The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1881-05-25

in vindication of myself, to &C
count for the course that | an
taking, and for the votes that
cast. If there has been nothing
improper, if there has been no po
litical arrangement by which the
offices Of the Senate are proposed
to be transferred from one party
to the other for an improper pur'
pose, then my conduct is unjusti-
fable, but if | believe conscien.
tiously, from the evidence, not
from my own say-so, that there
has been, it is my bouuden and
sworn duty to act accordingly and
prevent if l can by all constitu-
tional and lawful means the con-
summation Of that which | believe
will bring trouble and disaster
upon this country and npon the
liberties ofthe people.
Political bargains may be es-
tablished by clrcunsstantlaI evil
dence as we'll as crime. Political
bargains are sometimes made
by political parties and receive
the assent of men who, as individ
uals, would never think of con-
senting to them. Where party
ambition, party exigency, the love
of party power, become aroused
and line Of policy is entered up
on, every member of that party is
swept along before its irresistible
power. the honorable and the dis
honorable, the courageous and the
towards, the patriot and the dem
agogue, the statesman and the
time-ser7er, and honorable men
sometimes find themselves obey
ing the behests of party dictation,
involved in measures and policies
against which their private judg-
ment and feelings revolt. 1t will
always be so, Mr.. President, while
party tyranny is so unrelenting
and exacting, like the cyclone in
nature, when it bursts from a
cloud and sweeps over the face Of
the earth, tearing up by the roots
the strong, sturdy monarch of the
forests, at the same time that it
carries before its whirling tempest
the chaff and dry leaves of au-
tumn. Many allowances should
therefore be made. Many are
made for the weakness of parti-
sans who are unwilling to brook
the displeasure and encounter the
frowns Of less scrupulous party
friends by resisting the uncon'
scionable demands OF party.
But if when | propose to 7indi-
cate myself and those with whom l
am acting and to justify our Off
cial conduct in this senatorial con-
test | am met with denunciatlon
instead Of facts, argument, and
reason, the country will not be
satisfied, the people Will not be
satisfied. l had never made any
charges upon the Senator from
Virginia, l had never charged
him with being repudiatlonist, l
had never charged him with
treachery to the party that elect
ed him to the Senate, [ had never
charged him with a want of fdel-
ity to his trusts and yet, in the
first utterance he made on this
floor, be takes occasion to arraign
every democratic Senator who did
not choose to admit that he was
right in all that be was doing.
But, Mr.. President, recurring,
what is the evidence which dem
onstrate the existence Of q 'po-
litical bargain {? What is that evi'
dence What is that circumstan-
tial presumptive evidence by
which it is proven ? Hundreds OF
criminals have been sent to the
gallows and hanged until they
were dead with not one particle
of direct evidence as to the crime
! with which they were charged
The power and force and efficacy
of circumstantial evidence rurs
through the entire civil and Grim.
inal code Of this and all civilized
countries, and it has been affirmed
by men learned in the law to be
in many cases the very strongest
and most conclusive and convinc.
ing Of all evidence. Now. what
are the facts and circumstances
and the inevitable differences and
conclusions to be drawn from them
going to establish the truth OF the
charges that have heen made
They may be grouped and formu
lated aS fO1iOws.