Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-03-29
The Senate.

General Capital News.
The Senate.
WASHINGTON, March 2S.--The Senate an
nouncemsnt that Malone would today address
the Senate in vindication Of his action, and an
explanation of the principles of the Read1uster
party In Vii ginia, had the effect OF drawing 10
the capitol large audience. As early as ~
O'Clock the doors leading to the galleries were
surrounded by an impatient crowd, and within
ten minutes after they were open every avail
able seat was taken, with the exception OF
those reserved for members of the diplomatic
corps. Thess were, however, occupied before
the hour of the assembling of the Senate. On
the floor IN the rear of the Senator's desks,
were seated O large number Of persons,
many of them representatives elect, while
In Various corridors those who had the
misfortune to arrive late, congregated and
bewailed their Ill luck The journal OF Satur:
day having been read. the Vice President laid
before the Senate the resolution for the ap-
pointment of Senate offices, stating that the
Senator from Virginia had the floor. Malone
promised his speech By expressing his regret
that he should be compelled again to interrupt
the deliberstion. of the Senate. II trust," he
said, s'the Senators and the country will con.
cede that to this seeming forwardness am pro-
voked. If may fail to challenge the generous
consideration of those who would appear to
have found pleasure with justification in their
that l shall command the respect Of
brave and Independent spirits here as
shall not COMPLAIN of that lndirection
which has characterized the manner and
method of the Senator's IN their illusions to me-
must accept that they comport entirely with
their own sense and manly department and
Senatorial dignity, however little they do with
my own.
whore the indedsndent spirit of the Anglo
Saxon is required to assert itself. Virginia
ha. ever met with fortitude and becoming dig
nlty every duty which destiny has imposed; al
ways, however, with much contempt for small
party lines where principle was involved in
which her faith and honor was committed,
with absolute confidence. In my loyalty there,
and my devotion to every Interest of her peo.
pie, will not relax my purpose here 10 repel
every Impeachment of the constituents who
sent me to this chamber with clearly defined
duties which they and comprehend.
was elected to the United States Senate to
do their will Not to caucus to do its bid.
ding. Virginia earned her title of the Old
Dominion by the broad and independent action
OF USI OWN pCOP1V anu "
the loyalty of her sons, by
the instinct Of independence without help at
the hand of those who would now interfere
with her affairs. However feebly may ex-
press that spirit against the gratuitous care
and concern for her at the hands of strangers,
to her trials, to her sacrifices and to her Will,
feel that the spirit of her people inspires nae
when scornfully repel for them and for my
self the ungenerous attempts to instruct Vlr-
ginia Senator as to his duty to them and my
self. Senators should be willing TO deal with
their constituents. l answer for mine.
To him that would insinuate that my action
in regard TO the organization of committees of
this body, and the proposed election of Off
GERS has been controlled By impure considera-
tions, land am loath to believe that any Sen.
ator has so intended,l in the language of
another, say:
If thou sayest am not peer
Of any lord of Scotland here,
Highland or lowland, far or near,
Lord Angus, thou hast lied.
Now, permit me to say that the Sena-
tors can no more realize my regret, than they
can measure my amazement that my col
league (Johnston) should have felt it incum-
bent on himself to join the insulting column
in this chamber. He first introduces the
question OF my political consistency, or If he
prefers, Inconsistency, and next
honorable body, not as his colleague,
but as q repudiator of public OBJ
legations The sence of justice Of my fellow
Senator renders 1t necessary for me to apollo
gize for noticing my colleagues criticism on
one hand and his provisions on the other.
However much he and his cohorts may en-
deavor by the cheap logic of attorney to dem
convictions and by my sense of honor what
am. In this particular have largely the I'D
vantage of my colleague, for if take him by
his record, diminutive as 1t is, he neither
knows what he is or what duty he came here
to perform" Laughter.l
He declared the readjusters had never re-
pealed any of the funding contracts made by
Virginia, but asserted the bill passed In 1s71
by the Virginia legislature and known as
'broker's BILL" which had been advocated by
his colleague, repudiated and forcibly repudi-
ated one.third of Virginia's debt. The read
iusters held that two-thirds of the money
Virginia borrowed should be paid; the other
third belonging to West Virginia, according
to every principle of law and equity. Since
1871 the readjusting party had denied to the
creditor war interest and had proposed to pay
the rest in full. The adversaries had funded
that war interest, and proposed to repudiate
one-half that which Virginia was in law and
honor bound to pay. He wanted, like the
Senators from West Virginia, to tell
the country Wnat tnat state
had done with reference to the payment of
one third the debt contracted by the common
wealth of Virginia, whether 1t had ever pro-
posed to pay one silver to maintain the honor
and dignity of the commonwealth.
He criticized the action of his colleague in
not defending the people of Virginia from the
accusation that they were dishonorable-dis.
honorable, too, in the opinion of men who
represented States which, by arbitrary legisla
tion, had reduced their debts from S24s,000:-
600 TO sS,4OO,000. He sent to the clerks desk
and had read table showing the extent to
which debts of the Southern States had been
scaled down. Reputation honorable, read
iustment dishonorable! Oh, Virginia, he said,
i'It was for this you barred your bosom to the
soldiers tread and horses foot. 1t
was for this you laid waste your
homes and displayed your fortitude, cour-
age and your heroic suffering. 1t was
for this you suffered dismemberment of your
territory, and sent your sons to the field to
tycurn to the ruins that were once their
homes 1t was for this you so reluctantly
abandoned your allegiance TO the common
country to be the last in the war and the last
to 60 out. Oh, ingratitude, thou basest and
meanest of crimes.
He would not occupy, he continued, any
more of the time of the Senate, with the sub
iect of Virginia's debt, but would refer now
the interogatory put last Friday by Senator
VOORHEES, to Senator Logan, as to whether the
latter would endorse the papers OF an applicant
for the smallest postoffice who favored repu'
diaffon either n State or national debt. He