The Portland daily press., 1881-03-16
The Senate.
DEBUT OF THE LITTLE MAN FROM
VIRGINIA.
How Ben Hill Was Sat Down On.

aple one. The expectation which filled tn
| galleries and the Senate floor at an early hou
with an immense and brilliant audience wa
not disappointed. Those who were presen
witnessed spectacle the like of which the,
Will hardly see again. The Democracy mad,
their final struggle to keep their hold on tha
branch of the legislature. After five hours
contest they confessed that they were unable.
aud yielded to their fate. The solid South is .
thing of the past. The advent of Mr.. Mabon,
in the Senate, however Objectionable he ma,
be in some particulars, will prove the comins
OF new element of independence, and tht
advance guard Of better tempered Democra
cy. Tho days debate was opened with q
somewhat elaborate statement of the Demo
cratic position on the question of organizing
the Senate bv Mr. Pendleton, who reported
the Democratic caucus action with regard ia
the committees. Senator 'Bayard followed
him in a speech which was in form the
very quintessence of candor and fairness, hon
led all over with sweet disposition. Mr.. Conk-
ling then got the floor, and made speech en-
tirely characteristic of him, as ingenious in ar
gument and exasperating in manner as any
man could conceive Of in which he contr:ved
70 expose all the weak points of the Dem ocratic
position, and to insinuate all the questionable
motives their conduct suggested AS possible.
while protesting all the time that he insnuat.
ed nothing. and charged nothing, and
had the utmost respect for all their professions
and the completest faith in their patriotic pur-
pnse. Up to this point the discu, sion had
been most courteous and skilful ole, charac-
terized by an excessive politeness OF manner
covering the keenest sword-play. Then Ben
Hill came to the front, and at once the contest
assumed worse phase. The intolerance and
bullying temper of the Southern Democrat
masked itself no longer, but was revealed in
every sentence ana tone and gesture of Hills
long and unseemly speech. He set himself to
smoke out MIR. Malone, but when he had done
he probably wished he had not, for Mr.. Ma
hone came to the front with spirit and def
ance that quickly compelled Mr.. Hill to shift
his ground and hedge himself about with ''ifs''
and "buts" in a way that made him seem very
ridiculous. Before Hill's speech there had been
ayea and nay vote on motion to 60 into ex-
ecutive session, and Malone had voted with
the Republicans, the first decisive indication
OF his intentions that he had given, and it
caased great sensation in the crowded cham
Der, manifesting itself by an outburst of ap-
plause. The Virginia Senator, who held the
balance of power in the contest going on, sat
in the outside row, far around toward the end
of the Republican side. He is light man
with pale, keen countenance, wiry gray
hair and long gray beard. No man of all in
the chamber seemed to be less concerned i'm
what was going Oh. He was engaged in writ.
ing most of the time, occasionally stopping 20
chat in business-like way with some one who
accosted him. When Hill began to speak it
quickly became apparent that his purpose was
to whip in any Democrat that might be dis
posed to help the Republicans. Mr.. Conkling
had, in his speech of Friday, said that the Re-
publicans had a constitutional majority in the
Senate. This was Hills text. He expressed
disbelief OF the fact, and stated that there were
present 80 Senators who were elected as DEM
ocrats, and one who, although elected as an In
dependent, had announced his purpose to vote
with the Democrats. Mr.. Conklings state
ment he said, could not be true, unless some
one elected by Democrats, as a Democrat had.
without notifying his constituents or his asso-
ciates in the Senate, determined to betray his
party. This was the substance of a speech
which lasted more than half an hour, in the
course of which the speaker, with great vio-
fence OF temper and language, descanted on
what he was pleased to term the baseness and
dishonor OF such conduct. Invective and taunt
and opprobrium were heaped upon the head of
the imagined person who could do such an act.
