Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-05-14
Gratis Joining these Senators in opposing


it. NIL:
In the following December the Republl-
cans in Congress came together TO peSih
the great fight with Andrew johnson
which consumed the two following years,
and to Mr. Edmunds was entrusted the
charge of the tenure of office act, which
he reported to the Senate and advocated
till it was passed Mr.. Edmunds was
now n member of the Judiciary committee,
of which he has always since continued
to be a member, and for several years
was the chairman before the democrats
obtained the majority. As member oi
this committee he has had leading part
| in shaping all the more important leglsia-
ton of Congress for the past thirteen
wears. With the reconstruction leglsln-
ton no man had more to do. The records
of Congress show his careful attention to
and earnest discussion of every detail of
the great measures of the Republican
party which were designed to garner up
and preserve ''the fruits of the war. In
the great contest with johnson he was
vigorous participant, but being "a young
Senator" he could not then take so prom
inent a part ms some others. 1t was never
his way TO force himself into any posi-
ton of prominence, and as he has risen
purely bv his talent he has avoided en-
tircly those jealousies which often mar
the careers of public men. He was
painstaking critic of every law that was
passed. and no man has addressed the
Senate oftener. In 1868 he stood dsquare
ly by the side of Sumner and Wade Ill
sustaining Stanton. All that he could do
to put Johnson out of the White House
was done. When that enterprise failed
it was Mr.. Edmunds who moved vote OF
thanks to Stanton which was carried. But
the temper of his action was always IN
accord with the speeches of 1866, quoted
above. He worked for his party because
he believed that his party was the friend
and supporter of human rights; In 1869
Grant came into power and the Senate
chamber became the theatre of novel po-
litical scenes. Sumner, SchurZ and Trlim-
bull ouarrelled with the administration
and finally left the party. The San Do
mingo scheme was the rock on which the
party in the Senate split, and on this
question Mr.. Edmunds has most praise
worthy record He agreed entirely with
Mr. Sumner in regard to the unwlsdom
of Grants course in this affair. But, IN
like Mr. Sumner, he did not quarrel with
Grant On the contrary, he maintained
very friendly relations with HIM, but he
earnestly urged the President that his
San Domingo policy was unwise and
against our public policy, and did all lii
his power, both privately and III the Sen
ate chamber, to prevent the annexation
of that worthless island. He was fortu-
nate in having the tact, which Sumner
lacked, to get on with Grant, and the lat
ter has always praised the Vermont Ssna-
tor for his plain and practical good sense.
For Mr. Edmunds the ex-Presi dent has
the kindest feelings, and If 1t becomes
necessary for him to withdraw from the
presidential contest there isno man whom
it will give him more pleasure to see nom
mated than Mr.. Edmunds.
1t is unnecessary to go over III detail
the Senatorial career of Mr.. Edmunds.
There are few prominent points IN his
course since 1870 which it will suffice to
recall to the public mind. In the long
contest over the State government IN
Louisiana Mr.. Edmunds was always an
earnest advocate of his party claims and
supporter of the administration, but he
never went as far as Morton and other
extremists, and when Morton undertook
to seat the vulgar pretender Plnchback 1t
WAS Mr. Edmunds who put his foot down
and blocked that audacious scheme. In
this affair also he avoided any quarrel
with Grant, but he would never have
made all the brutal errors i'll dealing with
the South that were made by Grant. On
the financial question no man now in
Congress has more admirable record
than Mr.. Edmunds From the beginning
of his term of service he was 4 vigorous
advocate of measures for the return 10
specie payment. He believed that this
object could not he obtained without the
adoption of definite policy for years be
fore IT was adopted. When the reaction
from the Innation movement occurred,
after the panic Of 1873 and the veto by
Grant of the '.four hundred million bill,
it was Edmunds and ConklinG who forced
the Republican Senators i'll caucus to
agree upon the resumption act. This was
passed in January. 1870, and no man has
a better claim to its authorship than
George +. Edmunds. More recently his
great achievement in originating the cleo
toral commission act, through which Mr..
Tilden was shelved and Mr.. Hayes peace
fully seated in the White House, has won
for him no little party prestige, and 1t is
n curious testimony To his courage and
ability that while no other man had 80
much to do with the great settlement of
1876, no other man on the Republican
side, who had any share in it at ALL has
been so little abused by his political OPP
ponents. have heard from prominent
democrats in the Senate the arguments
by which some Of them at least were in
duced to consent to the scheme of the
commission. In the winter of 1867,
.l,n,, I,a az
the presidential dispute, Mr. Edmunds
carried the coolest head in Congress. He
told his Democratic friends that if some
form of arbitration was not devised there
could be but one result of the dispute.
He said that the two houses of Congress
would meet to count the electoral votes i'll
their accustomed manner. The count
would proceed, all the returns would be
read and at the end the vice-president pro
tenn would declare that Mr.. Tides had
1856 votes and Mr.. Hayes lSj votes. With
this the two houses would separate, and
nothing more could be done. When the
4th of March arrived President Grant
would recognize Mr.. Hayes as the man
who had the best right to the presidential
Office and would turn the executive de-
partments and the army over to him, and
&
would be treated us reasonable. But Mr..
Edmunds foresaw that this would be a
most unfortunate way of installing Il
president, and that it might involve ter
rible wrench in the form Of our govern
ment. So he invented the idea of the
electoral commission, and gave Mr.. Hayes
title which has, for all practical pur-
poses, proved to be ms good II one rs any
president has ever had.
One of the greatest public services
ever rendered by Mr. Edmunds was the
/ Pacific railroad funding act, originated
and carried through the Senate by him
sell and Mr. Thurman against the op-
position of all the jobbers in the Senate.
By this act millions of dollars have been
saved to the government and the rela-
tions of the Pacific railroads to the gov
ernment definitely established 1t was
one of the best things he ever did, and
the people owe debt of lasting graft
tude to him and Mr. Thurman for the
passage of this measure. As u senator
Mr.. Edmnnds is noted for his strict
adherence to all the rules of the Senate.
He is a great stickler for privacy in the
proceedings Of committees, and TO u cor
respondent who once Ind the temerlty to
ask him for some information about what
was going on in the Judiciary committee,
he replied, "You must understand sir,
that there is one committee Of the Senate
which observes all heproprietits.
Scientific Miscellany.
compiled for the Free Prrs-
The researches of DIR. Bollingrr show
that the milk of cows suffering from tn
bercular disease may communicate the