Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-06-02

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| 1t was read again.
| Thurman hope it will be the idea of the
majority of the senate in very short time, and
| of congress and of the president. do not I'M
dertake to say that every supervisor of election
who has been appointed heretofore is o bad
| at all, but know there have been bad men
among them-one man SO bad that think his
| name will be infamous in the history Of this
country, and I do not purpose that he shall be
| supervisor Of electi IF / can help it.
| Edmunds asked if there was any precedent
for congress to declare that certain persons
should not hold Office because they have held
some Office before. The Supreme Court had
even decided law unconstitutional which dis
qualified persons who had engaged in rebellion.
Thurman said there were precedents in the
constitution ITSELF An importer could not be
appointed secretary Of the treasury. These
election laws said only one of the commissioners
of courts should be appointed supervisor. This
practically DISTINGUISHED everybody else.
Hoar said this bill WAS part of a scheme to
destroy liberties by sort of dry rot. The gov
eminent was not to be overthrown by blood and
violence, but by corruption of the ballot box.
An animated running debate followed.
Voorhees, then took the floor and demanded
of those who had charged the Democratic side
with fearing to discuss questions of public IN
terest to name the matters SO evaded.
Edmunds-It would take all afternoon. Your
mouths have been shut up Like dead oysters,
but under the influence of this hot weather you
seem to have got off your balance.
Voorhees, asked them to name any question
ut all that they have desired to discuss and in
the absence of response by senators who made
the charge will denounce it as not true.
Edmunds-Well, take the marshal bill
Voorhees-Have we not discussed it fully?
Edmunds-Not very much. And then take
the other thing?
voorhees-The other things. That is an
ideal expression for the scholarly senator from
Vermont.
Edmunds-I borrow it from the senator from
Ohio who said once we were all things to all
men.
voorhees-Oh, no. The senator is trifing.
Edmunds-Will my kind friend, who is IN
such good temper, allow me to read O statement
of the "Big Injun" Of this Democratic wig
wan (referring to Thurman) that it is the bust
ness of the Republicans to talk and of the
Democrats to vote?
Voorhees, challenge the senator from Colo
RADIO, the senator from New York, and any other
senator, to name any question we have declined
to discuss and you need not suppose will go
away from this question until have an answer.
Kirkwood stated that he had asked the Demo-
Gratis when the army appropriation bill was
pending whether the people were to understand
by the rider to that bill that the president to
have no power to enforce laws except upon the
invitation of the governor of state, and they
had made no response.
Northeastern can get an answer now. The
wide difference between the senator from Iowa
and the school of politics he represents, and
mine is that believe, and those who act with
me, that we can trust the people, and you don't.
Voorhees, proceeded to elaborate this
idea, and then wanted to know why the
Republicans were "dumb as oysters |"
on the electoral count BILL Edmunds
replied 81 am merely in your position
myself; am dumber than an oyster" "
Voorhees, again demanded to know what
the Democrats had declined to discuss.
Edmunds said; "Suppose you come
to the discussion of this very philosoph-
ical bill now pending" Voorhees, con-
tinued to re-iterate his question, and
appealed to Conkling for an answer, and
that gentleman replied that he had no
objection to answering except the
"brevity of ife;" yet he would name
one subject which the Indiana senator
himself had promised to discuss, and
had not-the currency question.
This reply rather un balanced Voorhees,,
and he retorted by asking why Conkling
had not discussed it, and then wanted
to know if he wished to discuss the third
term; when ConkEng retorted in this
amusing manner:
NO: because observe UQaC NOBODY Is SO WOr-
r1ed, nobody has such a st. Vltus dance and
delirium tremens of anxiety about q third term
as those hopelessly longing for first term
laughter and the dupes they have made; and
therefore / would not like on hot day like this,
when I see the honorable senator from Indiana
is already considerably animated, to introduce q
thing which think would be so disturbing and
so likely TO disgruntle him as that. Moreover,
the question was not what we wanted to discuss,
but what the gentleman's party had omitted or
refused to discuss.
Further badinage followed, when
Voorhees, proceeded to denounce the
election laws and John Davenport, and
to raise terrible picture of brute force
at elections under the forms of law;
when Edmunds shut him off with the
following sentence:
am so much impressed with horror and fear
at this moment by what the senator has said
that ask him if he would allow us to adjourn
until we can recover from the state we are in.
The senate then adjourned without
coming to vote on the bill.
The senate on Wednesday, resumed
consideration of the bill defining the
terms and providing for the appointment
of chief supervisors of election, although
an effort was made by Window to have
| it laid aside in order that the senate
might proceed with the appropriation
bills. Edmunds was the first speaker,
and said that for the first time political
measure had been permitted to crowd
out an appropriation BILL in order that
the Democrats might make haste to
grasp power for party purposes. He
then proceeded to discussion Of the bill
saying:
If the people of the United States desire to
sweep away every. vestge OF national control
over national elections they have very easy
way to accomplish that object. They have only
! to give voice to the Democratic party in the
coming election. If they are not quite ready to
do that, they would also know what other action
they should take. He admired the courage Of
the Democrats in bringing forward this and a
chain OF similar measures in this presidential
year; though, as had been said yesterday, the
silence with which they were attempted to be
carried through was ominous. A bill recently
passed which took away from the executive the
appointment of purely executive officers, the