Hill all the time asserting that he did not be-
neve there was such person. During the de-
livery OF this speech Mr.. Malone sat most of
the time on one of the sofas on the Republican
side, chatting with some friends, apparently
paying little attention to what was going on
But as Hill drew to the end of his remarks, he
quietly resumed his seat, and when Hill sat
down he addressed the chair. Two or three
others, not noticing that he had risen, had
done SO, and claimed the floor. but all readily
yielded to him. He advanced to the arena in
front OF the Senators, and addressing himself
in a defiant manner directly to Hill, informed
his title to speak for the Democratic party, nor
did he owe anything of allegiance or
favor to that kind of Democracy, the
Bourbon Democracy for which alone I'm
spoke. He said he had given that Derc,ocracu
1ull notlce that he cated nothing for chem. and
fused to go into their caucus, He was his own
man and not tteir maa, and he would take
care TO be tr'le to tne men who sent him tn the
senate, an4 he sheeld give his support in
wnateve1 way seemed to his Judgment best.
anu sha ne would not be instructed in
man., who, elected to the con.
shtutional convention of his State as a Union
man, voted in favor of secession. Probably
Mahone's speech did not occupy ten minutes.
put 1t was SO rapid, earnest, defiant and scorn-
Ial, and the man himself. besides being the
pivot on which the power was turning from
one side OF the chamber to the other, was SO
unique In his personality and manner of speak,
ing that the speech seemed to be much longer
Hlii took the floor again and made sorry ex-
nlDislon OF himself in attempt to reassert his
condemnation; but Malone was now thorough
nl.a1
anything like personal imputation upon him,
ne Interrupted him with q prompt demand to
know his meaning, and Hill prudently re-
treated, Malone warning him in plain terms
toat ne would endure nothing of the sort from
him. General Logan took hand in the con-
filct and made some sharp points. which pro-
Voked Hill into another speech, in which he
wandered all around in a vain endeavor to ap-
pear In the character of champion of manli-
ness and political good faith, growing every
he had concluded, Senator Hoar took the floor
and in an eloquent speech voiced the honest
indignation of both parties INF terms of re-
proach and rebuke that were as we'll
chosen as well deserved. He characteri7 Id
Hiirs harangue as an insult to all hor, r.,,rable
men and degradation of the charac. Ger of tbe
Senate. Turning from that, he welcomed tbe
advent OF Malone as the advance, conriar of
that rising revolt in the South from the intoIl u
erans party which won political victories bv
"nG assasSlnatlons, and in lofty eoauence
whica silenced the chamber. porfraved the
Eiopefulness OF she event as signi6cant that
there was class in that section who were as.
pirlng to get out of the graveyards in which
.uoy Hau Oeeh confined and turn their faces
toward the morning. Mr. Hoar was loudly an.
plaxoed, notwithstanding the repeated warn
Iass against such demonstrations, during and
et the close of his speech, and when he SAT
DOWN Senators flocked about bis chair to con-
g,atdlate him. 1t was an outburst of genuine
e.oquence which produced a great effect and
is nlgnly praised by all who had the good for
tune to hear it. Following this motions to
adjourn and to go into executive session sue
ceeded each other, and were voted down until
Mr.. ingalls, proposed that the whole business
should be postponed until Thursday, when the
Senate would be full. Mr.. Pendleton ex.
pressed his dsinclination to have the contest
degenerate into an unseemly test of physical
endurance, as it was likely to do, and moved
10 adjourn, but withdrew his motion at the re-
quest OF Mr.. Voorhees,, who, after a defence of
tne course OF the Democrats up to that morn !
lng, expressed his disapprobation of the scenes
Oh the day, that showed that the more decent
members of the Democratic party were
ashamed OF the performance of Hill. declared |
mat the Republicans were unquestionably able |
20 organize the Senate by fair vote. and an. |
nounced that he was one who, with the appro-
patton OF those around him, would be willing
% Withdraw in order that the lust eouilibr. |
I'm Oh political power might be maintained and |