The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-04-27
XLVIIth CONGRESS.
Senate-Executive Session,


WASHINGTON, April &c.
Mr.. Edmunds asked leave for the commit
tee on Judiciary to sit during the recess of the
Senate, if that should ever occur, to pursue
some Investigations upon the subject of bank.
ruptcy.. There being no objection, leave was
granted.
The Vice President laid before the Senate
the unfinished business, being the resolution
for the election of officers.
The usual motion for an executive session
was lost, yeas "a, nays "a.
Mr.. Jones of Florida replied to the speech of
Mr.. Frye. He said the Senator had character
lied the civilization Of the North as that of the
school book and the bible; that of the South as
the civilization of slavery and barbarism The
time had come when that kind of utterance
ought to end. Were the Southern people respon-
sible for that barbarism? Were the people of
New England responsible for it? No 1t was
planted here by a superior power, by the
mother country and upheld for years under
special laws of Great Britain. The state from
which he came was no more responsible for
slavery or the evils growing out of it than the
people of any state of the Union. In this con-
nection he read from Burkes speech in de-
Tense of the colonies, in which occurs the sem
timent that the love of liberty exists STRONGEST
among masters of slaves.
Mr.. Hoar-Does the Senator endorse that
passage of Burke's and affirm its truth, or does
he believe that contains as much falsehood as
was ever put together9
Mr.. Jones--I don't believe that there is any
falsehood in it,
Mr. Hoar-Does the Senator now affirm that
liberty exists in greater purity among masters
of slaves?
Mr.. Jones-I undertake to put the opinion of
great political philosopher against the opin-
ion of the Senator from Maine and the Sena-
tor has no right to call for any abstract opinion
of mine on this question of the past. believe
that the observations of Burke were founded
on true philosophy.
Mr.. Hoar-The Senator has stated the pre-
else issue which divides the twoIparties in this
chamber and in this country, and we accept
it.
Mr. Jones-My opinion would be worth very
little on the question, which is no longer prac-
tical. But when we come to indulge in reas-
onlngs 1t is legitimate to put the opinion of
Mr.. Burke against the opinion of Mr.. Frye.
Mr.. Jones continued Slavery had passed
away and there was not man south of the
Potomac who did not rejoice at it. 1t was not
the part of decency or of craftsmanship for any
Senator from any quarter of the Union to
come forward here even for party or political
purposes to dig up the carcass of slavery in
order to influence and excite the public mind.
He criticised what he termed the unwise man
ner in which the right of suffrage had been
conferred upon the negro. The manhood and
spirit of the South had resented the domino
ton of the negro. History would write that
chapter and justice would yet be done after
the prejudices of this century had passed
W
bon should come to write the history of recon-
struction it would be found that the people of
the South would be INDICATED in the minds of
mankind. He had read good deal of OPP
preston and tyranny, and knowing the people
of the South from his earliest boyhood he had
never expected to live to see the day when
that proud and naughty race would be COM
PEELED las he had seen it) to humiliate itself in
connection with this question of negro suf-
frage. He had never expected to see Gas he
had SEEM the day when ignorant and thought
less men inspired by nothing but race feeling
would take possession of the polls and offer
every conceivable insult to white men in
order to provoke quarrel Eand when those
men would bear those taunts and humilia-
tions for the sake of order Referring to the
charges made by Mr.. Frye of fraud and vio-
1ence in elections occurring in Florida, Mr.
Jones sent to the Clerks desk and had read an
extractf from Florida Democratic paper de-
nouncing the crime which had been committed
of rescuing! from q marshal's handsi men
charged with fraudulent voting He did this,
he stated, to show that he had no apology to
make for any lawlessness, and that when any
such act was committed it was promptly de-
nounced by the Democratic press.
AT the conclusion of Mr.. Jones' speech an
hour was consumed with Intellectual roll calls.
At the conclusion of the roll call upon a mo-
ton to lay the resolution upon the table, it
was discovered that the motion had prevailed,
Thereupon Mr. Rollins to whom the informa-
ton was impaired, started on hunt for de-
linquent Republican Senator, and only dis
covered that he himself was the Senator who
had not voted just in time to remedy the mis-
take and defeat the motion by tie vote. Upon
the next motion to go into Executive session it
was announced yeas 81, nays 20. This unex-
pected event was explained by the fact that
Mr.. Lamar who was paired with Mr.. Sherman
had unwittingly voted. Mr.. Lamar asked and
obtained leave to withdraw his vote and the
motion was declared lost
The Senate at 430 adjourned till tomorrow.