The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-04-21
BLAINE VS.. CARPENTER.
A Spirited Debate in the United States
Senate on the Geneva Award Bill.

Senate on the Geneva Award Bill.
New York, April 20.-A Washington de-
spatch says there was very spirited combat
between giant intellects in the Senate yester-
day, lasting from the expiration of the morn
ing hour until after o'clock, commanding the
undivided attention of crowded galleries and
of as large an audience of Senators and Rep
resentatives as could be comfortably accommo.
dated upon the floor of the chamber. 1t be-
came known last week that Senator Carpenter
would, to use the language of the Grant men,
Ego for the scalp of Senator Blaine" in the
course OF a speech which he had prepared upon
the Geneva award bill 1t was immediately
understood that his motive was quite as much
to show that the Senator from Maine does not
deserve his great reputation as a ready debater
as to secure for the insurance companies the
unpaid millions of the Geneva award now
awaiting distribution. On two occasions dur-
ing the last fortnight he has alluded in slight
ing terms and contemptuous manner to the
legal ability OF Senator Blaine, and has ridi-
culed the arguments advanced by the latter.
Senator Blaine, in his retorts, has not mani
tested the consideration he would have accord
ed to less renowned antagonist.
On the last occasion when the two crossed
swords Senator Blaine secured in the judy
ment OF the galleries at least, decidedly the adj
vantage. Senator Carpenter is not the kind of
man to let contest of words end while the adj.
vantage rests with his antagonist. 1t was late
last Friday when he began his speech, and he
held the floor for its completion to-day. His
arguments upon the merits of the controversy
were worthy of all the praise that can be be-
slowed upon them They seemed during their
delivery to be unanswerable. They were not
novel, and, indeed, it is impossible that any
thing new can remain to be said upon a sub
Ject which has been discussed so MANY wears.
In the remarks directed especially to Senator
Blaine he alluded in tones of inimitable sar-
casm to the habits of statesmen as contrasted
with those of mere lawyers. He said that sem
ators were rot acting as lawyers; the Senator
from Maine had emancipated himself from
law and from justice as he had from the re-
corded facts, and was soaring aloft in the blue
ether of craftsmanship. He alluded at least
twenty times to the habits of lawyers, describ-
ed what lawyers would and would not do, and
become too much addicted to lawyer-like
methods of reasoning to be able readily to
break away from them.
Last week Senator Blaine had asserted that he
held letter from a gentleman to whom the
president of Philadelphia insurance COM
no claims against the government
on account of the Geneva award.
Mr.. Carpenter sent to the clerks desk tele-
grams from the presidents of all the insurance
companies of philadelphia, which had sustain
ed losses from Confederate cruisers, denying
that the corporations ever disclaimed any
right to participate in the award.
He reached his climax when deal
ing with the alleged letter of Caleb Cushing
from which Mr.. Blaine had quoted. This
letter he declared to be in his opinion
forgery; and he sent to the Clerks desk an
affidavit signed and sworn to by j. Langdon
Ward, saying that Mr.. Gushing had pronoun-
ced it to be a forgery.
Senator Blaine asked leave to interrupt for
moment but was rather discourteously refused
permission, and was lectured at some length
upon the proper function of an interruption as
lawyers understand it. Senator Carpenter
closed his speech by sending to the clerk
desk to be read several extracts from the
messages of President Grant, to whom he al
luded as the greatest captain of the age, a
man who has become lover of peace by
witnessing the horrors of war. There was
suppressed applause in the galleries as the
Senator from Wiconsin stalked away to the
cloak-room.
Senator Blaine sat quietly throughout the
delivery OF the speech, apparently not relish
ing its sharp thrusts and sarcasms, and never
joining in the laugh occasionally raised at his
expense. When he rose to speak, he said he
would make no reference to the frequent allu-
sions to his alleged dislike for lawyers" his
from Wisconsin and others had otter reminded
him that he was not lawyer; the wit would
have been brighter, the thrust keener, if he
had ever laid claim to the distinction, and for
the satisfaction of the honorable Senator he
begged to say that he was not; he had never
been in court as an attorney, plaintiff, de-
PENDANT, witness or juror; he had nothing to
answer for and no responsibilities in that re-
gard, but he had spent two years of his young
life under the tuition of a lawyer who was too
great ID taunt anybody. The Senator from
Wisconsin had lectured to the Senate upon
common honesty, and had referred to the uni
versal demand upon every principle of law and
justice that the demands of the insurance
companies should be recognized. There is an
adage, he said, that liars should always have
UOOd rnamnripc n rh+ t,b how
good memories. The Senator from Wisco n
son, who had occupied seat in the Senate for
two years during the time when this question
first came before Congress, had recorded his
vote six distinct times in direct opposition to the
claims OF the insurance companies, which he is
now so strenuously advocating upon every prin-
ciple of law and Justice.
Senator Blaine, warming up to his work,
soon had the entire audience in sympathy with
him. He caused much amusement by his fire.
quent complimentary illusions to the legal
ability of the Senator from Wisconsin, "who
we all know is great lawyer" while showing
from that Senator's own record that his course
had been utterly inconsistent. Referring to
the Gushing letter, Mr.. Blaine produced a let
ter from Richard S. Spofford, a gentleman
who was perhaps better qualified than any
other living person, 10y reason of long intimate
personal and business relations with Mr. Cush-
ing, to speak as with authority. Mr.. Spofford
declared that the letter of Mr.. Gushing was
authentic; that it was written partly at Mr.
Spofford's instance, partly at the instance of
certain merchants in Boston, and hat on re-
peated occasions Mr.. Cushing h. expressed
opinions consistent with those contained in the
letter. Mr.: Blaine then produced a book
written by Mr.. Cushing, the authenticate Of
which he hoped the Sn.saeor-frU1n Wisconsin
would admit since it had been presented to
him by Mr.. Gushing himself, and contained
the authors autograph. From this Senator
Blaine quoted passages embodying the identi-
cal views contained in the letter of Mr.. Cush-
ing, and making it clear that there was no
ground for the assumption of forgery. Point
by point Mr.. Blaine followed the speech of the
Senator from Wisconsin, meeting and refuting
legal arguments with as much readiness as he
dealt with questions of fact, and asking di-
rect questions, to which Senator Carpenter
made no attempt to reply, although Senator
Blaine paused to give him the opportunity.
Senator Blaine then turned his attention to
Senator Bayard and Senator Thurman, each
OF whom was brought to his feet by an attempt
to explain inconsistencies which appeared in
their records. By the almost unanimous con-
currence of his impartial auditors Senator
Blaine proved himself to be much more than
match for all his antagonists.
Senator Carpenter, usually the best natured
OF men, had the bad taste to get angry at his
punishment; and in a brief attempt to reply
declared that he had learned in his long prac-
tice before the courts never himself to be inso-
lent to an antagonist but when insolence was
melted out to him to give as good as was sent.
He recovered his equanimity almost immedi-
ately and an amusing colloquy followed in
which Mr.. Blaine complmented General
Grant for his consistency and soundness of
views upon this question, which he showed
were in entire accord with his own and antag-
onistic to those of the Senator from Wiscon-
sin.
Senator Blaine at the close was warmly con-
graduated by many Senators and Representa-
tives, Democrats as well as Republicans.
NFADTNE KTnvTYC