Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-04-12
North Carolina. That gentleman said in the
debate (see Record of yesterdays


versation time adding that he would have strain
ed his conscience for that purpose II his vote would
nave carried it for Donney, because he did not want
70 go against his party That think was about the
Springer also said that the high regard he had for
Messrs Manning Beltzhoover and myself, members
OF the subcommittee, would have induced him to
vote IN the committee 10 seat Mr.. Donnely II his
vote could have accomplished that object"
This statement Mr.. Springer did not deny;
nay, he affirmed its truth by what he did say.
he says in reply: 81 did not strain it, Mr.
Speaker, Laughter and am glad he did not"
Now, why should insult a man who was
always ready to vote for me whenever his
vote would seat me. And in what shame
tul light does this uncontradicted. this admit
ted testimony of Gov. Armfeld's place Col.
Keller, who stated that as far back as Feb
rnary 70 Mr.. Springer told him that he was
opposed to throwing out Isanti county, with
out which 1 could not be seated. And how
will Messrs. Spear, Phister and Weaver ex-
plain their slanderous statements that this
gentleman, who was in favor of seating me
whenever his vote would do so, had told
| them that he was opposed to seating me at
all?
And Gov. Armfeld makes another surpris-
ing statement, also not denied by Mr.. Springer.
He says:
"Mr. Speaker, as I stated, the only conversation
between Mr.. Springer and myself was after the final
vote was taken. That was on last Thursday. came
W LILY seat III the House ana MI. called me
out. he remarked to me that Mr.. Manning was
very much excited told him that he was excited
and knew Mr.. Manning was candid and honest in
what he was saying, because he had said to me fire.
quenty before the vote was taken that Mr.. Springer
had assured him that he with us on both points,
namely, the unseating of Mr.. Washburn and the
seating of Mr.. Donnelly. Mr.. Springer remarked
that he did not doubt that Mr.. Manning perfect
ly honest, but that Mr.. Manning had evidently mis-
understood him. He went on to say to me that he
r Springer) had repeatedly, at the instance Of Mr..
1nn FOL Ynd 70 Mr. Gflnnn of oTdn1
Clark, of New jersey trying to get them to go with
us, and Mr. Springer added that he found them both
'as solid as rock >
Mr.. Manning-Was it to go with us the single or
on both points in the controversy?
Mr.. Armfeld-I thought it was on both. I do not
know that he said both, but he said he found them
both as solid a rock and that they could not be
moved. He added, Mr.. Manning does not believe
talked to them for that purpose, but they will both
| tell you that did,"
| Now, MIR. Manning had requested Mr..
| Springer to see Clark, Phister, Weaver and
| Speer. For what purpose? To get them to
support the resolution to seat me- 1t was not
| necessary for Mr.. Springer to induce Mr..
Weaver and Mr.. Phister to support the resolu-
| tlon to unseat WashDurn, for they were both
well known to be in favor of that resolution
| and voted for it. If he went to those gentle
| men at Mr.. Manning's instance it could only
| have been to get them right on the final ques-
| ton, the seating of Donnelly.
| And what more natural than that he should
| so labor with them when he admits that he
was himself ready to vote to seat me. And he
! goes to all four of these gentlemen and labors
with them to bring them to the same conclu-
sion already reached by himself and Mr.. Man
ming, to-wit, the seating of Donnelly, and he
| complained to Gov. Armfeld that MIR. Manning
| is so uncharitable as to believe that he,
Springer, has not acted in good faith that is to
! say, that while pretending to advocate the
seating of Donnelly, he, Springer, has been
working against Donnelly, and he, Springer,
| thereupon calls upon Messrs. Phister, Speer
| and Weaver, and they demonstrate to nicely
that Manning's suspicious were correct, and
that he Springer, was really strengthening
| those gentlemen in their resolution to vote
| against Donnelly while pretending to plead
| Donnelly's cause. So shameful an attempt on
the part of three men to contradict great and
good man, to accuse him of duplicity and to
| give color to the suspicious of his enemies
has never been witnessed on the floor of the
House. And then Mr.. Springer called upon
Mr.. Calkins, of Indiana, to testify in his be-
half, with the following result:
ION Thursday, possibly Wednesday, of last
week. just before the gentleman from Illinois went
| to New York. he called upon and asked me to
pair with him both in the House and in the commit
tee Up to that time did not know how the gentle
man from Illinois stood upon the question. L i'm
medatey put the question to him as to how he stood
| upon the Donnelly and Washburn case. am not
able now to recollect the exact language that was
used upon the occasion, but the substance of it
that if his vote was not necessary to decide the seat
| ing of Donnely he desired me TO pair all the way
through with him. but if my vote was necessary to
keep Donnelly from being seated, he authorized me
to vote in the committee. That was the substance
of the conversation between u.s."
See what a rent the envious Calkins made.
Consider this for one moment. Mr.. Springer
was paired with MIR. Calkins sail the way
| through that is, upon both unseating Wash
burn and seating Donnelly, and he was to be
thus given out as in favor of me; but if his vote
could be of any real use to me, if there was any
chance of my being seated, the pair was off.
He was for me if 1 was in the minority, but
against me if there was any show of my being
in the majority. He stood in the position of
the fellow who was in favor of the Maine liquor
law but opposed to putting it in force. Imag
inc man rising on the floor of the House and
saying, "Mr. Speaker, am heartily in favor
of this measure, but If my vote is necessary to
pass it, then am opposed to it," What would
be the standing of that man among honorable
statesmen? And see where Mr.. Springer's wit
nesses leave him. He proves by Mr.. Armfeld
that he was ready to vote for me whenever his
vote would seat me- but at no other time; and
he provessbY Mr.. Calkins that he was ready to
vote for me at all other times except when his
vote would seat me ! The head sw1ms in try
ing to understand the peculiarities of Mr..
Springer's position.
Mr.. Springer, in his speech, demonstrated
that the Democratic party and his associates on
the committee were seeking to do base and
foul wrong, to steal sovereign State, because
they might gain partisan advantage thereby,
but that he (Mr. Springer) was altogether too
pure and good man to be a party to so great
a,crime; and that he rose upon the wings of his
conscience to that glorious level where par
tisan considerations fail to touch the heart of
man. Nay, SO determined was he. to clear his
skirts of the proposed crime of seating Don
nelly, that he blackens the whole Democratic
party, drags in the dirt the fair fame of an
illustrious man and furnishes Unlimited capt.
tai to his political opponents. And now comes
Gov. Armfield and testifes that this same gen.
tleman was willing and ready at any time; yes,
even so late as last Thursday-even up to the
very moment of final action
to HAYS cast his vote to &C
complish this horrible crime, and Mr.. Spring
er does not deny the truth of this statement.
He tumbles down, wings, conscience and all
from the cerulean heights of the heavens of
purity to what he asserts to be the very dirty
work of dirty party politics, simply saying
with Macbeth
60 If 'twere done when tits done, then 'twere well
1t were done quickly; if the assassination
Could trammel up the consequence and catch