Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-02-14

} We should be glad, if the limits OF our
l space permitted, to copy freely from the
, closing debate on the Eimunds resolutions,
r as reported In the congressional GlOJs.
, The talking was chiefly done by the South
; ern Senators and some of them talked with
very decided ability and interest. They
were ably and spiritedly, though briefly, met
f by Mr.. Edmunds and Mr.. Iloar. The
/ former thus aptly set forth the position Of
the Southern Senators
, Mr. Eimunds-Mr President, profession
is one thing and practice is another. 1t is
all very nice for few dozen gentlemen on
tine other side to get up and say that they
, are in favor of the Constitution of the
United States with all its trimmings, and re-
fuse to do anything about it. 1t is very
easy to say that, and know of nobody more
capable of saying it than my honorable
friends on the other side. Bot when it
comes, as 1t has in times gone by, to pro-
posing to do anything about it, then the
gentlemen say, Oh no oh no; it is too
late, or it is too carly it is too vague, it is
mysterious, it is to- something never let
us do anything about it at all.
Here is a resolution which declares that
certain amendments of the Constitution
have been legally ratified and are valid ;
that all the people of the United States have
common interest in their enforcement.
The Senators, all those who have spoken,
say ave are all for that, but We are not in
favor of putting our names on record in favor
of it." Four or five out of forty or thirty
six, whatever the number is, may say that
they are in favor of il in the abstract but
when you come to the concrete of proposing
to say 50 on record instead of in the speeches
of four or five of the number, they say "Oh,
no it is all fustian it leads to debate; -
and it evidently does. Those gentlemen are
determined not to put themselves on record
in favor of what they say they believe in,
and what | must suppose they Do. There
is the difference, Mr.. President, between
profession and practice.
1t has been so all the time. When the
thirteenth amendment was proposed every
body on that side said. believe, in debate,
"Why, slavery has gone by, the proclama-
ton of President Lincoln abolished slavery
as an act of war, as the Supreme Court have
already said; when it was also said that
the Congress of the Republic was not willing
to leave it As an act Of war, but wished to
make it perpetual against all possible qucs
ton by amendment to the Constitution.
| Our friends on the other side then said, lust
as they say now, DO not say that do not
ask us to vote for any such thing, it is all
done y; and so they voted against II and so
of the next and the next and so of every
law that has been proposed to eifectuate any
part Of these amendments as | said before.
And now when we propose that committee
of this body shall be called upon to consider
and report a bill which shall protect the
citizens OF the several States and of the nited
States in the right to vote for members OF
Congress and punish iniractions OF that
right, they say that is not practical that it
might have been done before, that the COM
mittee is in fault that it did no, do it before
Suppose the committee is in fault, is it not
a good time to do it now ? What sort of an
argument is that addressed to the Senate
which says that committee or some mem
Der of that committee, like myself, has failed |
in duty in not proposing something before
which ought to be done therefore the Sen |
ate will not propose to do it now We will |
ignore the whole subject and send it away |
because a committee has failed to do what it |
ought to have done II Senators can stand |
on that SORT of logic or that sort of |
patriotism, then let them stand. As |
was said on memorable occasion |
about the eyes of Delaware being upon
certain officer, the ewes Of the people Of the
Republic are upon US now. They know
what all this thing means, | think and
they will know hereafter what it means
and while one party in this country processes
that it believes in these amendments as valid,
and yet is unwilling to take any step which
shall give vitality to these amendments to
carry them into execution that no law has
been proposed or can be proposed that any
one of these gentlemen will vote for and
in order to avoid voting yea" or nav
upon any of these propositions they say,
"let US postpone it ifSenators can stand
that, we can but let US vote.
The Massage between Mr. Rsct and Ar
- .I,,.... -.
hiiiunus' was aiIuueu 10 IN our 'eiegrdphic
dispatches, Mr. Beck said
Fifteen months ago presented to the Com
mittee on the Judiciary of the Senate a bill
seeking for the removal of all political disa
bilities in order to place men upon an
equality everywhere. / presented another
bill seeking to repeal the test oaths, which
President Grant had years ago said were a
farce, as only men who could take them
were required Ia ssAe them. and man u he
could not were not lreqnired to do so. l
presented Oils before that committee seek
ing 10 reform lhe jury law ana remove odious
so as 10 allow trials TO be
nau peiore ohiteu States courts Win men
VINO were competent 10 SIT upon Jnries' hav-
ing righl 10 SIT there' l presented another
Dill before that committee providing that
young men, most Oh ~hom were TOO young
10 take part IN the confederate army, should
now nave fight 10 seek positions IN the
army ana navy oil the nited States, from
which they are now debarred. When |
went 10 Inc distinguished chairman OF the
committee on judiciary asking consldera-
Iion OIL ,he Dill lor mat purpose
anu saiu 10 MIN that boy ,
v no was page IN o'a'e Legislature
III 'he oou'h uurin9 .he war couiu not now =
'er'e ms country anu was aepaffcu because =,
d existing laws from seeking these places, !
y nlie men couiu oe rresiuehtS ana VICE ,
: iesiuehts anu Senators ana members OF ,
JohgiesS no matter no" hign they were In +
me .Ohiederacy, anu asHeu MIN TO report q
ne pHl, was met py Sheer ana the re, I;
naih' why u,un nc run ior the Onlted
,'"'eS senate lhat closed our converse
ION on inc SUBJECT ihe>e measures have
ecu m'nheiu from Inc Senate in their n
heiu Dack even until now I,
'nen We arc mt ny Poii'iIai cohuhufumS
'ni1n a'e lhtenueu 10 pfouuce ana revive \
tor from Vermont complains that we will
measures he desires to present IH.re IS
MY one ttin9 10 Be thankful for, and that q,