Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1879-02-22

Democratic in our views, nor shall /
we as we proceed. The session of |
this winter has been. characterized |
by an even aggregated intensity Of
party spirit and an Absence still |
more complete Of statesmanlike re-
gard for the nations prosperity.
The arrearages of pensions bill Is
known by both parties as an abb
from the treasury Of many
millions for the benefit Of impoStors
md claim agents, and the bill which
passed the house for the suppression
Of Chinese immigration was voted
in defiance of the Constitution and
treaty obligations by both RepubIi-
can and Democrat; because the
former measure was bait for the
old soldier vote and the latter con-
tanned capital for the coming Cali
fornia election.
The most barefaced, however, of
factious measures, The most fruitful
in sectional bad blood and the most
barren of all possible beneficial re-
suits if the set of resolutions in
which the fire brand Edmonds re-
lffirms the Fourteenth and Fiji
reenth Amendments and calls for
additional Congressional action to
enforce them. All practical meas
Ires bearing on trade. finance, cur
rency, railroads, river improve
nents are voted out of the way to
make room for these rabid emana-
lions of factious and sectional strife !;
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS these
party squabbles a lions share of the
time which is so soreiy needed for
benignant legislation has been de-
nOunced in terms SO much more
forcible and opposite than any with
in our power to express that we
lose this article with the trenchant
onslaught made by Senator Beck on
he malignant author OF these reso-
utiOns. Here is his speech on the
1dmonds resolution delivered on
he 9th inst:
Mr.. President, there never has been O Ilo-
nent since these political conundrums were
PRESENTED that / was not ready 10 vote upon
hem. have never regarded them as hav-
-ug been offered in good faith, or with de-
ire 10 accomplish any honest purpose, and,
therefore,, have been prepared to vote
against the resolutions Of the Senator from
Vermont, and for the substitute offered by
he Senator from Alabama, or any proper
amendment TO it. Grave questions affecting
he best interests OF this people are before
he Senate, questions relative TO taxation,
measures seeking TO relieve the people from
| Iurdens, to the extending of our commerce,
| o aid them in a variety of ways; but they
| ave all been set aside, perhaps forever in
! mis- Congress, and political debate, mean
| .ng nothing, asking for nothing, proposing
| nothing, has been Kept before the senate for
1 week in order to endeavor to fool the cOun'
| Try and to enable some senator to make
Jeople somewhere believe that there are
| men here who were seeking to destroy their
| liberties and overthrow their Constitution
md laws.
Fifteen months ago presented to the
! Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate q
| ill seeking for the removal of all political
disabilities in order to place men upon an
quality everywhere. presented another
| ill seeking TO repeal the test oaths, which
| President Grant had years ago said were q
| iarce, and only men who could take them
| we're required to take them, and men who
| could not were not required to do so. ! pre-
s2nted bills before that committee seeking
| 10 reform the jury law and remove Odious
/ iisqualifications, so as TO allow trials TO be
iIad before United States Courts with men
| who were competent to sit upon jurieS, hav-
.ng a right to sit there. presented another
/ oil before that committee, providing that
| young men, most of whom were too young
/ To take part in the Confederate army, should
| new have a right 10 seek positions in the
| army and navy of the Unitad States, from
| which they are now debarred. When
| went 20 the distinguished Chairman of the
| Committee on the Judiciary asking consid-
9ration of the bill for that purpose and said
1 20 him that a boy who was page in a State
| Legislature in the South during the wal
| sOuld not now serve his country and was
/ lebarred because OF existing laws from seek
1 ing these places, while men could be PreSi-
/ tents and Vice Presidents and Senators and
| members of Congress no matter how high
| ney were In the COnfederacy, and asked
| aim to report the bill. / was met by sneeI
md the remark, "Why didn' I he run for the
/ United States Senate" That closed OuI
/ conversation on the subject.
| There has been no good faith in the action
/ IF the judiciary Committee in seeking u
/ give peace to the country, in seeking TO give
| relief to the people, in seeking to bring men
| together and make us once more homo
! seneous people; but on the contrary the
| Committee which stands charged with tn,
| most important duties to the country hold
| Iack all those great measures, and Will not
| even allow the Senate TO consider them, buI
| its Chairman seeks to occupy the attention
| Of the Senate with political conundrum
| that mean nothing, but distract, divide and
| make still more bitter the feelings that ar
| fast dying out and would have been dead
long ago but for the effort of q few politicians
| % keep them alive.
Therefore / say that in all this debate ]
| have taken no interest whatever, but have
| sought to bring the questions to vote and
| to proceed with the legitimate business OF
1 the country. l declare il TO be my opinion
| that the Judiciary Committee, under the
| lead of the Senator from Vermont, has
| withheld from this Senate great and import
| ant measures that would have brought
peace to this people and would have restored
4 harmony among them they have withheld
| from the Senate the right to vote upon
| questions repeating test Oaths, removing pO-
litical disabilities, giving itigants honest
| juTies where they have a right to have
| them, and giving the young men who hay
| the country the right TO fill them. Thes-
| measures have been withheld from the Sen
| ate in their committee-rOom, held buck
| even until now when we are met by politt
| cal cOnundrums which are intended to pro-
duce and revive bad feeling all over tn
| land and the Senator from Vermont COM
| plains that we will not give him authority
| to bring in the measures he desires to pre-
| sent! There is only one thing to be thank
ful for, and that is that in less than thirty
| days this Congress will expire and the Com
| mittee on the Judiciary will be dissolved
and other and fairer men will have cOntro
lit lApplause in the galleries.
But the nation can put an end tC
this wasting of legislative time and
labor if it will. Let it demand with
a voice such as no political party
has ever yet resisted solution O
the business problems which are
now so imperatively demanding
settlement, and this sectional blood
and thunder will soon be superseded
by true national business.
,.x- r.O~nnr nCDS, nDnDnSu