs before. Usually
Lamar is an impasSioncd speaker, but on
this occasion he seemingly weighed every
word he uttered. He made III unqualified
defence OF Jefferson Davis and Of the whole
southern people. claiming that they were
actuatcd by the highest motives and IN
spircd by the loftiest patriotism. Mr. Davis.
he said, was the representative simply Oh
the southern people, and he as we'll Us they
dedicated their lives and fortunes to cause
they believed to be right. 4 wantoa insult
had been offered TO them by the motion
from the Senator from M2SsachuSeitS,
and TO himself and every other southern
man in the Senate who in less degree
ONLY had been the representative OF their
! people in that great struggle. But thcY
| had bowed to the decree OF tate, ana 10Y.
ally accepted The situation when the GOD OF
battles had decided against them. since
the wa" no man had more unrcscrFcdiy nc
ceptcd the situation than Mr.. Davis. lie
had coun>elcd no insurrcction, had ad-
yiscd no factious resistance after the great
struggle was ended by the overthrow CT the
| southern armies. The meaning OF the
speaker was plain. He meant that Davis
| had not. Immediately after the surrender,
sought to prolong the struggle by guerrilla
! warfare.
|
evcr-ready and always vigiant Blaine, and
| u,cd with great effect few minutes later.
! In speaking of the motives that inspired
Uoar's motion, Lamar used singularly-
appropriate figure OF speech. lie was re-
fcrrine to the persistent attacks upon DAVIS,
| q broken and aged man. He said that the
| Senator from Massachusetts, he believed,
classcd himself among those who were
| called Christian statesmen. lie might nave
learned more CHARITY even from heatheh
| mythology. ., .,,u,oa
At this point the spcaker'paused, turned,
and. in stage whisper, asked: " " no was II
that was chained TO the rock 7" and Ihur-
man, across three rows OF desks, Whisper
cd, Pronethcus."
Without more than deliberate rest, La
mar went on. ''When Prometheus was
chained to the rock it was not an eagle tna
plucked at his vtals, but vu!turr." Inc
action was suited to the utterance; as he
said it was not an eagle that pluckcd at his
yits!s, the arms were thrown up and the
curying swoop Of the king OF birds was &C.
gcrbcd in the gesture, and then rs lie Missed
cut it was vuIture the right arm straight
ened out and the indeX-iinger pointed at
Hoar. Ii was as fine and effective piece OF
oratory as l ever witnessed. Hoar feit the
sting.
AS Lamar finished and sat down Hoar
rose and made half-apolo9etic defence.
He said that If he had thought that ms mo-
ton would have been Interpreted by The
Senator from Mississippi, and those who,