The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-04-12
II IS NATION. ON THE SITUATION.

ing from the inability of The democrats to set
up a perfect defence, and from the republican
reliance upon a precedent which they resisted
with all their might two years ago. Each
side, therefore, has improved the opportunity
to have the clerk read the 'srecord' OF its op-
ponents in 1870. Mr.. Butler spread again
upon the minutes Mr.. Coukling's fervid rhet-
oric about partisan cupidity aud v~oracity, and
Mr.. Anthony's more elaborate and touching
appeal against change in a senate which never
dies. Mr.. Anthony was neatly pinned, for in
1879 Mr.. Hill had prnphetcally inquired: slf
the senate becomes republican two years from
now, will he 1.-THE senaror from Rhode Island1
oppose a change of the officers then?" To
which Mr.. Anthony replied, after some futile
fencing: at will depend upon the manner in
which they fulfill the duties of their offices.
-. l do not think / shall ever be found
advocating the removal of officers of this
body who have performed their duties with
fidelity, with honesty, and with intelligence"
Now, there has not been a pretense that the
present officers are in any way inefficient,
and when Senator Logan was asked directly
whether any such charge had been brought
against them, he frankly replied, No, adding:
THAT is not the question. The question is,
have we the power to change them?
If we have, we have the right. That
is all there is in it," Mr.. Saulsbury's ad-
vocacy of this policy when his bull was doing
the goring afforded equal merriment when
read by republican request ard there was a
deal of cheerful banter over the civil service
'~humbpg," as Brown of Georgia called it,
though he thought the majority ought to be
bound by it, considering how much two of
their presidents had had to say about the
theory and about competitive examinations.
The most pitiful figure has been cut by the
Massachusetts senators. Mr.. Dawes has been
tiattered with the leadership in enforcing the
DEGREES of the caucus, an" has consequently
had to suppress his immature sympathy with
civil service reform, and to explain his will
ingnesss to approve a repudia or. His sue
cess has been very Indifferent. He tolerated
Rlddleberger, he said, because, in spite of his
financial he~resies, he was a southerner IN favor
of a full and free ballot. Mr.. Beck then pro-
cecded to make things uncomfortable BY
showing hat Riddlsberger had, some years
ago, on being opposed by a colored member
OF the Virginia legislature, named Moss, who
favored the states honest payment of its
debts, moved his expulsion as a nuisance.
Had the victims name been Big Snake, there
is no telling what would have been the effect
| .r tI;e a,,;D;n..-,, a., NJ No-u- - -
tiles, but as it was, it left him dumb. MI.
Hoar, whose scent for treason is con-
fessedly unsurpassed, rose to the full height
d the occasion when Senator Brown announc-
ed the minoiity's resolve to invite the majority
''to go back to the business for which you
were called together by your PRESIDENT and
to continue that operation until June, or
even till December, if necessary. He regard
ed that "declaration as containing the essence
of revolution and treason to the institutions
of thisc country" the reason being that it in
volved the substitution of the will of the mi.
nority for that Of the majority. This new
view of the alarming nature of filibustering--
in other words, using the rules of the senate
to accomplish a negative end-was exposed
with a light touch by senator Brown, who
convicted Mr.. Hoar of having flibustered at
the close of the last session, and of even re-
fusing to vote when sitting in his place. Mr..
Hoar .'said it was a very little one'' he had
only been reasonable once or twice, and fill
clustering was sometimes lawful. But he was
unable, when called upon, to draw the line
between what Mr.. Brown magnanimously
allowed to be his s.petty treason" and the UNI
mitigated crime against the existence of The
government with which he had charged the
senator from Georgia. Mr.. Logan came I'd
his rescue by making a new and startling
issue, that their oath to the constitution re